And Joshua said to the people, 'You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.' And they said, 'We are witnesses.' — Joshua transforms the people into covenant witnesses. The formula 'you are witnesses against yourselves' (ʾattem ʿēdîm bākem) means that the assembled community's public declaration becomes self-binding; they have created evidence of their own commitment. The reciprocal 'we are witnesses' (ʿēdîm ʾānûḥnû) locks the people into covenant accountability.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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