The Meaning of Joshua 24:3 Explained

Joshua 24:3

KJV: And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

YLT: and I take your father Abraham from beyond the River, and cause him to go through all the land of Canaan, and multiply his seed, and give to him Isaac.

Darby: And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac.

ASV: And I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I took  your father  Abraham  from the other side  of the flood,  and led  him throughout all the land  of Canaan,  and multiplied  his seed,  and gave  him Isaac. 

What does Joshua 24:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 24:1-15 - The Lesson Of Israel's History
The previous chapter contains Joshua's own last words of warning to Israel; here he is God's mouthpiece: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel."
There is, first, the recapitulation of past mercy. From time to time we should definitely recall, for our children's sake, the divine interpositions in our national and domestic life.
It is interesting in the opening words to learn that Abraham was called out of an idolatrous family. This was the pit whence he had been digged, Isaiah 51:1. He was a Gentile before he became a Jew; and was familiar with all the seductions of a lower religious type before he definitely stood for the only true God. It took long to eradicate this evil strain from Israel. During their sojourn in Egypt they had yielded to the fascinations of idolatry, Joshua 24:14. Joshua at least had made his choice! What a blessed thing for a family, when the parents make the avowal of Joshua 24:15. Why not from henceforth? [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 24

1  Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem
2  A brief history of God's benefits from Terah
14  He renews the covenant between them and God
26  A stone the witness of the covenant
29  Joshua's age, death, and burial
32  Joseph's bones are buried
33  Eleazar dies

What do the individual words in Joshua 24:3 mean?

And I took - your father Abraham from the other side of the River and led him throughout all the land of Canaan - and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac
וָ֠אֶקַּח אֶת־ אֲבִיכֶ֤ם אַבְרָהָם֙ מֵעֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֔ר וָאוֹלֵ֥ךְ אוֹת֖וֹ בְּכָל־ אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן [וארב] (וָאַרְבֶּה֙) זַרְע֔וֹ וָֽאֶתֶּן־ ל֖וֹ יִצְחָֽק

וָ֠אֶקַּח  And  I  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲבִיכֶ֤ם  your  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אַבְרָהָם֙  Abraham 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָהָם  
Sense: friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God’s elective covenant.
מֵעֵ֣בֶר  from  the  other  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵבֶר  
Sense: region beyond or across, side.
הַנָּהָ֔ר  of  the  River 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
וָאוֹלֵ֥ךְ  and  led 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בְּכָל־  throughout  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֶ֣רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כְּנָ֑עַן  of  Canaan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
[וארב]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
(וָאַרְבֶּה֙)  and  multiplied 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
זַרְע֔וֹ  his  descendants 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
וָֽאֶתֶּן־  and  gave 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
יִצְחָֽק  Isaac 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִצְחָק  
Sense: son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of Jacob and Esau.