The divisions of the Old Testament were standardized in the early 10th century by the Ben Asher family, and a Jewish rabbi named Nathan is credited with dividing the Hebrew Old Testament into verses in 1448 A. D. This was done with the intention of helping readers understand the prophesied fall of the city and its potential for salvation for those who deserve it. This particular verse begins the description of how Joshua represented Israel in Shechem to renew his covenant with God, which is a major part of the original context of the story.
Examining these verses can help us gain insight into how the biblical authors understood them and God's character. The verse also mentions some of the pilgrimage festivals that faithful followers should attend and provides details on how to maintain order in the temple. In future discussions, the group will discuss elements of God's character, including his anger. Therefore, it is important to pray and pay attention to the length of the verses, and meditate on how they impact our understanding of the truth of the story. Next week, we will continue to look at these verses and delve into their backstory and context. Using some advanced capabilities of BibleWorks 10 and Excel, I discovered today that the ten longest verses (by word count) in the Bible† are all located in the Old Testament.
