The full scripture reads:
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
This is the foundation upon which my parents wanted their children to be built.
Metalepsis: One of the constructs used in this verse is the phrase "my house." Initially, I took it to mean that his family will also serve the Lord. However, by substituting this idea with a physical object that embodies a family, he conveyed another message as well. Like my parents, Joshua intended to say more than that he would teach his children the gospel; he meant to say that the gospel would be the foundation upon which his children would be built.
So I had no idea you analyzed the same passage as me until after I posted (not too long after you). I was about to scrap everything and do another passage, but I read yours and realized you had analyzed it very differently than me and figured it would be good to have two different (and independent) interpretations!
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis, Ben. I've never thought about that rhetorical strategy in this case, so I found this interesting. I wonder if perhaps he used "house" to convey everyone under his roof. Rather than just his family, this could maybe include servants, guests, etc. Everyone in his house will serve God. Good job.
ReplyDeleteThe parallelism in this piece also helps depict a sense of duty for the listeners. As Joshua is persuading them to follow the Lord, he states that he is as well.
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