The Covenant Renewal Ceremony at Shechem (Josh. 24:2–27) Compared with Other Ancient Treaties

ElementFunctionVerses
preambleintroduces the suzerain (i.e., the sovereign)v. 2
historical prologuerecounts the suzerain’s past gracious dealings with the vassal (i.e., the subordinate)vv. 2–13
stipulationsoutlines the vassal’s consequent responsibilities in respect to the suzerainvv. 14–24
written recordpreserves the covenant agreementv. 26
witnessesnamedvv. 26–27; cf. v. 22
blessings and cursesconsideredimplicit throughout, esp. in v. 20

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