What Does Joshua 23:8 Mean in the King James?
But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew word translated “cleave” names a bond that holds fast, so devotion here is enduring attachment, not a passing choice.
THE MEANING
Your relationship with the LORD is pictured as an attachment that holds through time. “As ye have done unto this day” places the present moment inside a bond already sustained.
THE ROOT
תִּדְבָּקוּ
tidbaqu
GROWS FROM
דבק
d-b-q
To cling, stick fast, or adhere.
“cleave” in this verse is tidbaqu. This same Hebrew verb describes a joined bond in Genesis 2:24, Ruth’s clinging to Naomi in Ruth 1:14, and staying fast to God’s testimonies in Psalm 119:31. The root holds physical attachment and relational loyalty together, making devotion more than a passing declaration.
ALSO GROWS
dāvaq: To cling to or join closely.
דָּבַק
The same verb depicts a bond that holds two people together, giving “cleave” a relational depth.
dāvqāh: She held fast to another person.
דָּבְקָה
The word describes loyalty expressed as staying joined when another person turns away.
dāvaqti: I have held fast to the testimonies.
דָּבַקְתִּי
The same root reaches beyond personal bonds to an enduring attachment to what is spoken.
THE PATTERN
Covenant faithfulness takes shape as remaining attached through time.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.THE THREAD
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.“Cleave” in both verses translates the same Hebrew root, דבק (d-b-q), meaning to cling or adhere. In Genesis the word names a joined bond between people; here it reveals devotion to God as that same kind of enduring attachment.
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