And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
Called for all Israel. The clause which follows seems to restrict this general expression, as applicable only to the officers and representatives of the people. 'Judges are here specified in the description of the national council. But they are frequently omitted, because, being chosen from the body of the eldership, they were included in that enumeration.' The place of assembly was most probably Shiloh. The occasion of convening it was the extreme age and approaching death of the venerable leader; and the purport of this solemn address was to animate the chosen people and their posterity to a faithful and unswerving continuance in the faith and worship of the God of Israel.