Joshua9
King James Version · Public Domain
1And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
2That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
3And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
8And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
9And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
10And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:
13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
14And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.
15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
16And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath–jearim.
18And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
19But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
20This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
21And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
22And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
25And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Joshua 9.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The kings combine against Israel. (1, 2). The Gibeonites apply for peace. (3–13). They obtain peace, but are soon detected. (14–21). The Gibeonites are to be bondmen. (22–27).
vv1-2
Hitherto the Canaanites had defended themselves, but here they consult to attack Israel. Their minds were blinded, and their hearts hardened to their destruction. Though often at enmity with each other, yet they united against Israel. Oh that Israel would learn of Canaanites, to sacrifice private interests to the public welfare, and to lay aside all quarrels among themselves, that they may unite against the enemies of God's kingdom! (Jos 9:3-13)
vv3-13
Other people heard these tidings, and were driven thereby to make war upon Israel; but the Gibeonites were led to make peace with them. Thus the discovery of the glory and the grace of God in the gospel, is to some a savour of life unto life, but to others a savour of death unto death, 2Co 2:16. The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. The falsehood of the Gibeonites cannot be justified. We must not do evil that good may themselves to the God of Israel, we have reason to think Joshua would have been directed by the oracle of God to spare their lives. But when they had once said, “We are come from a far country,” they were led to say it made of skins, and their clothes: one lie brings on another, and that a third, and so on. The way of that sin is especially down-hill. Yet their faith and prudence are to be commended. In submitting to Israel they submitted to the God of Israel, which implied forsaking their idolatries. And how can we do better than cast ourselves upon the mercy of a God of all goodness? The way to avoid judgment is to meet it by repentance. Let us do like these Gibeonites, seek peace with God in the rags of abasement, and godly sorrow; so our sin shall not be our ruin. Let us be servants to Jesus, our blessed Joshua, and we shall live.
vv14-21
The Israelites, having examined the provisions of the Gibeonites, hastily concluded that they confirmed their account. We make more haste than good speed, when we stay not to take God with us, and do not consult him by the word and prayer. The fraud was soon found out. A lying tongue is but for a moment. Had the oath been in itself unlawful, it would not have been binding; for no obligation can render it our duty to commit a sin. But it was not unlawful to spare the Canaanites who submitted, and left idolatry, desiring only that their lives might be spared. A citizen of Zion swears to his own hurt, and changes not, Ps 15:4. Joshua and the princes, when they found that they had been deceived, did not apply to Eleazar the high priest to be freed from their engagement, much less did they pretend that no faith is to be kept with those to whom they had sworn. Let this convince us how we ought to keep our promises, and make good our bargains; and what conscience we ought to make of our words.
Key Words
מֶלֶךְ: a king
עֵבֶר: properly, a region across; but used only adverbially (with or without a preposition) on the opposite side (especially of the Jordan; ususally meaning the east)
יַרְדֵּן: Jarden, the principal river of Palestine
הַר: a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
שְׁפֵלָה: Lowland, i.e. (with the article) the maritime slope of Palestine
חוֹף: a cove (as a sheltered bay)
גָּדוֹל: great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
יָם: a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south
מוּל: properly, abrupt, i.e. a precipice; by implication, the front; used only adverbially (with prepositional prefix) opposite
לְבָנוֹן: Lebanon, a mountain range in Palestine
Cross References
Joshua 9Specifies the ordinance of asking counsel by the judgment of Urim before the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Records the severe famine sent years later when King Saul violated this sworn covenant with the Gibeonites.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Explicitly forbids making a covenant or league with the native inhabitants of Canaan.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Details the historical defeats of Sihon and Og, which Gibeon cited as distant news.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Distinguishes between rules for cities which are very far off and local Canaanite cities.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Characterizes the righteous citizen of Zion as one who swears to his own hurt and changes not.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the status of strangers as hewers of wood and drawers of water.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms Gibeon was the only Hivite city that made peace with Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Indicates Gibeon was a great, royal city, explaining why their surrender terrified neighbors.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Connects Gibeon's curse of servitude under Israel to Noah's ancient curse on Canaan.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies the Nethinim, temple servants descended from groups like Gibeon, appointed for service.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Describes the confederated nations consulting together with one consent against God's people.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Pronounces woe on children who take counsel and make leagues but not of God's Spirit.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Refers to the central place of worship the Lord would choose for his altar.
Supported by Matthew Henry