Joshua9

After hearing of Israel's victories, the inhabitants of Gibeon craftily deceived Joshua and the princes of Israel into making a league with them, pretending to be from a very distant land. Israel's leaders failed to consult the LORD before agreeing to the covenant. Upon discovering the deception three days later, the Israelites were bound by their oath, and the Gibeonites were spared from destruction but condemned to perpetual servitude as hewers of wood and drawers of water.

The Kings Unite Against Israel

1
When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it ​
2
they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

The Gibeonites Seek a Treaty Through Deception

3
But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4
they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and wine skins, old and torn and bound up, ​
5
and old and patched shoes on their feet, and wore old garments. All the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.
6
They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country. Now therefore make a covenant with us.” ​
7
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you live among us. How could we make a covenant with you?”
8
They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”
9
They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have heard of his fame, all that he did in Egypt, ​
10
and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
11
Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and tell them, “We are your servants. Now make a covenant with us.”’
12
This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we went out to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy.
13
These wine skins, which we filled, were new; and behold, they are torn. These our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey.”
14
The men sampled their provisions, and didn’t ask counsel from the mouth of the LORD. ​
15
Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The princes of the congregation swore to them. ​

The Deception Is Discovered

16
At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.
17
The children of Israel traveled and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
18
The children of Israel didn’t strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes. ​
19
But all the princes said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
20
This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them.” ​
21
The princes said to them, “Let them live, so they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.”

The Gibeonite Servitude

22
Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you live among us?
23
Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you will never fail to be slaves, both wood cutters and drawers of water for the house of my God.” ​
24
They answered Joshua, and said, “Because your servants were certainly told how the LORD your 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 very afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. ​
25
Now, behold, we are in your hand. Do to us as it seems good and right to you to do.”
26
He did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they didn’t kill them.
27
That day Joshua made them wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place which he should choose. ​

Study Notes for Joshua 9

Verse 1

The previous victories at Jericho and Ai prompted the various local kings to set aside their differences and form a unified military coalition, recognizing Israel as a serious existential threat.

Verse 4

They did work wilily (or 'cunningly') by staging a scene of extreme travel hardship. This was a strategic plan to appear as if they came from outside the promised land, thus circumventing the command to destroy local inhabitants (Deut 7:1-2).

Verse 6

The Gibeonites requested a 'league' (covenant or peace treaty). Israel was permitted to make treaties with distant nations, but forbidden from making them with Canaanites living within the land (Exod 23:32).

Verse 9

The Gibeonites cunningly framed their request by acknowledging Yahweh’s power demonstrated in Egypt and the Transjordan. This appeal to God's reputation made their story seem credible to Israel.

Verse 14

This verse reveals Israel's critical failure: they relied solely on circumstantial evidence (the moldy bread and worn clothes) and neglected to seek divine counsel through the Urim and Thummim, or the High Priest.

Verse 15

Joshua established a binding covenant confirmed by an oath sworn by the princes. Under ancient Near Eastern law and Israelite covenant theology, an oath, even if secured through deception, was considered sacred if sworn in God’s name.

Verse 18

The princes upheld the oath despite the deception, demonstrating the sanctity of a covenant sworn by the LORD. Breaking such a promise would invite divine wrath upon the entire community (cf. 2 Sam 21:1).

Verse 20

The leaders prioritized the theological consequence of the oath, fearing Yahweh's 'wrath' more than the political implications of sparing Canaanites, thus affirming the supreme importance of covenant fidelity.

Verse 23

The Gibeonites are placed under a perpetual curse of servitude. Their labor is specifically assigned to the religious function of providing wood and water for the tabernacle/temple service ('the house of my God').

Verse 24

The Gibeonites confessed that their fear of God's command to destroy the inhabitants (the *herem*) was their primary motivation for the deception, showing they were aware of Israel's divine mandate.

Verse 27

This permanent role integrated the Gibeonites into the community's service structure, fulfilling the oath while ensuring their subjugation. The phrase 'unto this day' confirms the persistence of this arrangement long after Joshua’s time.

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