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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Joshua 9:1 - 9:15
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The Gibeonites Deceive Joshua and the Princes
v. 1. And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, on the west side, in the hills, in the entire mountain country of Canaan, and in the valleys, the lowland toward the south and west, and in all the coasts of the great sea, the Mediterranean Sea, over against Lebanon, in the entire strip of open coast, from the neighborhood of Joppa well into Phenicia, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, Jos_3:10, heard thereof, namely, of all the deeds which Israel had undertaken till now,
v. 2. that they gathered themselves together, they formed a league, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord, there being only one opinion expressed among them, namely, that they must maintain an alliance in order to overcome the invaders.
v. 3. And when the inhabitants of Gibeon, the capital of a small independent state in the mountains northwest of Jerusalem, the principality containing a number of smaller cities as well,
v. 17. heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and Ai,
v. 4. they did work wilily, they made use of a stratagem, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, or, they provided themselves with victuals, and took old sacks upon their asses and wine-bottles, specially prepared skins, as they were used for transporting liquids, old, and rent, and bound up,
v. 5. and old shoes and clouted upon their feet, sandals worn and patched, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy, the mold having eaten spots into the bread.
v. 6. And they went to Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal, either that near Jericho, or, more probably, that in Mount Ephraim, about midway between Jerusalem and Shechem, 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.
v. 7. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, for that is what the Gibeonites were, as the Israelites later found out, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? This question was prompted by the suspicious aspect of the entire matter, which made it seem probable that the ambassadors were members of some Canaanitish nation.
v. 8. And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants, which was really a meaningless form of courtesy and not at all satisfactory. And Joshua, not satisfied with this evasive attitude, said unto them, Who are ye, and from whence come ye? It was a direct and definite inquiry.
v. 9. And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord, thy God; for, as they add in explanation, we have heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt,
v. 10. and 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. They wisely make no mention of the miraculous passage of Jordan and of the taking of Jericho, in order not to contradict their statement of having been on the way a long time.
v. 11. Wherefore our elders, the officials of their republic, and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, the Israelites, and say unto them, We are your servants; therefore, now, make ye a league with us.
v. 12. This our bread we took hot, straight from the oven, 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 moldy;
v. 13. and these bottles, skins, 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. It was a bold stroke by which the messengers pointed to their provisions and to their clothing in corroboration of their story.
v. 14. And the men, the princes of Israel, took of their victuals, either to convince themselves of the truth of the statements presented to them, or in an act implying readiness to make a league with the Gibeonites, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord, thus transgressing an explicit command of the Lord, Num_27:21; for that was one of the functions of the high priest, to ask advice of the Lord in all difficult questions by means of Urim and Thummim.
v. 15. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to their advantage, to let them live; and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. In the entire transaction Joshua and the heads of Israel acted very foolishly, and the result was a transgression of God's command, who had made the strict rule that no covenants were to be made with the nations of Canaan, Exo_23:32; Exo_34:12. The neglect to consult the Word of God in important questions has plunged many a Christian into severe sins.