The Book of Joshua
Joshua 9
Chapter IX · Vol. I, pp. 551–552
1 The kings combine against Israel. 3 The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league. 16 For which they are condemned to perpetual bondage.
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were aon this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea1 over against 2Lebanon, bthe Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof,
a To the westward of it, ch.3.17; 12.7.
1 The Mediterranean.—C.
2 This clause may be literally translated as follows: 'When all the kings which were beyond Jordan (i.e. west of the river); in the hill country (the mountain range of Central Palestine); in the Shephelah (the plains of Philistia and Sharon); and in all the coast of the Great Sea beside Lebanon (i.e. Phœnicia),' &c.—P.
b Ge. 15.18-21. Ex. 23.23,31; 34.11. De.7.1. ch.3.10.
2 That they cgathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.3
c Ps. 83.2-8; 2.1,2. 2 Ch.20.1. Re.16.14. Lu.16.8.
3 Heb. mouth.
3 And when the inhabitants of dGibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
d And other cities, ver.17; ch.10.2. 2 Co.2.16.
4 They did work ewilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors,4 and took old sacks5 upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;6
e Lu. 16.8; 8.44,47. Mat.10.16. Ge.34.2,13. 1 Ki.20.31.
4 From a root signifying a hinge; because, like a hinge, they unite two parties, and the public business of countries turns, as it were, to open or shut upon them.—C.
5 A proof of what little way civilization had yet made, as there is no mention of any wheel vehicle. The sack is still used in eastern countries to contain all the traveller's luggage, from his change of raiment to the pots and pans for dressing food.—C.
6 These bottles, still common in the East, and used also in parts of Europe, as in the mountains of Biscay, were made of skins, drawn off the animal without being cut open in the ordinary manner. The parts unavoidably opened, were curiously united, by means of their own glutinous matter and pressure. When old they of course become liable to be rent, and were mended generally by gathering the lacerated parts together, and tying it tightly with cord.—C.
5 And old shoes and clouted7 upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
7 The word clout has not two meanings, but there are two words of the same sound—the one from the Anglo-Saxon 'clout,' a rag; the other from the French 'clou,' a nail. The shoes of the Gibeonites were clouted, or mended by patches.—C.
6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp, at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come ffrom a far country; now therefore make ye a league with us.
f De.20.11-15.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the gHivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and hhow shall we make a league with you?
g ch.11.19.
h Ex.23.31-33; 34.12. De.7.2; 20.16. Nu. 33.52.
8 And they said unto Joshua, iWe are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
i De.20.11. Est. 7.4. Ge.9.25,26.
9 And they said unto him, From ka very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: lfor we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
k De.20.15. Is. 55.5. Ne.9.5. Ps.86.9; 83.18; 148.13.
l ch.2.9,10. Ex. vii.-xiv. Nu.21.24-35. Ro. 16.26. Col. 1.26,27. Their submission was typical of the gathering of the Gentiles to Christ.
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.
11 Wherefore our elders, and all the inhabitants of our country, spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you8 for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
8 Heb. in your hand.
12 This 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:
13 And 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.
14 And the men took of their victuals,9 and askedm not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.1
A.M. 2553. B.C. 1451.
9 Or, they received the men by reason of their victuals.
m Ex.28.30. Nu.27.21. De.27.21. 1 Sa.23.9; 30.7,8. Ezr.8.21. 1 Ch.10.14. Is.30.2.
1 Either took and examined their victuals, and considered their hard state as evidence of their long journey; or ate of their victuals as Jacob and Laban did, Ge.31.46, and so contracted an irreversible covenant, of which feasting together was a sign. In either case, they sinned in not 'asking counsel of the Lord.'—Note. In every engagement we should ask counsel of the Lord. And though we possess neither Urim nor Thummim whereby to inquire, we have the word of God, and prayer, in the united use of which means we cannot fail to discover his will and our duty.—C.
15 And Joshua nmade peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes2 of the congregation sware unto them.
n ch.2.12-19; 6.22-25. De.20.10. 2 Sa.21.2-14. Je.18.7,8.
2 The princes being representatives, their oath bound the people as well as themselves.
16 And it came to pass, oat 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.
o Pr.12.19.
17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were pGibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and qKirjath-jearim.3
p ch.15.60; 10.2,4,12; 18.25,26. 2 Sa.2.13; 20.8. 1 Ch.8.29; 21.29. 1 Ki.3.5.
q ch.15.9,60; 18.14. 1 Sa.7.1. 1 Ch.13.5.
3 Gibeon, now called Jib, is situated on a rounded rocky hill in the centre of an upland plain, six miles north-west of Jerusalem. It became noted as the scene of Solomon's great burnt-offering. Chephirah is now represented by the small ruin Kefir, on the western declivity of the mountain range, seven miles west of Gibeon. Beeroth lay within a mile and half of Bethel. Kirjath-jearim is seven miles from Jerusalem, on the leading road to Joppa.—P.
18 And the children of Israel rsmote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: and all the congregation smurmured against the princes.
19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We thave sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.4
t 2 Sa.21.1,2. Eze.17.13,19. Ps.15.4. Pr.20.25. Ju.11.35; 21.5,7.
4 There is no better test of national character than veracity and respect for an oath. They can never exist without the knowledge and fear of God.—C.
20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest uwrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but xlet them be hewers of wood, and drawers of water, unto all the congregation;5 as the princes had ypromised them.
x De.29.11. ver.22,23. 1 Ch.9.2. Ezr.2.45,58; 8.17,20. Ne.3.26; 10.28.
y ver.15.
5 They could not perform these offices to all the congregation indiscriminately, but relieved all the congregation from this part of the tabernacle service (see ver. 23); and were most probably, as is common in the East, appointed the public wood-hewers and water-carriers to the principal cities. They were literally confined, father and son, and mother and daughter, to one work, as by the Indian law of caste.—C.
22 And 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?
23 Now therefore ye are zcursed;6 and there shall none of you be freed7 from being bondmen, and hewers of wood, and drawers of water, for the house of my God.
A.M. 2553. B.C. 1451.
6 Referring to the original curse against Canaan by Noah, 'A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.' The Gibeonites appear, from ver. 9, 24, to have been believers in the divine commission of Moses and Joshua, very little enlightened, but still believers. They are contented to be anything, so they may live. So was the younger son willing to be made as one of his father's 'hired servants,' if he might only eat of his father's bread.—C.
7 Heb. not be cut off from you. Thus God brought them, though accursed Gentiles, near to his altar.
24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God acommanded 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.
a De.7.1,2; 20.16. Ex.23.31-33; 34.12. Nu.33.52,53.
25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.
Notes
Reflections.—While the people of God are busied in their sacred devotions, the wicked of the world are often occupied in plotting or attempting their destruction. And while infatuated with malice and revenge, they are generally unanimous against God, his cause, and people. But God, in great wisdom and kindness, commonly restrains the more formidable attacks of his enemies till he has prepared his people to receive them. When alarmed by God's mighty works in favour of his people, men are sometimes ready to solicit their friendship, even by hypocrisy and deceit; while those who pretend to do us most honour are inwardly the readiest to impose upon us. Pretences of religion and antiquity are snares extremely deceiving; and when persons have once begun to lie, it is hard to say where they may stop. Good men may often be deceived by such pretences; for the wisdom of the serpent, even in them, is not always joined with the harmlessness of the dove. And those who are honest themselves, and forward in their actions, are more apt to be imposed on by solemn pretences to religion, and appearances of simple honesty, especially when they do not acknowledge the Lord that he may direct their paths. Covenants once made should be fulfilled with tenderness; and great care ought to be taken that peace and fidelity may go hand in hand. But how amazing are the dispensations of Providence in the superabounding of grace where sin did much abound! By fraud Jacob obtained the blessing which consecrated him and his seed to be the peculiar people of God: and by fraud these accursed Gentiles of Gibeon obtained a covenant, which issued in their attendance on the courts of God, as figures of the gathering of the nations to Christ and his gospel church. Him that cometh to Christ he will in no wise cast out; and if he receive us, we need never complain of the cross which he lays on us. If we serve him, we may bless the day in which carnal liberty is exchanged for spiritual subjection.