Joshua 9: The Gibeonites trick Israel into a covenant
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What happens?
The kings of the land gather to fight Israel, but the people of Gibeon dress in worn-out clothes, carry dry bread and split wineskins, and come to Joshua at Gilgal saying they are from a far country. The men of Israel take some of their food but do not ask Yahweh, and Joshua makes a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders swear to them by Yahweh. Three days later Israel learns that they are neighbors. Because of the oath Israel does not kill them, but Joshua curses them and makes them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for Yahweh's altar.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold. The Gibeonites speak to Joshua and the men of Israel in verses 6, 8, 9 to 13, 24 and 25, and in verse 11 they repeat what their elders told them. The men of Israel speak in verse 7, Joshua in verses 8, 22 and 23, and the leaders of Israel in verses 19 to 21. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1When 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
In plain English: When all the kings beyond the Jordan heard of it, in the hill country, in the lowland, and all along the coast of the Great Sea as far as (literally: in front of) Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
Good to know: "Beyond the Jordan" depends on where the speaker stands. Here it means the west side, where Israel now is: the hill country, the lowland and the coast. In verse 10 the Gibeonites use the same words for the east side, where Sihon and Og ruled.
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2they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
In plain English: they gathered together to fight Joshua and Israel, with one mind (literally: one mouth).
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3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
In plain English: But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
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4they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and old, torn-up and bound up wineskins,
In plain English: they too acted with cunning (this Bible: resorted to a ruse). They went and made themselves look like messengers (this Bible: ambassadors; or: got food ready for a journey). They loaded worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and old wineskins, split and tied up,
The Hebrew word: "Made as if they had been ambassadors" is one Hebrew word, from tsayar, which the dictionary gives as "to make an errand, i.e. betake oneself". This is the only verse that uses it.
What changes: The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) says "made provision", as if from a different word, one letter apart in Hebrew: tsud, which the dictionary gives as "to victual (for a journey)", the word for "took ... for our supplies" in verse 12. Read as "ambassadors", they dressed up as messengers from a far country. Read as "got food ready", they packed food for a journey. Either way, the trick is the same: old sacks, old wineskins, old sandals and dry bread.
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5and old and patched sandals on their feet, and wore old garments. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.
In plain English: with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and old clothes on their bodies. All the bread they had brought was dry and crumbled (this Bible: moldy).
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6They went to Joshua at 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.”
In plain English: They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far country. So now make a covenant with us."
Good to know: to lets Israel make peace with cities "very far off", but and name the Hivites among the nations of the land who are to be destroyed, and says "You shall make no covenant with them." The Gibeonites, who are Hivites (verse 7), say they come from a far country.
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7The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you live among us? How could we make a covenant with you?”
In plain English: The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us. Then how could we make a covenant with you?"
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8They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”
In plain English: They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua said to them, "Who are you, and where do you come from?"
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9They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God; for we have heard of his fame, all that he did in Egypt,
In plain English: They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God. We have heard the report of him (this Bible: his fame), and all that he did in Egypt,
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10and 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.
In plain English: and all he did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan: Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
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11Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take supplies in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them. Tell them, “We are your servants. Now make a covenant with us.”’
In plain English: Our elders and all the people of our country told us, 'Take food with you for the journey and go to meet them. Tell them, "We are your servants. So now make a covenant with us."'
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12This our bread we took hot for our supplies out of our houses on the day we went out to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy.
In plain English: This bread of ours was still warm when we took it from our houses as food for the journey, on the day we left to come to you. But now look, it is dry and crumbled (this Bible: moldy).
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13These wineskins, which we filled, were new; and behold, they are torn. These our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”
In plain English: These wineskins were new when we filled them, and look, they are split. These clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey."
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14The men sampled their provisions, and didn’t ask counsel from Yahweh’s mouth.
In plain English: The men took some of their food (this Bible: sampled their provisions), but they did not ask Yahweh for advice (literally: they did not ask the mouth of Yahweh).
Good to know: The text says plainly that the men did not ask Yahweh. says Joshua was to stand before Eleazar the priest, who would ask for him "by the judgment of the Urim before Yahweh".
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15Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The princes of the congregation swore to them.
In plain English: Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders (this Bible: princes) of the community swore an oath to them.
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16At 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.
In plain English: Three days after they had made the covenant with them, they heard that these people were their neighbors and lived among them.
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17The children of Israel traveled and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
In plain English: The Israelites set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
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18The children of Israel didn’t strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes.
In plain English: The Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. The whole community grumbled against the leaders.
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19But all the princes said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. Now therefore we may not touch them.
In plain English: But all the leaders said to the whole community, "We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, so now we cannot touch them.
Good to know: Israel keeps the oath even though it was made by a trick. and tell that later, in David's days, there was a famine, and Yahweh said it was "for Saul", because he put the Gibeonites to death. That passage says again that "the children of Israel had sworn to them".
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20We will do this to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them.”
In plain English: This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that anger (this Bible: wrath) does not come on us because of the oath we swore to them."
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21The 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.
In plain English: The leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became woodcutters and water carriers (this Bible: drawers of water) for the whole community, as the leaders had told them.
Good to know: "The one who cuts your wood" and "the one who draws your water" are named in among those who stand before Yahweh to enter his covenant.
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22Joshua 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?
In plain English: Joshua called for them and said to them, "Why did you trick (this Bible: deceive) us by saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you live among us?
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23Now 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.”
In plain English: So now you are cursed. Some of you will always be slaves (literally: a slave will never be cut off from you), woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
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24They answered Joshua, and said, “Because your servants were certainly told how Yahweh 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.
In plain English: They answered Joshua, "Your servants were told for certain that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land before you. So we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and we did this.
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25Now, behold, we are in your hand. Do to us as it seems good and right to you to do.”
In plain English: Now here we are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you."
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26He did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they didn’t kill them.
In plain English: So he did that to them. He saved them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them.
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27That day Joshua made them wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for Yahweh’s altar to this day, in the place which he should choose.
In plain English: That day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for Yahweh's altar, as they are to this day, in the place he would choose.
Good to know: "The place which he should choose" echoes Moses' words in Deuteronomy about "the place which Yahweh your God shall choose" for his worship (). This verse, like Deuteronomy, does not name the place.
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