Gibeon

In the Bible

• The treaty with Joshua (Joshua 9): The inhabitants of Gibeon are identified as Hivites. On hearing that Jericho and Ai had fallen, they put on worn-out clothing and took along dry bread, posing as people from a distant country, and in this way secured a treaty of peace with Joshua. Even after the deception came to light, Israel did not put them to death, because they had sworn to them by the name of the LORD. Instead, the Gibeonites were made hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar.
• The battle in which the sun and moon stood still (Joshua 10): When five Amorite kings attacked Gibeon, Joshua went up to rescue the city. It was on this occasion that the words "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon" (Joshua 10:12) were spoken.
• The time of David: At the pool of Gibeon the forces of Abner and Joab clashed (2 Samuel 2:12–17). Later, when a famine came because Saul had killed Gibeonites, David handed over seven of Saul's descendants to them (2 Samuel 21:1–14).
• Solomon's dream: At Gibeon, "the great high place," Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings, and that night he asked for wisdom in a dream (1 Kings 3:4–15). Chronicles records that the tabernacle of the congregation made by Moses and the bronze altar made by Bezalel were at Gibeon at that time (2 Chronicles 1:3–6; 1 Chronicles 16:39).
• Other references: Gibeon was one of the cities given to the Levites (Joshua 21:17). It was also the hometown of Hananiah, the prophet who opposed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28:1). After the return from exile, men of Gibeon took part in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:7).

Background

The name is commonly explained as related to a word meaning "hill." The site is widely identified with modern el-Jib, northwest of Jerusalem. Excavations in the mid-twentieth century reportedly uncovered jar handles inscribed with the name "Gibeon" and a large pool cut into the rock. Scholars differ, however, on how to correlate the dating of the biblical events with the excavation results.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The Gibeon narrative is read as an instance of a foreign people being brought within Israel's covenant. In 2 Samuel 21 the violation of an oath sworn long before resurfaces as an issue, so the passage is sometimes interpreted as showing the weight of an oath. In addition, because the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering were kept at Gibeon, it was an important place of worship before the Jerusalem temple was built. The name Gibeon does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• The sun and moon standing still: Some interpreters regard the event in Joshua 10 as a miracle that literally occurred. Others, noting that the text is poetry quoted from "the book of Jasher" (Joshua 10:13), read it as poetic expression.
• Solomon's sacrifices at the high place: First Kings 3:3 records Solomon's sacrificing at the high places with the qualifying word "only." Chronicles, by contrast, states that the tabernacle of the congregation was at Gibeon, thereby accounting for the sacrifices offered there. The difference in perspective between the two accounts is a subject of discussion.
• Connection with the Nethinim: Some explain the Gibeonites as the origin of the Nethinim, the temple servants of a later period. The text, however, does not say so directly.

In the Korean Church

Solomon's thousand burnt offerings appear frequently in Korean church preaching. Some churches, following this example, have encouraged an ilcheon beonje ("thousand burnt offerings") practice of offering a thousand services of worship or a thousand offerings. Critics respond that the text speaks only of the number of burnt offerings Solomon presented and provides no basis for repeated giving. The verse "Sun, stand thou still" is often quoted in sermons emphasizing the power of prayer.