Joshua 9

Joshua 9 stands in the middle of the narrative of the conquest of Canaan. Following the capture of Ai and the account of the altar on Mount Ebal in Joshua 8, it recounts how the Gibeonites made a covenant with Israel while the kings of Canaan were forming an alliance.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites west of the Jordan gather together to fight against Israel.
• Verses 3–13 Having heard what happened to Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites prepare old sacks, worn and patched wineskins, worn-out garments and shoes, and moldy bread. They come to the camp at Gilgal, claim to have come from a far country, and ask for a treaty.
• Verses 14–15 Israel does not inquire of the LORD; Joshua makes a covenant of peace with them, and the princes of the congregation swear an oath.
• Verses 16–21 Three days later it comes to light that they are neighbors from Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. The congregation murmurs against the princes, but the princes say they cannot strike them because of the oath; they let them live and make them hewers of wood and drawers of water.
• Verses 22–27 Joshua rebukes them for their deception and makes them servants who labor for the house of God. The Gibeonites answer that they acted as they did for fear of losing their lives, and Joshua does not allow the children of Israel to kill them.

Key Verses

• Joshua 9:14 "…and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD." This verse points out that the covenant was made on the basis of outward appearances alone.
• Joshua 9:19 "We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them." This verse expresses the chapter's central principle that an oath must be kept even when it was obtained through deception.

People and Places

• Joshua: The leader of Israel, who makes the covenant with the Gibeonites.
• The Gibeonites: Called Hivites in the text (v. 7), they lived in several towns northwest of Jerusalem.
• Gilgal: The site of Israel's camp.
• Sihon and Og: The two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan. The Gibeonites say they have heard what Israel did to them.
• Jericho and Ai: Cities Israel had previously conquered.

Points for Reflection

• Deuteronomy 20 permits making peace with distant cities but commands the utter destruction of the nearby Canaanite cities. The Gibeonites' pretense of having come from far away is connected to this regulation. Interpreters differ on how to evaluate their deception and on how to understand the relationship between this covenant and the command of utter destruction.
• The oath sworn in the name of the LORD is portrayed as remaining binding in later generations. 2 Samuel 21 relates that a famine came in the days of David because Saul had killed Gibeonites. Many interpreters read this chapter together with Psalm 15:4, "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not."
• The Gibeonites are sometimes compared with Rahab. Both were Canaanites who became afraid after hearing of the LORD's works, but Rahab received the spies by faith (Hebrews 11:31), whereas the Gibeonites sought a way to survive through deception.
• This covenant forms the background of Joshua 10, in which five kings attack Gibeon and Israel goes to Gibeon's aid.

In the Korean Church

Verse 14 is frequently cited in sermons as an example of the failure that results from not seeking God's will in prayer before making an important decision.