Joshua 9:7-15 meaning

Joshua 9:7-15 records the skepticism of the Israelites regarding the Gibeonites’ claim that they were from a far off country when, in fact, they lived just a few miles away. While six pagan kings allied to defeat Israel, the Gibeonites resorted to a deceitful trick. Since God required Israel to destroy the nations inside Canaan and spare those living afar, they disguised themselves as wandering travelers. Then, they approached the Israelites and asked for a peace treaty to escape the eradication the LORD had decreed (Joshua 9:3-6).

Nevertheless, the men of Israel became suspicious. They thought it would be unwise to take the claim at face value, so they asked for some evidence. They said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you are living within our land" (v. 7). The Hivites descended from Ham, one of the three sons of Noah, through Canaan. In Genesis, Moses referred to the Shechemites as Hivites (Genesis 34:2). Later, during the Israelite conquest, they constituted the population of Gibeon.

The passage referred to the Gibeonites as Hivites for at least two reasons. First, they were part of a larger ethnic group called Hivites. Second, they were among those with whom Israel would wage war, as indicated in the first verse. Thus, the enemy purposefully issued false statements to deceive God’s people to see if they could live among them.

Having suspected that the Gibeonites lived in the same vicinity, the Israelites asked, How shall we make a covenant with you? A covenant is a contract, a treaty, or an alliance between two or more parties. It is a formal agreement that binds the parties together in a relationship based upon a mutual consensus.

In Deuteronomy, the LORD gave Moses the rules of warfare. The Israelites could offer terms of peace to the cities outside of Canaan but were to destroy all the surrounding Canaanite people groups to avoid any corrupting influence over Israel toward pagan worship and culture (Deuteronomy 20:10-18). Based upon this stipulation, the Israelites questioned the Gibeonites, because if these strangers were actually from among the Canaanite people groups which God had commanded they destroy, then they could not make a treaty with them.

However, the Gibeonites insisted. They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." This statement shows that they placed themselves under Joshua’s authority. They would not mind becoming subordinates or vassals to save their lives. Their willingness prompted Joshua to ask about their identity. Thus, he said: "Who are you and where do you come from?" Through this question, the Israelite leader sought to investigate the presence of these strangers and the purpose of their mission. Their answer would determine Joshua's next course of action.

In response to Joshua's request, the Gibeonites gave him a lengthy explanation that further justified their request for a peace treaty, yet did not reveal their true identity. They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the LORD your God." The term for fame is "shem" in the Hebrew language. It is the word for "name" but can mean "reputation" or "fame," as in this passage. The Gibeonites heard about the greatness of the LORD, who performed miracles on behalf of His chosen people and granted them victory. They used that knowledge to convince Joshua by citing two crucial events in Israel's history. First, speaking about God, they said, We have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt.

The Israelites spent about 400 years in slavery in Egypt. But Yahweh delivered them with "a powerful hand" (Exodus 13:16). He sent Moses to Pharaoh to ask him to release the Israelites from slavery so that they could possess the Promised Land (Exodus 9:1). Pharaoh refused to listen, prompting the LORD to deal with him and his army severely (Exodus 7-12). God demonstrated His power by dividing the waters of the Red Sea and allowing His people to cross it on dry ground. Once they were across, He caused the Red Sea to fall upon the Egyptians, killing the best of Pharaoh's army (Exodus 14:15-29). He also "executed judgments on their gods" to demonstrate His superiority (Numbers 33:3). The Gibeonites heard about that miracle and feared for their lives.

Second, the Gibeonites recalled what Yahweh did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan. The kings were Sihon of Heshbon and Og of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. Heshbon was located along the King's Highway, the primary north-south trade road through the region east of the Jordan River. It was the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites (Numbers 21:21-26). Ashtaroth was a city in Bashan, the dwelling place of Og (Deuteronomy 1:4, Joshua 12:4).

When the Israelite army approached the land of Canaan in battle, these mighty kings ruling in the region east of the Jordan River opposed them (Numbers 21:27-34). But the all-powerful God delivered Sihon to the Israelites, and they defeated him and his army (Deuteronomy 2:32-37). Likewise, He turned Og over to His people and asked them to destroy him and his mighty men. The Israelites were victorious because the LORD their God had weakened their enemy to fulfill His promise (Deuteronomy 3:1-7).

This is very similar to the information Rahab of Jericho had about the Israelites and their God. Similarly, she feared their victory and the death of her and her family, so she asked for God’s mercy, but without deceiving the Israelites, and instead deceiving their enemies to help them (Joshua 2). Rahab and her family were spared.

The Gibeonites seem to have learned as much as possible about the God of Israel to understand how they might save their lives. They acted craftily to deceive Israel. They avoided talking about Israel’s recent victories over Jericho and Ai. Instead, they mentioned events outside of Canaan to show that they were from a distant country and were unaware of the more recent incidents.

The Gibeonite delegation demonstrated their clever ruse by giving more details about their trip and presenting their credentials to Joshua. They led Israel to believe their decision was unanimous: Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us (v. 11). In ancient times, elders were men appointed to lead because they had wisdom, leadership skills, and integrity. They often sat at the city gates to decide cases (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Thus, the Gibeonites mentioned these men to give credibility to their message and trap Israel.

In this false story, the instructions given by the elders and all the inhabitants to the Gibeonite delegation were twofold. First, they said: Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them [the Israelites]. The supposed elders advised the Gibeonites to gather enough food supplies for the "long journey," perhaps implying they refused to buy or borrow from local Canaanite cities on the way, since they wanted to serve the people of the LORD. Second, the elders and all the inhabitants commanded the delegation to say to the Israelites, 'We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.'

The Gibeonites had heard a report about the LORD’s greatness and power. However, they did not come from a far country, as they stated. They were neighbors. To further support their lies, they presented their objects to Israel. Beginning with their edible substances, they said: This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled (v. 12). Also, these wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn. The dry and crumbled bread and torn wineskins helped the illusion that the Gibeonites had been traveling for some time.

The Gibeonites used the term behold twice in this statement to draw the attention of the Israelites to their facade. They then displayed their garments: These our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey. All these explanations would support the lie that they had come from a distant country and thus were worthy of a peace treaty, not belonging to the doomed Canaanite people groups.

Having heard the credentials of the Gibeonites and seen their items, the men of Israel took some of their provisions to inspect them and confirm their claim (v. 14). Sadly, their skepticism did not go far enough. More importantly, they did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. This failure contradicts God's instructions to Joshua to "stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD" (Numbers 27:21).

At first, the men of Israel did the sensible thing; they sought evidence. But when presented with deceptive evidence, they were persuaded by the lie. Moses had given Joshua a clear instruction: before major decisions, go to the priest and ask through the Urim. The Urim and the Thummim (Exodus 28:30) were precious stones which the high priest kept in his ephod (a breastplate which was part of his priestly robes). This was a sacred process which existed precisely for moments like this one, but Joshua did not seek the LORD's counsel here. The Israelites trusted what they could see instead of asking the God who could see everything. A careful inspection of moldy bread is no substitute for the word of the living God.

The Israelites were walking by sight instead of walking by faith. They confirmed the Gibeonites' claim without asking God for guidance and direction. They relied on their strength and rushed to decide without consulting their God through the Levitical priests. Thus, Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live (v. 15). This type of agreement was common in the ancient Near East. It allowed a more powerful party (called a suzerain) to protect a subordinate party (called a vassal). In our passage, Joshua, as a decision-maker and spokesman, agreed to seek the well-being of the Gibeonites and guarantee their safety. Then, the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them to ratify the treaty.

Even though the covenant was built on false information, the oath made it binding. God did not excuse Israel from keeping a promise just because the other party had lied. Psalm 15 describes a righteous man who swears to his own hurt and does not change his mind or go back on his word (Psalm 15:4). Israel's leaders would have to live this out—honoring a treaty with a people they were never intended to spare.