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Joshua Chapter
Nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA 9
This
chapter gives an account of the combination of the several kings of Canaan
against Israel, Joshua 9:1; and of
the craftiness of the Gibeonites, pretending they were ambassadors from a far
country, and desired to enter into a league with Israel, which they obtained, Joshua 9:3; but
when it was discovered who they were, it occasioned a murmuring among the
people, Joshua 9:16; which
the princes quelled by proposing to make them hewers of wood, and drawers of
water, Joshua 9:19; in
order to which Joshua summoned them before him, and chided them for beguiling
them; and after they had made their excuse, he ordered them to the service the
princes proposed, and so peace in the congregation of Israel was preserved, Joshua 9:21.
Joshua 9:1 And
it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan,
in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward
Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and
the Jebusite—heard about it,
YLT
1And it cometh to pass, when
all the kings who [are] beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the
low-country, and in every haven of the great sea, over-against Lebanon, the
Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the
Jebusite, hear –
And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this
side Jordan,.... On the side Israel now were, and was that in which the land
of Canaan lay, and was now governed by many kings, and all that were now
remaining, even all but the kings of Jericho and Ai, who were slain: both those
in the hills, and in the valleys; that dwelt in the
mountainous part of the country, and in the plains of it:
and in all the coasts of the great sea, over against Lebanon; who inhabited
and governed in that part of the country which lay on the coast of the
Mediterranean sea, the country of Phoenicia, in which were Tyre, Sidon, and
other cities, and were over against Mount Lebanon, which was on the northern
part of the country; according to the Latin version, they dwelt near Lebanon;
and according to the Septuagint, near Antilibanus. It seems best, with NoldiusF7Concord.
Ebr. Part. p. 80. No. 370. , to render the words, "even unto
Lebanon", for it designs all the sea coasts reaching to it; for all the
maritime coasts did not lie over against it:
the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the
Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; what they heard is not
said, but to be understood; particularly they heard what had been done by
Joshua, and the people of Israel, to Jericho and Ai: and their kings, Joshua 9:3. Some
think, as Abarbinel, that they had heard of the altar Joshua had made, and of
the stones he had set up, and of his reading the law to the people, by which
they were to be governed; all which they understood as taking possession of the
country, and looking upon it as conquered, and obliging his people to swear
fealty to him. All the nations of Canaan are mentioned but the Gergasites;
which, according to the Jewish writers, are omitted, because they were but few;
the Septuagint version has them in some copies.
Joshua 9:2 2 that they gathered
together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord.
YLT
2that they gather themselves
together to fight with Joshua, and with Israel -- one mouth.
That they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua,
and with Israel,.... Not at this time, but they met together
to consult what was proper to be done in order to secure themselves, and their
people, and put a stop to the successes of the arms of Israel; and for this
purpose entered into alliances with each other to assist one another, or at a
convenient time and place to join their forces together, and attack Israel, as
afterwards they did, Joshua 11:1; and
this they did
with one accord; were unanimous in their councils and
resolutions; they all confederated together, and agreed as one man to make a
common cause of it, and oppose Israel with their united forces.
Joshua 9:3 3 But when the inhabitants
of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
YLT
3And the inhabitants of
Gibeon have heard that which Joshua hath done to Jericho and to Ai,
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon,.... A large and royal
city, a metropolitan one, which had three others belonging to it, and under it,
mentioned Joshua 9:17; see Joshua 10:2; no
mention is made of any king over them, perhaps they were governed by elders, Joshua 9:11. Though
an Arabic writerF8Patricides, p. 30. apud Hottinger. Smegm.
Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 507. says, the king of Gibeon wrote to Joshua, and
desired security, and sent him large gifts, whom having preserved in safety,
Joshua placed on his throne: when these
heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai; had taken the
one in a miraculous way, and the other by a stratagem, and had burnt them both,
destroyed the inhabitants, plundered their substance, and slew both their
kings, all which struck them with terror.
Joshua 9:4 4 they worked craftily, and
went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys,
old wineskins torn and mended,
YLT
4and they work, even they,
with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for
their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up,
And they did work wilily,.... Acted craftily,
dealt in much cunning and subtlety; our version leaves out a very emphatic
word, "also"; they also, as well as other nations, acted a cunning
part, but in a different way; they did not enter into consultations and
alliances with others, how to defend themselves, but made use of a stratagem to
make peace, and enter into a league with Israel; or also as the Israelites had
done, either as Simeon and Levi had dealt craftily with the Shechemites, who
were Hivites, Genesis 34:2; so
now the Gibeonites, who also were Hivites, Joshua 9:7; wrought
in a wily and crafty manner with them, so Jarchi; or as the Israelites had
lately done in the affair of Ai:
and went and made as if they had been ambassadors: from some
states in a foreign country, sent on an embassy to the people of Israel, to
compliment them on their successes, and to enter into alliance with them, which
they thought would be pleasing and acceptable to them; the Targum is,"they
prepared food,'which they took with them for their journey; and so the
Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions:
and took old sacks upon their asses: in which they put, their
provisions:
and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up: not made of
glass, as ours usually are, but of the skins of beasts, as the bottles in the
eastern countries commonly were; which in time grew old, and were rent and
burst, and they were obliged to mend them, and bind them up, that they might
hold together, and retain the liquor put into them, see Matthew 9:17.
Joshua 9:5 5 old and patched sandals on
their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their
provision was dry and moldy.
YLT
5and sandals, old and
patched, on their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their
provision is dry -- it was crumbs.
And old shoes and clouted upon their feet,.... Which being
worn out, were patched with various pieces of leather:
and old garments upon them; full of holes and rents,
ragged and patched:
and the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy; having been
kept a long time, and unfit for use; or like cakes over baked and burnt, as the
Targum and Jarchi: the word for "mouldy" signifies pricked, pointed,
spotted, as mouldy bread has in it spots of different colours, as white, red,
green, and black, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; or it signifies bread
so dry, as Ben Gersom notes, that it crumbles into pieces easily, with which
the Vulgate Latin version agrees; or rather through being long kept, it was
become dry and hard like crusts, so NoldiusF9P. 379. No. 1218. ; or
very hard, like bread twice baked, as CastellF11Lex. Colossians 2395. .
Joshua 9:6 6 And they went to Joshua,
to 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.”
YLT
6And they go unto Joshua,
unto the camp at Gilgal, and say unto him, and unto the men of Israel, `From a
land far off we have come, and now, make with us a covenant;'
And they went to Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal,.... From
whence it appears, that after Jericho and Ai were destroyed, the army of Israel
returned to their encampment at Gilgal, Joshua 5:10; and
here they were when the Gibeonites applied to them:
and said unto him, and to the men of Israel; not to the
whole body of the people, but either to the seventy elders, the great council,
who were with Joshua, or the princes of the congregation, after mentioned, who
are said to swear to them; and so some render the words, "to the chief men
of Israel"F12אל איש
ישראל "primoribus viris Israelis", Junius
& Tremellius; so Piscator. ; the word "Ish" here used sometimes
denotes an eminent person or persons, see Isaiah 2:9,
we be come from a far country; this lie they told, that
they might not be thought to be inhabitants of Canaan, and be destroyed as
those of Jericho and Ai were; and as the rest of the inhabitants would be, of
which they had intelligence, as the design of the Israelites, and what their
orders were; according to JeromF13De loc. Heb. fol. 92. A. , Gibeon
was but four miles from Bethel, unless he means Gibeah; however, it could not
be at a much greater distance; and as Gilgal was a mile and a quarter from Jericho,
where the Gibeonites now were, and Ai but three miles from Jericho, and Bethel
a mile from thence, and Gibeon four miles from Bethel, they were come but
little more than nine miles. BuntingF14Travels, p. 96. makes it
twelve miles from Gilgal to Gibeon:
now therefore make yea league with us; offensive and
defensive, to help and assist each other against a common enemy.
Joshua 9:7 7 Then the men of Israel
said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant
with you?”
YLT
7and the men of Israel say
unto the Hivite, `It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make
with thee a covenant?'
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites,.... Though
they did not know them to be such, but as they afterwards appeared to be the
Hivites, as the Gibeonites were, they are here so called, see Joshua 11:19. The
name signifies "serpents"; according to a Derash, or mystical
exposition, mentioned by Kimchi, the Gibeonites are so called, because they did
the work of the serpent; that is to say, they deceived the Israelites, as the
serpent deceived Eve:
peradventure ye dwell among us; of which they had some
suspicion:
and how shall we make a league with you? which they
were forbid to do with any of the seven nations, Deuteronomy 7:2.
Joshua 9:8 8 But they said to Joshua,
“We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you,
and where do you come from?”
YLT
8and they say unto Joshua,
`Thy servants we [are].' And Joshua saith unto them, `Who [are] ye? and whence
come ye?'
And they said unto Joshua, we are thy servants,.... Not that
they meant to be subjects of his, and tributaries to him; but this they said in
great humility and lowliness of mind, being willing to be or do anything he
should enjoin them. Abarbinel observes, that this they proposed to Joshua
singly, not to be servants to all the people, but to him only, and to have him
for their head and governor:
and Joshua, said, who are ye? and from whence come ye? by what name
are ye called? and from what country do ye come? suspecting, as it should seem,
that they were the inhabitants of Canaan; or however he was cautious and upon
his guard, lest they should be such, and yet was not enough upon his guard to
prevent imposition.
Joshua 9:9 9 So they said to him: “From
a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for
we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,
YLT
9And they say unto him,
`From a land very far off have thy servants come, for the name of Jehovah thy
God, for we have heard His fame, and all that He hath done in Egypt,
And they said unto him, from a very far country thy servants are
come,.... Which they magnified and expressed in stronger terms than
before, but were careful not to mention any country, lest such questions should
be asked about it, their answers to which would betray them, but put it off by
saying they were come:
because of the name of the Lord thy God; because of
what they had heard of his name, his power and goodness; or "unto the name
of the Lord thy God"F15לשם יהוה "ad nomen Domini", Masius; "ad nomen
Jehovae": Junius & Tremellius. ; that is, they were come to profess
it, and to embrace the religion of the Israelites, and be proselytes to it;
which they knew would be very agreeable to them, and engage them to show them
favour; and so the Samaritan ChronicleF16Apud Hottinger. Smegma
Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 507. represents them as promising to do this,
saying,"we will believe in thy Lord, nor will we contradict him in what ye
shall mark out for us, be it small or great;'which seems to be, confirmed by
what follows, unless it be considered as an explanation of the preceding
clause:
for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt; the miracles
wrought there, the plagues he inflicted on the Egyptians, and the wonderful
deliverance of the children of Israel from their slavery.
Joshua 9:10 10 and all that He did to the
two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of
Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
YLT
10and all that He hath done
to the two kings of the Amorite who [are] beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of
Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who [is] in Ashtaroth.
And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were
beyond Jordan,.... On the other side of Jordan from Gilgal:
to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan in Ashtaroth; the history
of which see in Numbers 21:21; they
wisely took no notice of the miracle of dividing the waters of Jordan, to make
a passage for the Israelites; nor of the destruction of Jericho and Ai, which
were recent things, and could not be thought as yet to have reached a far
country they pretended to come from; and which, if they mentioned, might have
created a stronger suspicion still of their being Canaanites.
Joshua 9:11 11 Therefore our elders and
all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with
you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your
servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”’
YLT
11`And our elders, and all
the inhabitants of our land speak unto us, saying, Take in your hand provision
for the way, and go to meet them, and ye have said unto them, Your servants we
[are], and now, make with us a covenant;
Wherefore our elders, and all the inhabitants of our country,
spake unto us,.... They suggest, that their senate, or the
states of their country, their principal men were convened, and that it was the
unanimous voice of them, and of the people, that they should go on this
embassy:
saying, take victuals with you for the journey; sufficient
for so long a journey; for, in those times and countries, inns on the road were
not frequent as now:
and go to meet them; to prevent their coming
in an hostile manner unto them, and make peace, and enter into an alliance with
them:
and say unto them, we are your servants; ready to come
into any terms with them, just and reasonable:
therefore now make ye a league with us; that we may
live in friendship, and mutually assist each other, as occasion should require.
Joshua 9:12 12 This bread of ours we took
hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to
you. But now look, it is dry and moldy.
YLT
12this our bread -- hot we
provided ourselves with it out of our houses, on the day of our coming out to
go unto you, and now, lo, it is dry, and hath been crumbs;
This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our
houses,.... These are not the words of the elders to the messengers they
sent, continued, but of the ambassadors to the Israelites, pointing to the
bread they brought with them, which they pretended was newly baked and took hot
out of the oven:
on the day we came forth to go unto you, but now, behold, it is
dry,
and it is mouldy: See Gill on Joshua 9:5; which
they gave as a demonstration and proof that they were come from a far country,
as they had asserted.
Joshua 9:13 13 And these wineskins which
we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and
our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”
YLT
13and these [are] the
wine-bottles which we filled, new, and lo, they have rent; and these, our
garments and our sandals, have become old, from the exceeding greatness of the
way.'
And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new,.... That is,
on the day they came out on their journey:
and, behold, they be rent; which were owing to the
long use that had been made of them, as they pretended:
and these our garments, and our shoes, are become old by reason of
the very long journey: quite worn out through length of time and tedious travels.
Isidore of PelusiumF17L. 1. Ep. 281. thinks these Gibeonites were
Cappadocians, of whom he gives a shocking character, and particularly that they
were prone to lying and deceit; but his reason for it, that they were of the
Philistines, will not hold good.
Joshua 9:14 14 Then the men of Israel took
some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.
YLT
14And the men take of their
provision, and the mouth of Jehovah have not asked;
And the men took of their victuals,.... That is, the princes
of Israel took thereof; not to eat of them, for it cannot be thought that such
personages would eat of such dry and mouldy bread, and especially as they were
now in a plentiful country, and possessed of the fruits of it; but to see
whether it was in such a plight and condition as they said, whereby they might
judge of the truth of what they said; and they learned and knew, as R. Jonah
observes, from the dryness of their food, that it was truth they said; and so
the Targum, the men hearkened to their words; and so Jarchi, they believed what
they said on sight of their provisions; but, according to Kimchi and Ben
Melech, they ate with them, to confirm the covenant they made with them; but
had this been the case, as it sometimes was a custom to eat together at making
covenants, see Genesis 26:30; the
princes would doubtless have provided a better entertainment for such a
purpose: the "margin" of our Bibles leads to the other
sense,"they received the men by reason of their victuals:"
and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord; as they might
and should have done, by desiring the high priest to inquire of the Lord by
Urim and Thummim; but this they neglected, which, had they attended to, the
fraud would have been discovered; or however, they would have had the mind of
God about making peace with the Gibeonites, which in all likelihood he would
not have disapproved of, they becoming proselytes, and giving up their
possessions to Israel; but this did not excuse their neglect.
Joshua 9:15 15 So Joshua made peace with
them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the
congregation swore to them.
YLT
15and Joshua maketh with them
peace, and maketh with them a covenant, to keep them alive; and swear to them
do the princes of the company.
And Joshua made peace with them,.... Upon the report the
princes made of having examined what they had said, and which they found to be
true, particularly concerning their victuals:
and made a league with them, to let them live; and not
destroy them as he did the Canaanites, and was ordered to do; they being
supposed not to belong to them by the representation of things they had made:
and the princes of the congregation sware unto them; that they would
keep the league and covenant they had made with them inviolable; they ratified
it by an oath, which was a sacred solemn thing.
Joshua 9:16 16 And it happened at the end
of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they
were their neighbors who dwelt near them.
YLT
16And it cometh to pass, at
the end of three days after that they have made with them a covenant, that they
hear that they [are] their neighbours -- that in their midst they are dwelling.
And it came to pass at the end of three days, after they had made
a league with them,.... The league seems to have been made the same day they came;
the Gibeonites were no doubt in haste to have it concluded, lest they should be
discovered; and Joshua, and the princes of Israel, took no pains, and gave
themselves no great trouble to inquire about them, but made peace with them at
once; and it was but three days after, or within three days of its being made:
that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that
they dwelt among them; that is, in their neighbourhood, as the Arabic version; and so
NoldiusF18Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 211. No. 932. renders the words,
"and that they dwelt near them"; for the Gibeonites did not dwell
among the Israelites, or in the midst of them, but near the place where they
were; and this they understood either by some deserters that came to the camp
of Israel, or by some of the Israelites who were sent to reconnoitre several
parts of the country, especially such as lay nearest, or for the sake of
getting provisions for their camp.
Joshua 9:17 17 Then the children of
Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were
Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim.
YLT
17And the sons of Israel
journey and come in unto their cities on the third day -- and their cities
[are] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-Jearim –
And the children of Israel journeyed,.... Not the
whole camp, for that still remained at Gilgal, and continued there until the
Gibeonites in distress sent to them for assistance in virtue of the league, as
appears from the following chapter; but a party of them, who were sent along
with some of the princes, to know the truth whether the Gibeonites were their
neighbours or not, as had been reported to them:
and came unto their cities on the third day; not on the
third day from their setting out on their journey, for it was but one night's
march from Gilgal to them, Joshua 10:9; but on
the third day from the making of the league; it is very probable it was early
on the third day they heard of their being their neighbours, upon which a party
was sent out at once to know the truth of it, who arrived thither the same day:
now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah, and Beeroth and
Kirjathjearim; Gibeon was the metropolis, and the other three were subject to
it; the three first fell to the lot of Benjamin, and the last to the tribe of
Judah; we shall meet with them again in the lots of the several tribes, in Joshua 15:60.
Joshua 9:18 18 But the children of Israel
did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them
by the Lord
God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.
YLT
18and the sons of Israel have
not smitten them, for sworn to them have the princes of the company by Jehovah
God of Israel, and all the company murmur against the princes.
And the children of Israel smote them not,.... The
inhabitants of the four cities, when they came to them, though they found it to
be a true report that was brought them of their being neighbours, and that they
were imposed upon by them:
because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the
Lord God of Israel; by the Word of the Lord God of Israel, as the Targum, and
therefore they restrained the people from smiting and plundering them; for it
was not the oath of the princes the people so much regarded, or had such an
influence on them as to abstain from seizing on them, but the princes, by
reason of their oath, would not suffer them to touch them:
and all the congregation murmured against the princes; not only for
taking such an oath, but chiefly because they restrained them from smiting the
Gibeonites, and taking their substance for a prey; their eager desire of
revenge, and of seizing their goods, and inhabiting their cities, raised a
murmur in them against the princes. This is to be understood not of the whole
body of the people at Gilgal, but of all that party that was sent to Gibeon,
and of the princes that went with them.
Joshua 9:19 19 Then all the rulers said
to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel;
now therefore, we may not touch them.
YLT
19And all the princes say
unto all the company, `We -- we have sworn to them by Jehovah, God of Israel;
and now, we are not able to come against them;
But all the princes said to all the congregation,.... That is,
all the princes that went to Gibeon addressed all the Israelites that were
there:
we have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel; by the Word
of the Lord God, as the Targum; an oath is a solemn sacred thing, and not to be
broken, and a good man will make conscience of it, and keep it, though he has
sworn to his own hurt: and
now therefore we may not touch them; neither take away their
lives nor their substance.
Joshua 9:20 20 This we will do to them:
We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore
to them.”
YLT
20this we do to them, and
have kept them alive, and wrath is not upon us, because of the oath which we
have sworn to them.'
This we will do to them,.... Either this favour
we will show them, preserving their lives, next mentioned, or this punishment
we will inflict on them, making them hewers of wood, and drawers of water;
which though not mentioned directly, was what was upon their minds, and in
their design to propose, only they were extremely desirous of sparing their
lives, which they repeat:
we will even let them live; this by all means must
be done, their lives must not be taken away as the rest of the Canaanites:
lest wrath come upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto
them; that is, lest the wrath of God come upon us princes, and upon
the whole community, for perjury, a breach of the third command, Exodus 20:7, a sin
highly displeasing to God; since an oath is made not only in his presence, and
before him as a witness, who is appealed unto, but in his name, and is often
severely threatened, and sorely punished; and as even the breach of this oath
was several hundreds of years after, in the times of David, 2 Samuel 21:1. The
Vulgate Latin version therefore reads the words, "lest the wrath of the
Lord come upon us": but Abarbinel observes, that it may be understood of
the wrath of Israel; for the words may be rendered, "and there shall not
be wrath upon us, because of the oath": there need be none, there is no
occasion for it, since this was agreed upon on all hands, that the Gibeonites
should be let to live; and since it was an act of kindness and goodness, and
especially they would have no reason to be angry and wrathful with them, when
they heard them out, what they had further to propose to them, to make them their
servants, though they spared their lives.
Joshua 9:21 21 And the rulers said to
them, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all
the congregation, as the rulers had promised them.”
YLT
21And the princes say unto
them, `They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the
company, as the princes spake to them.'
And the princes said to them, let them live,.... They were
very pressing upon them, and importunate with them, to save their lives,
because of the oath they had taken:
(but let them be hewers of wood, and drawers of water, unto all
the congregation): which was a very low and mean employment, Deuteronomy 29:11;
as well as wearisome; and this being a yoke of servitude on the Gibeonites, and
a punishment of them for their fraud, and of service, profit, and advantage to
the people of Israel, the princess proposed it in hopes of pacifying them, and
that they would yield to spare the lives of the Gibeonites; what they proposed
was, not that they should hew wood and draw water for all the Israelites for
their private use, but what was necessary for the service of the sanctuary,
which the congregation was obliged to furnish them with; and now these men
should do that work for them, which before was incumbent on them; for Joshua
afterwards imposed this upon them, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water
for the house of God, Joshua 9:23; though
Kimchi thinks that while the people of Israel were in camp, and before the land
was divided, they were hewers of wood and drawers of water to the congregation;
but after the land was divided, and they were settled in their cities and
inheritances, then they only hewed wood and drew water for the sanctuary at
Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon, and the temple; the Jewish writers sayF19Maimon.
& Bartenora in Misn. Kiddushin, c. 4. sect. 1. , the Nethinim and the
Gibeonites were the same, who became proselytes in the times of Joshua, see 1 Chronicles 9:2,
as the princes promised them; which is to be
connected, not with their being hewers of wood and drawers of water, this the
princes had said nothing of before, and which is rightly included in a
parenthesis, but with their being let to live; this they had promised and sworn
to, even all the princes, not only all that were now at Gibeon, and were
persuading the people to let the Gibeonites live, but all the princes, even
those that were not present, but in the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua 9:22 22 Then Joshua called for
them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are
very far from you,’ when you dwell near us?
YLT
22And Joshua calleth for
them, and speaketh unto them, saying, `Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are
very far from you, and ye in our midst dwelling?
And Joshua called for them,.... The Gibeonites, who
came as ambassadors for their people, who were detained at Gilgal until the
children of Israel returned from Gibeon; and upon their return, and having made
their report to Joshua that they found it to be true that they were near
neighbours, Joshua ordered them to be brought before him:
and he spake unto them, saying, wherefore have ye beguiled us? what is your
reason and motive for so doing? what has induced you to act such a deceitful
part, to tell such lies and falsehoods, and impose upon us after this manner?
saying, we are very far from you, when ye dwell among us: pretending to
come from a very far country, when they were inhabitants of the land Israel
were come to possess.
Joshua 9:23 23 Now therefore, you are
cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water
carriers for the house of my God.”
YLT
23and now, cursed are ye, and
none of you is cut off [from being] a servant, even hewers of wood and drawers
of water, for the house of my God.'
Now therefore ye are cursed,.... Appear to be the
posterity of cursed Canaan, and, notwithstanding the artifice used, should not
be exempted from the curse denounced on Canaan: "a servant of servants
shall he be unto his brethren", Genesis 9:25; as
these Gibeonites were; they became the servants of the Levites, who were
servants to the priests; and they seemed to be spared in Providence, that that
part of the curse on Canaan might be fulfilled: "and Canaan shall be his
servant"; the servant of Shem, from whom the Israelites sprang, Genesis 9:25;
though the curse was turned into a blessing to the Gibeonites, since though
their post and office was mean, yet they had a place in the sanctuary of the
Lord, and opportunity of learning the law of God, and understanding the true
religion, worship, and knowledge of God, and were an emblem and pledge of the
reception of the Gentiles into the church of God:
and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen; which the
oath taken did not oblige Joshua, and the princes, to exempt them from, only to
let them live, Joshua 9:15,
and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God; which
explains what is meant by the "congregation", and who might purposely
choose that phrase, to make the people more easy; but their work, as assigned
them by Joshua, was not to hew wood and draw water for every one's private use,
only for the service of the sanctuary, which in some sense was the service of
the congregation; and a great deal of work there was to be done of this kind,
much wood to hew for keeping the fire of the altar continually burning, and for
boiling the flesh of the peace offerings, and the like, and much water to draw
for various uses, for the washing of the priests and the sacrifices, and
various other things.
Joshua 9:24 24 So they answered Joshua
and said, “Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord 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 much afraid for
our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
YLT
24And they answer Joshua and
say, `Because it was certainly declared to thy servants, that Jehovah thy God
commanded Moses His servant to give to you all the land, and to destroy all the
inhabitants of the land from before you; and we fear greatly for ourselves
because of you, and we do this thing;
And they answered Joshua, and said, because it was certainly told
thy servants,.... Or "it was told", toldF20הגד הגד "indicando indicatum
est", Pagninus, Montanus. ; not only certainly, told, but frequently told
them, they had often heard of it by one means or another:
how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you
all the land; all the land of Canaan, no part excepted; they had heard much of
the Lord God of Israel, and of Moses, what character he bore, and of the
commands of the Lord to him; they seem to have knowledge of God, and faith in
him as to his promises and threatenings, believing they would be fulfilled:
and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; as the gift
of the land of Canaan to Israel was often spoken of by the Lord to Moses, and
frequently mentioned by him; so there were instructions given him from the Lord,
and which lie delivered to Israel, utterly to destroy the inhabitants of
Canaan, so, that these people had accurate intelligence and information of this
matter; see Deuteronomy 7:1,
therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and
have done this thing; they answer to Joshua's question, "wherefore have ye
beguiled us?" Joshua 9:22, that
it was fear of losing their lives, than which nothing is dearer to a man, and
the principle of self-preservation that put them upon framing and using this
device.
Joshua 9:25 25 And now, here we are, in
your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.”
YLT
25and now, lo, we [are] in
thy hand, as [it is] good, and as [it is] right in thine eyes to do to us --
do.'
And now, behold, we are in thine hand,.... In thy
power, and at thy disposal, and are ready to submit to whatsoever may be
enjoined us:
as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do; do what is
consistent with the laws of kindness, and with the rules of justice, and
particularly with the league made, and oath taken; all which they left with him
to consider of, and to do as in his wisdom and goodness he should see fit.
Joshua 9:26 26 So he did to them, and
delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not
kill them.
YLT
26And he doth to them so, and
delivereth them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they have not slain
them;
And so did he unto them,.... What was good and
right, he showed them favour, and did them justice:
and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that
they slew them not; who were so incensed against them for imposing on them in the
manner they did, that they were ready many of them to draw their swords and
slay them; and would have done it, had it not been for the interposition of
Joshua, and the orders he gave to the contrary.
Joshua 9:27 27 And that day Joshua made
them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of
the Lord,
in the place which He would choose, even to this day.
YLT
27and Joshua maketh them on
that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the company, and for the altar
of Jehovah, unto this day, at the place which He doth choose.
And Joshua made them that day,.... Constituted and
appointed them, ordered and settled them, in the post and office after
mentioned; or "gave" themF21ויתנם
"deditque eos", Montanus. Vatablus, Drusius. ; hence some think they
had the name Nethinim, persons given to the Levites for the service of the
sanctuary: namely, to be
hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for
the altar of the Lord; some think they were employed both for the service of the
congregation, when they wanted wood and water, and for the altar, and what
belonged to it, that needed both. Abarbinel supposes that they served the
congregation while they were engaged in war, and subduing the land, but after
the division of the land they only served the sanctuary; See Gill on Joshua 9:21,
even unto this day in the place which he should choose; to have the
tabernacle pitched, and the altar set up therein, as it was in various places,
before the temple built by Solomon at Jerusalem, which was the place the Lord
chose; and this shows that the writer of this book lived before the building of
the temple, or otherwise it, is highly probable he would have expressly
mentioned it; whereas he uses only the phrase that Moses frequently expressed
it by in his time; see Deuteronomy 12:5.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》