Joshua 9:1-9
Jos 9:1
And it came to pass, when all the kings which were
on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of
the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite,
the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
Soon after the Israelite victories over Jericho, Ai, and
Beth-el, the word had spread to the other kings as far as those who were on the
coast which would have been the Philistines.
The side of Jordan which is in view is the western side of Jordan which
the Israelites were now on. Six of
the seven pagan nations are here mentioned as they will eventually become
targets to be moved out so Israel can move in.
Jos 9:2
That they gathered themselves together, to fight with
Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
Then they formed an alliance with each other that they
would defend against Israel’s intrusion into their land.
At this point it was a general consultation with each other to set up a
league on how to fight the encroaching Israelites and to keep them from taking
their land.
Jos 9:3
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had
done unto Jericho and to Ai,
Gibeon was about 15 miles (24 KM) west of Gilgal where
Joshua’s army was located. The
people of Gibeon had heard how Joshua’s army had destroyed Jericho and Ai
knowing those cities were not too far from them and probably realizing that very
soon that same army will be coming for them.
Jos 9:4
They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had
been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old,
and rent, and bound up;
Then the Gibeonites, who were also Hivites, as good
make-up artists hatched a plan to make peace with Israel.
They probably had so much fear in them that they were afraid to send an
actual delegation to Joshua to negotiate a peace.
So what they did was to make themselves up as people that were on the
road a long time. The word “wilily”
carries with it the meaning of “guile or trickery” so they knew how to put their
plan into action. They had placed
old sacks on their asses making it look like their provisions had become old
plus they matched that with old wine bottles.
These bottles were made of skins which will tear when they become very
old. So they took on the appearance
of bottles which were very old and torn.
The bounding up was the sewing together of the old wine bottles giving
appearance that they were so old they had to be repaired.
Jos 9:5
And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old
garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and
mouldy.
Then to continue their deception, they put old shoes upon
their feet. They were clouted which
carries with it the meaning of “spotted or off colored” giving the appearance of
being very old and worn. Then they
placed very old garments upon themselves and carried with them bread and other
victuals which had mold on it and was completely dried out which would make them
non-edible.
Jos 9:6
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said
unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore
make ye a league with us.
Then they had traveled from Gibeon to Gilgal and came to
Joshua with a proposal to make a league which was a “compact or covenant.”
There were also some of the other leaders present with Joshua when they
heard the proposal of the Gibeonites.
They wanted Joshua to think that they came from a far country and not
just west of them in the land of the Hivites which will be conquered as they
continued to move west in the conquest of Canaan.
Jos 9:7
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure
ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
The men of Israel asked them that if they would dwell
among them then how shall they make a covenant with them, what would they be
offering? Israel was forbidden from
making any kind of agreement or covenant with any of the seven pagan nations
they were to conquer. You cannot
conquer a people once you have made some kind of covenant or alliance with.
There may have been some suspicion of these people on the part of the
Israelites.
Jos 9:8
And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants.
And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
Then they said to Joshua that they were his servants
which carries the meaning of “bondservants or bondmen.”
Then Joshua wanted to know who they were and where did they come from?
These two questions should have been asked at the beginning when they
walked into the camp.
Jos 9:9
And they said unto him, From a very far country thy
servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the
fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,