MPV Commentary

The Gibeonites Obtain a League by Craft.

3-15. When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard that the Israelites were approaching, they devised a plan to secure an alliance with them. This town was situated on a rocky eminence about six miles northwest of Jerusalem and was the capital of the Hivites (Jos 10:2). It appears to have been a free independent state in union with other nearby towns.

4. They acted with cunning diplomacy, seeking to preserve themselves by artful means rather than force. To achieve this, they pretended to be travelers from a distant land, carrying old sacks on their donkeys, wine bottles that were worn and mended, and bread that was stale and moldy.

5. Their appearance as travelers was further convincing because they wore old shoes and had dismounted from their donkeys to walk part of the way. The bread they carried was a type of biscuit commonly used by travelers, which became hard and moldy due to its moisture content.

6-14. They arrived at the Israelite camp at Gilgal and obtained an interview with Joshua and the elders. The men of Israel asked them if they dwelled among any of the native tribes, implying that their orders were imperative and that forming an alliance with them would be unlawful since God had forbidden it (Ex 23:32; 34:12; De 7:2).

9. The Hivites claimed to have come from a distant land because of the name of the Lord your God, appealing to instances of God's miraculous doings at a distance while downplaying those done in Canaan.

14-15. The Israelites accepted their story and took some of their food without consulting the Lord through the high priest's Urim and Thummim. This decision was based on the appearance of their bread, which they considered a guarantee of the truth of their story. However, this conclusion was one of excessive credulity and culpable negligence.

16-17. It wasn't until three days later that the Israelites discovered the Gibeonites were actually their neighbors who dwelled among them (Jos 9:17). The cities mentioned in this context are Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.

18-27. When the children of Israel learned the truth about the Gibeonites, they did not attack them. Instead, the princes of the congregation felt bound by their oath to the Lord God of Israel and decided to adhere to it. They resolved to degrade the Gibeonites to a servile condition as a means of preventing their people from being ensnared into idolatry.

27. The Gibeonites were reduced to serving as hewers of wood and drawers of water, performing the lowest offices in the sanctuary. This chastisement brought them into possession of great religious privileges (Ps 84:10).