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]; Ver. 1. _The Hittite an... [ Continue Reading ]
That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. Ver. 2. _That they gathered themselves together, &c._] Herein they showed themselves far wiser than our forefathers, of whom Tacitus testifieth upon his own experience, for he had been in Brittany with hi... [ Continue Reading ]
And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, Ver. 3. _And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard, &c._] The rest of the Canaanites had heard as much, but made not so good a use of it. Some hear and fear; others hear and are hardened. Some of St Paul's hearers... [ Continue Reading ]
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; Ver. 4. _They did work wilily._] They exercised a serpentine subtilty, and dealt fraudulently, as Genesis 3:1; but where was their columbine s... [ Continue Reading ]
And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry [and] mouldy. Ver. 5. _And old shoes and clouted._] Papists, boasting so much of antiquity, are by one not unfitly compared to these Gibeonites with their old shoes and mouldy bread.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 6. _We be come from a far country._] And therefore you may safely make a league with us. Deu 20:11 Here was fair tale, but not a... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?_ Ver. 7. _Peradventure ye dwell among us._] _Certe qui caret ne decipiatur, vi cavet dum etiam caret._... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they said unto Joshua, We [are] thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who [are] ye? and from whence come ye?_ Ver. 8. _We are thy servants._] We come not to capitulate with thee, but to receive conditions from thee; and to be wholly at thine appointment. A servant is υπηρετης και οργανον, s... [ Continue Reading ]
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, Ver. 9. _From a very far country, &c._] Thus _mendacium mendacio assunt,_ they lay lie upon lie, as those in Psalms 119:69.... [ Continue Reading ]
And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which [was] at Ashtaroth. Ver. 10. _And all that he did to the two kings._] Not of Jericho and Ai, but of Heshbon and Pashan, things long since done, and far and near... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We [are] your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. Ver. 11. _And go to meet them, and say._] Seeing we are not able to match... [ Continue Reading ]
This our bread we took hot [for] our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: Ver. 12. _This is our bread, &c._] See Joshua 9:5,6; Joshua 9:9 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And these bottles of wine, which we filled, [were] new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. Ver. 13. See Joshua 9:5,6; Joshua 9:9 .... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD. Ver. 14. _And the men took of their victuals._] That is, they did eat of it in token of a league made with them, say some: others more probably, they took it and looked on it, to see whether it were hoary and moul... [ Continue Reading ]
And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Ver. 15. _And Joshua made peace with them._] This was not without the Lord; who, as he glorified his justice in rooting out the rest of the Amorites, so he manifested... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they [were] their neighbours, and [that] they dwelt among them. Ver. 16. _At the end of three days._] Truth is the daughter of time: falsehood will out at length. Some is so thin, that it may b... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities [were] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. Ver. 17. _And Kirjathjearim._] Or, The city of woods; famous afterwards for the birth of the prophet Uriah there, who prophesied against... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes._ Ver. 18. _Smote them not._] But yet bore them on their backs, as we say, and murmured against the princes who we... [ Continue Reading ]
But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. Ver. 19. _Now therefore we may not touch them._] Unless we will run upon the pikes of God's displeasure, as Saul did four hundred years after this. 2Sa 21:1-2... [ Continue Reading ]
This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. Ver. 20. _Lest wrath be upon us._] In the twelve tables at Rome it was written, _Periurii, poena divina, exitium; humans, dedecus."_ God punisheth perjury with destruction, men... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them._ Ver. 21. _But let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water._] _Lignatores et lixae:_ so they are freed from a natural death, because o... [ Continue Reading ]
And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We [are] very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Ver. 22. _Wherefore have ye beguiled us?_] _See Trapp on "_ Jos 9:6 _"_ _See Trapp on "_ Jos 9:7 _"_ But was Joshua so light of belief? knew he not... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now therefore ye [are] cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God._ Ver. 23. _Now therefore ye are cursed,_] viz., With Cannaan's curse, "A servant of servants," &c., which yet afterwards God turned to a blessing... [ Continue Reading ]
And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy 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 sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done thi... [ Continue Reading ]
And now, behold, we [are] in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. Ver. 25. _And now, behold, we are in thine hand._] These ambassadors were masters of speech, which they here order very prudently and politically to effect that they came for. An orator, saith Quintil... [ Continue Reading ]
And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. Ver. 26. _And delivered them out of the hands of the children of Israel._] Whose fingers even itched, as they say, after the pillage of those great cities: but Joshua staved them off.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose. Ver. 27. _For the congregation._] To do those works belonging to God's service, which otherwise the people should have done... [ Continue Reading ]