Joshua 9:11

_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._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

3-13 Other people heard these tidings, and were driven thereby to make war upon Israel; but the Gibeonites were led to make peace with them. Thus the discovery of the glory and the grace of God in the gospel, is to some a savour of life unto life, but to others a savour of death unto death, 2 Corinthians 2:16. The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. The falsehood of the Gibeonites cannot be justified. We must not do evil that good may themselves to the God of Israel, we have reason to think Joshua would have been directed by the oracle of God to spare their lives. But when they had once said, "We are come from a far country," they were led to say it made of skins, and their clothes: one lie brings on another, and that a third, and so on. The way of that sin is especially down-hill. Yet their faith and prudence are to be commended. In submitting to Israel they submitted to the God of...

Verse Joshua 9:11. _WHEREFORE OUR ELDERS, C._] All this, and what follows to the end of verse Joshua 9:13, was _false_, contrived merely for the purpose of deceiving the Israelites, and this they did to save their own lives as they expected all the inhabitants of Canaan to be put to the sword....

EXPOSITION THE GIBEONITES.— JOSHUA 9:1 AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ALL THE KINGS. According to the explanation given above (Joshua 6:5, Joshua 6:15) of the particle כwith the infinitive, this must mean immediately. We must therefore suppose that the distance at which they lived from the scene of the events had prevented them from comprehending their astounding character so clearly as those who lived in the immediate neighbourhood (see Joshua 2:11; Joshua 5:1;...

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....

9. THE GIBEONITES CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The confederacy of the enemies (Joshua 9:1)_ 2. The deception of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:3) 3. The failure (Joshua 9:14) 4. The deception discovered (Joshua 9:16) Israel now comes face to face with the other inhabitants of the land. These enemies, which Israel encountered, are the types of our enemies, and the conflict of God's earthly people is typical of our conflict. There is, however, a difference. Israel's enemies were flesh and blood; ours are not. Israel's conflict was in the land; ours is with the wicked spirits in the heavenly places. Israel was asked to drive the

JOSHUA 9. THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. This account, though composite, is straightforward enough if Joshua 9:17 be omitted. These verses _give_ an account by the priestly writer in which the princes of the congregation take the leading part, and make a treaty which immediately afterwards is made again by Joshua Joshua 9:22 is plainly the continuation of Joshua 9:16. That a treaty was made with the Gibeonites at an early date is a historical fact, but that treaty was very far from making them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the Temple (Joshua 9:23; Joshua 9:2

WITH YOU, Hebrew in your hand,...

The Embassy of the Gibeonites 3. _of Gibeon_ This city was the head of the four towns occupied by the Hivites, the other three being Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim (Joshua 9:17). It appears to have been a sort of independent republic, since we hear of elders there (Joshua 9:11), but not of a king, and is said to have been a great city _like_a royal city (Joshua 10:2), i.e. of the same size and importance as those which the kings of the country made their capitals. The name itself signifies "pertaining to a hill," i.e. built on a hill, and describes the site, which is, by the direct route, about 5 miles north of Jerusalem, on two of the rounded hills peculiar to this neighbourhood. Placed at the head of the pass

_VER._ 9-13. _AND THEY SAID UNTO HIM, FROM A VERY FAR COUNTRY THY SERVANTS ARE COME,_ &C.— Nothing can be more artful than this answer of the Gibeonites, to the prudent and close questions put by Joshua 1. Instead of saying, without evasion, whence they came, they again reply, that they came from afar. 2. They give him to understand that they were led to undertake this long journey from a motive of respect for the God of Israel; and, affecting to celebrate the wonders of his power in Egypt, and beyond Jordan, they speak neither of the sacking of Jericho, nor of the destruction of Ai, in order to leave no room to suspect that fear and policy are the real motives of their embassy. 3. To understand them, some would suppose, that they beg of Joshua to enter into league with them, only that they might be united to a people so much more highly favoured by God than any other; and so dexterously...