Joshua 9:3

3 But when the inhabitants of Giv'ah heard what Y'hoshua had done to Yericho and 'Ai,

Joshua 9:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 9:3

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 writer ^F8 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Patricides, p. 30. apud Hottinger. Smegm. Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 507.

Joshua 9:3 In-Context

1 When all the kings on the west side of the Yarden in the hills, in the Sh'felah and all along the shore of the Great Sea that fronts the L'vanon - the Hitti, Emori, Kena'ani, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi - heard what had happened,

2 they joined forces to fight together against Y'hoshua and Isra'el.

3 But when the inhabitants of Giv'ah heard what Y'hoshua had done to Yericho and 'Ai,

4 they developed a clever deception: they made themselves look as if they had been on a long journey by putting old sacks on their donkeys and taking used wineskins that had burst and been mended back together.

5 They put old, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes; and took as provisions nothing but dried-up bread that was crumbling to pieces.