Joshua 9:7

7 The men of Israel spoke to the Hivites. They said, "But suppose you live close to us. If you do, we can't make a peace treaty with you."

Joshua 9:7 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 9:7

And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites
Though they did not know them to be such, but as they afterwards appeared to be the Hivites, as the Gibeonites were, they are here so called, see ( Joshua 11:19 ) . The name signifies "serpents"; according to a Derash, or mystical exposition, mentioned by Kimchi, the Gibeonites are so called, because they did the work of the serpent; that is to say, they deceived the Israelites, as the serpent deceived Eve:

peradventure ye dwell among us;
of which they had some suspicion;

and how shall we make a league with you?
which they were forbid to do with any of the seven nations, ( Deuteronomy 7:2 ) .

Joshua 9:7 In-Context

5 The men put worn-out sandals on their feet. The sandals had been patched. The men also wore old clothes. All of the bread they took along was dry and moldy.

6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. They spoke to him and the men of Israel. They said, "We've come from a country that's far away. Make a peace treaty with us."

7 The men of Israel spoke to the Hivites. They said, "But suppose you live close to us. If you do, we can't make a peace treaty with you."

8 "We'll serve you," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

9 They answered, "We've come from a country that's very far away. We've come because the LORD your God is famous. We've heard reports about him. We've heard about everything he did in Egypt.