Joshua 9:22

22 And Joshua summoned them and said, "Why have you deceived us saying, 'We [are] very far from you' when you [are] living among us?

Joshua 9:22 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 9:22

And Joshua called for them
The Gibeonites, who came as ambassadors for their people, who were detained at Gilgal until the children of Israel returned from Gibeon; and upon their return, and having made their report to Joshua that they found it to be true that they were near neighbours, Joshua ordered them to be brought before him:

and he spake unto them, saying, wherefore have ye beguiled us?
what is your reason and motive for so doing? what has induced you to act such a deceitful part, to tell such lies and falsehoods, and impose upon us after this manner?

saying, we [are] very far from you, when ye dwell among us:
pretending to come from a very far country, when they were inhabitants of the land Israel were come to possess.

Joshua 9:22 In-Context

20 This we will do to them: [we will] let them live so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them."
21 And the leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said to them.
22 And Joshua summoned them and said, "Why have you deceived us saying, 'We [are] very far from you' when you [are] living among us?
23 Therefore you [are] cursed; some of you will always be slaves as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
24 And they answered Joshua and said, "Because it was told with certainty to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and so we did this thing.
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.