Yehoshua 9:1

1 And it came to pass, when kol hamelachim which were beyond the Yarden, in the har, and in the Shefelah, and in all the coasts of the Yam Hagadol [i.e., the Mediterranean] over against the Levanon, the Chitti, and HaEmori, the Kena’ani, the Perizzi, the Chivi, and the Yevusi, heard thereof;

Yehoshua 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 9:1

And it came to pass, when all the kings which [were] on this
side Jordan
On the side Israel now were, and was that in which the land of Canaan lay, and was now governed by many kings, and all that were now remaining, even all but the kings of Jericho and Ai, who were slain: both those

in the hills, and in the valleys;
that dwelt in the mountainous part of the country, and in the plains of it:

and in all the coasts of the great sea, over against Lebanon;
who inhabited and governed in that part of the country which lay on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, the country of Phoenicia, in which were Tyre, Sidon, and other cities, and were over against Mount Lebanon, which was on the northern part of the country; according to the Latin version, they dwelt near Lebanon; and according to the Septuagint, near Antilibanus. It seems best, with Noldius ^F7, to render the words, "even unto Lebanon", for it designs all the sea coasts reaching to it; for all the maritime coasts did not lie over against it:

the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the
Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard [thereof];
what they heard is not said, but to be understood; particularly they heard what had been done by Joshua, and the people of Israel, to Jericho and Ai: and their kings, ( Joshua 9:3 ) . Some think, as Abarbinel, that they had heard of the altar Joshua had made, and of the stones he had set up, and of his reading the law to the people, by which they were to be governed; all which they understood as taking possession of the country, and looking upon it as conquered, and obliging his people to swear fealty to him. All the nations of Canaan are mentioned but the Gergasites; which, according to the Jewish writers, are omitted, because they were but few; the Septuagint version has them in some copies.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 80. No. 370.

Yehoshua 9:1 In-Context

1 And it came to pass, when kol hamelachim which were beyond the Yarden, in the har, and in the Shefelah, and in all the coasts of the Yam Hagadol [i.e., the Mediterranean] over against the Levanon, the Chitti, and HaEmori, the Kena’ani, the Perizzi, the Chivi, and the Yevusi, heard thereof;

2 That they gathered themselves together, to make war with Yehoshua and with Yisroel, with one peh (mouth, i.e., one accord).

3 And when the inhabitants of Giv’on heard what Yehoshua had done unto Yericho and to Ai,

4 They did work in a cunning, crafty manner [see Genesis 3:1], and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sakkim (sacks) upon their donkeys, and skins of yayin, old, and cracked, and mended;

5 And sandals old and patched upon their feet, and selamot ballot (old garments) upon them; and all the lechem of their food supply was dry and moldy.