Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Joshua 9:6-15
God had not forbidden the Israelites from making peace treaties with non-Canaanite peoples (Deuteronomy 20:11), but He had expressly commanded them not to make treaties with the native Canaanite tribes (Exodus 23:32; Exodus 34:12; Numbers 33:55; Deuteronomy 7:2).The Gibeonites deceived the Israelites with their diffident spirit (Joshua 9:8), as well as with their food and clothing (Joshua 9:12-13). They pretended to fear Yahweh, too, the highest motive for allying with Israel (Joshua 9:9-10),... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Joshua 9:1-27
5. The treaty with the Gibeonites ch. 9The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Numbers 25:1-2). read more