Joshua 9:2

2. Gathered themselves together It is not singular that rival and jealous States did not combine till the dread of a victorious foe, already in the heart of their territory, compelled them to unite for their common safety. Had wise statesmanship dwelt in their councils, their confederated hosts would have confronted Joshua on the banks of the Jordan. [

To fight with Joshua How Joshua suddenly surprised and conquered the southern nations of this confederacy is told in chap. x, and how he subdued the northern tribes, and others who escaped from the south, will be found in chap. 11. Meantime the writer turns aside to narrate the league of the Gibeonites, which served as the immediate occasion of Joshua’s war with the five Amoritish kings.]