Discovery BoxJoshua 9:3 
Context9:3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho 1 and Ai,
Joshua 9:17-23
Context9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities – Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 9:18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. 2 The whole community criticized 3 the leaders, 9:19 but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of 4 the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt 5 them! 9:20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.” 6 9:21 The leaders then added, 7 “Let them live.” So they became 8 woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. 9
9:22 10 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites 11 and said to them, “Why did you trick 12 us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby? 13 9:23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 14
1 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
2 tn Heb “by the
3 tn Or “grumbled against.”
4 tn Heb “to them by….”
5 tn Or “touch.”
6 tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”
7 tc Heb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”
8 tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.
9 tn Heb “as the leaders said to them.”
10 sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.
11 tn Heb “them.”
12 tn Or “deceive.”
13 tn Heb “live in our midst?”
14 tn Heb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
