And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
Parallel translations
- WEB These wine skins, which we filled, were new; and behold, they are torn. These our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey.”
- BSB These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
- NKJV And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”
- NASB And these wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are split open; and these clothes of ours and our sandals are worn out from the very long journey.”
- NLT These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They display torn wineskins and worn garments and shoes as further evidence of a long journey. The whole disguise is presented as compelling proof.
Overview
Every prop is marshaled to seal the deception and overcome Israel's earlier suspicion. The accumulation of seemingly solid evidence makes the lie convincing. The passage warns that even an abundance of visible proof is no substitute for seeking God's wisdom in important decisions.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 9:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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