And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The princes of the congregation swore to them.
- KJV And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
- NKJV So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.
- NASB And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
- NLT Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.
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
Joshua makes peace and a covenant to let the Gibeonites live, sworn by the leaders of the congregation. A binding oath is made on false pretenses.
Overview
The treaty is ratified with a solemn oath in Yahweh's name, making it irrevocable despite the deception behind it. Israel is now bound by its word even though it was secured by a lie. The episode sets up the tension between honoring a sacred oath and the prohibition on covenants with Canaanites, which the chapter resolves in favor of keeping the oath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 21:2At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
- Josh 11:19No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle.
- Deut 20:10–11When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.
- Josh 6:22–25Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”
- Jer 18:7–8At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
- Exod 23:32You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
- Josh 2:12–19Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
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 9:15 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.