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Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them.
Joshua 9:16 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.
  • KJV And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
  • NKJV And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.
  • NASB However, it came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land.
  • NLT Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby!

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

Three days later Israel learns that the Gibeonites are actually neighbors living among them. The deception is exposed too late to undo the oath.

Overview

The quick discovery that the supposed distant envoys are local Hivites reveals the full extent of the ruse. The treaty, however, is already sworn and cannot simply be revoked. The situation forces Israel to grapple with the seriousness of an oath taken in God's name, even one obtained by fraud.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Prov 12:19Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (9)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Joshua videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Joshua 9:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JoshuaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 9:16 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.