Gibeon (ancient city): Difference between revisions

After the destruction of [[Jericho]] and [[Ai (Bible)|Ai]], the [[Hivite]] people of Gibeon sent ambassadors to trick [[Joshua]] and the Israelites into making a treaty with them. According to the [[Deuteronomist|writer]] of the [[book of Deuteronomy]] ({{Bibleverse|Deut|7:1-2|}}; {{Bibleverse-nb|Deuteronomy|20:16-20|NRSV}}), the Israelites were commanded to destroy all non-Israelite Canaanites in Canaanthe land. The Gibeonites presented themselves as ambassadors from a distant, powerful land. Without consulting God ({{bibleverse|Joshua|9:14|9}}), the Israelites entered into a [[Covenant (biblical)|covenant]] or peace treaty with the Gibeonites. The Israelites soon found out that the Gibeonites were actually their neighbors—living within three days' walk of them ([[Joshua 9:17]])—and [[Joshua]] realised that he had been deceived. He kept the letter of his covenant with the Gibeonites, however, to let them live in exchange for their servitude: they were assigned as woodcutters and water carriers and condemned (or ''cursed'') to work forever in these trades ({{bibleverse|Joshua|9:3-27|9}}). Theologian [[John Gill (theologian)|John Gill]] suggests that this curse was a particular example of [[Noah]]'s curse on Canaan.<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/joshua/9.htm Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible on Joshua 9], accessed 26 March 2017; cf. {{bibleverse|Genesis|9:3–27|9}}</ref>