Joshua confronts the Gibeonites for their deceptive treaty, illustrating God’s demand that Israel keep its promises even under difficult or deceptive circumstances.
Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land?” (v.22)
In this verse, Joshua confronts the Gibeonites for their deception. Historically, Joshua lived around the 14th to 13th centuries BC, as the successor to Moses who led the Israelites into Canaan following the Exodus from Egypt. The Gibeonites were a people dwelling in the land near Jerusalem, but they disguised themselves to appear as if they were coming from a distant region. Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them shows Joshua using his recognized authority under God, for he had been commissioned to conquer the land and maintain faithfulness to God’s law. The fact that Joshua says, Why have you deceived us… when you are living within our land? reveals that the treaty the Israelites made with the Gibeonites was founded on the falsehood that the Gibeonites resided far away and so would not be part of the doomed Canaanite population (Joshua 9:3-15). This covenant nonetheless bound Israel to protect them, illustrating how seriously God expected Israel to keep its word—so much so that even King Saul’s later break of this treaty caused a famine in the days of David many centuries afterward (2 Samuel 21:1-2). The land in which this event took place is near the city of Gibeon, a territory located northwest of Jerusalem, within the central hill country of Canaan. The Gibeonites tricked Israel shortly after Joshua’s victory at Jericho and Ai, around a time when Joshua’s leadership was swiftly establishing Israel in the Promised Land.
Then Joshua called for them not only captures his administrative role but also reminds us of Joshua’s broader mission of leading Israel to observe God’s statutes. His question—“Why have you deceived us?”—clarifies the moral conflict. The Gibeonites’ act of deception saves their lives, but it also places them in servitude to Israel. God holds Israel responsible for making rash decisions without consulting Him (Joshua 9:14), yet He also insists that the Israelites keep their covenant once formed, in line with His command that their “yes” must be “yes,” and their “no” must be “no” (Matthew 5:37 supporting verse, not italicized). Ultimately, the Gibeonites become servants in Israel’s tabernacle service, a reminder that even though they entered the covenant under false pretenses, Israel must still honor their oath. This story highlights God’s seriousness about truthfulness and about faithfulness to any promise made, even if made in error.
Then Joshua… spoke to them also demonstrates God’s deeper plan to provide opportunity for gentile peoples to repent and dwell among His chosen nation, much like Rahab of Jericho (Joshua 2). The Gibeonite deception offers an unexpected complication to Israel’s conquest. Yet in God’s sovereignty, it becomes a chance to show mercy and uphold the sanctity of one’s word. This principle reverberates throughout Scripture, as seen with King David’s famine centuries later (2 Samuel 21:1-2). The reverence for vows, even toward Canaanite peoples, underscores the nature of Israel’s covenant responsibilities.
Joshua 9:22, in summary, reveals Joshua’s rebuke of the Gibeonites for deceiving Israel into a peace covenant. Their ruse stemmed from fear of Israel’s God. While Israel should have consulted God before making a vow, they kept the covenant once given, illustrating that God desires people to carefully weigh their promises to others and to Him, upholding their commitments with integrity.
This passage teaches that even deception does not nullify a covenant, underlining the value God places on faithful adherence to one’s word.
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Joshua 9:22 meaning
Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living within our land?” (v.22)
In this verse, Joshua confronts the Gibeonites for their deception. Historically, Joshua lived around the 14th to 13th centuries BC, as the successor to Moses who led the Israelites into Canaan following the Exodus from Egypt. The Gibeonites were a people dwelling in the land near Jerusalem, but they disguised themselves to appear as if they were coming from a distant region. Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them shows Joshua using his recognized authority under God, for he had been commissioned to conquer the land and maintain faithfulness to God’s law. The fact that Joshua says, Why have you deceived us… when you are living within our land? reveals that the treaty the Israelites made with the Gibeonites was founded on the falsehood that the Gibeonites resided far away and so would not be part of the doomed Canaanite population (Joshua 9:3-15). This covenant nonetheless bound Israel to protect them, illustrating how seriously God expected Israel to keep its word—so much so that even King Saul’s later break of this treaty caused a famine in the days of David many centuries afterward (2 Samuel 21:1-2). The land in which this event took place is near the city of Gibeon, a territory located northwest of Jerusalem, within the central hill country of Canaan. The Gibeonites tricked Israel shortly after Joshua’s victory at Jericho and Ai, around a time when Joshua’s leadership was swiftly establishing Israel in the Promised Land.
Then Joshua called for them not only captures his administrative role but also reminds us of Joshua’s broader mission of leading Israel to observe God’s statutes. His question—“Why have you deceived us?”—clarifies the moral conflict. The Gibeonites’ act of deception saves their lives, but it also places them in servitude to Israel. God holds Israel responsible for making rash decisions without consulting Him (Joshua 9:14), yet He also insists that the Israelites keep their covenant once formed, in line with His command that their “yes” must be “yes,” and their “no” must be “no” (Matthew 5:37 supporting verse, not italicized). Ultimately, the Gibeonites become servants in Israel’s tabernacle service, a reminder that even though they entered the covenant under false pretenses, Israel must still honor their oath. This story highlights God’s seriousness about truthfulness and about faithfulness to any promise made, even if made in error.
Then Joshua… spoke to them also demonstrates God’s deeper plan to provide opportunity for gentile peoples to repent and dwell among His chosen nation, much like Rahab of Jericho (Joshua 2). The Gibeonite deception offers an unexpected complication to Israel’s conquest. Yet in God’s sovereignty, it becomes a chance to show mercy and uphold the sanctity of one’s word. This principle reverberates throughout Scripture, as seen with King David’s famine centuries later (2 Samuel 21:1-2). The reverence for vows, even toward Canaanite peoples, underscores the nature of Israel’s covenant responsibilities.
Joshua 9:22, in summary, reveals Joshua’s rebuke of the Gibeonites for deceiving Israel into a peace covenant. Their ruse stemmed from fear of Israel’s God. While Israel should have consulted God before making a vow, they kept the covenant once given, illustrating that God desires people to carefully weigh their promises to others and to Him, upholding their commitments with integrity.
This passage teaches that even deception does not nullify a covenant, underlining the value God places on faithful adherence to one’s word.