Christian Standard Bible
Joshua 9:24
24The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.
Joshua 9:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
- New International Version (NIV)They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They answered Joshua, "Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So they answered Joshua and said, “Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
Context of Joshua 9:24
22Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves — woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is right.” 26This is what Joshua did to them: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them.
Read all of Joshua 9Joshua 9:24 word by word
וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ כִּי֩ הֻגֵּ֨ד הֻגַּ֤ד לַעֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֜ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֣ה עַבְדּ֔וֹ לָתֵ֤ת לָכֶם֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּלְהַשְׁמִ֛יד אֶת־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶ֑ם וַנִּירָ֨א מְאֹ֤ד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵ֙ינוּ֙ מִפְּנֵיכֶ֔ם וַֽנַּעֲשֵׂ֖ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
- Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Because it was certainlyנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
- thy servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- how that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- to giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- you all the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and to destroyשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045
- all the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- from beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- you, therefore we were soreמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
- afraidיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- of our livesנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
- becauseפָּנֶהpânîym · face: becauseH6440
- of you, and have doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- this thingדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
Cross-references for Joshua 9:24
- Exodus 23:31I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
- Numbers 33:51“Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
- Deuteronomy 7:1“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, and he drives out many nations before you — the Hethites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you —
- Deuteronomy 20:15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations.
- Exodus 15:14When the peoples hear, they will shudder; anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
- Job 2:4“Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.
- Matthew 10:28Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Commentaries on Joshua 9:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24We were sore afraid of our lives - Self-preservation, which is the most powerful law of nature, dictated to them those measures which they adopted; and they plead this as the motive of their conduct.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24It was mere fear which drove the Gibeonites to act as they did. They sought for union with God‘s people, not for its own sake, but to save their lives. Rahab‘s motives were higher (Joshua 2:9 ff). Hence, she was adopted into Israel; the Gibeonites remained forever bondsmen of Israel.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-27Verses 22-27 The Gibeonites do not justify their lie, but plead that they did it to save their lives. And the fear was not merely of the power of man; one might flee from that to the Divine protection; but of the power of God himself, which they saw engaged against them. Joshua sentences them to perpetual bondage. They must be servants, but any work becomes honourable, when it is done for the house of the Lord, and the offices thereof. Let us, in like…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-25The response of the Gibeonites showed their faith in the Lord. They used dishonesty because they believed God would help Israel conquer Canaan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2718-27. the children of Israel smote them not--The moral character of the Gibeonites' stratagem was bad. The princes of the congregation did not vindicate either the expediency or the lawfulness of the connection they had formed; but they felt the solemn obligations of their oath; and, although the popular clamor was loud against them, caused either by disappointment at losing the spoils of Gibeon, or by displeasure at the apparent breach of the divine…Read the comment
Topics related to Joshua 9:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Joshua 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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