Joshua 9:3

Joshua 9:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
• New International Version (NIV)However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
• English Standard Version (ESV)But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

Context of Joshua 9:3

1When all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these events, 2they joined together to fight Joshua and Israel. (They were the kings in the mountains, the foothills, and along the whole Mediterranean coast as far as Lebanon, the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.) When the people living in Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4they devised a scheme. They posed as messengers. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys. Their wineskins were old, split, and patched. 5Their sandals were worn-out and repaired, and their clothes were tattered. All their bread was dried out and crumbling.

Joshua 9:3 word by word

וְיֹשְׁבֵ֨י גִבְע֜וֹן שָׁמְע֗וּ אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֧ה יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ לִֽירִיח֖וֹ וְלָעָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• of Gibeonגִּבְעוֹןgib‛ôn · GibeonH1391
• heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• what Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• had doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• unto Jerichoיְרִיחוֹyerîychô yerêchô yerîychôh · JerichoH3405
• and to Aiעַי‛ay ‛ayâ' ‛ayâth · AiH5857

Cross-references for Joshua 9:3

• Joshua 9:17The Israelites broke camp. They came to the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim two days later.
• Joshua 10:2He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors.
• 2 Samuel 21:1In the time of David, there was a famine for three successive years, and David asked the Lord’s advice about it. The Lord answered, “It’s because of Saul and his family. They are guilty of murder because they killed the people of Gibeon.”
• Joshua 6:1Jericho was bolted and barred shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one could enter or leave.
• Joshua 8:1The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be terrified or afraid. Take all the troops with you, and march against Ai. I am about to hand the king of Ai, his people, city, and land over to you.

Commentaries on Joshua 9:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The inhabitants of Gibeon heard - These alone did not join the confederation. Gibeon is supposed to have been the capital of the Hivites. In the division of the land it fell to the lot of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25, and was afterwards given to the priests, Joshua 21:17. See the note on Joshua 10:2.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Gibeon was the head of the four towns Joshua 9:17 occupied by the Hivites Joshua 11:19. The inhabitants were Amorites 2 Samuel 21:2; the name “Amorites” being used as a general name for the Canaanite population (Deuteronomy 1:44 note). The Hivites seem to have had a non-monarchical form of government (compare Joshua 9:3, Joshua 9:11), but their city was Joshua 10:2 in size and importance equal to those cities which the kings of the country made their…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-13Verses 3-13 Other people heard these tidings, and were driven thereby to make war upon Israel; but the Gibeonites were led to make peace with them. Thus the discovery of the glory and the grace of God in the gospel, is to some a savour of life unto life, but to others a savour of death unto death, 2Co 2:16. The same sun softens wax and hardens clay. The falsehood of the Gibeonites cannot be justified. We must not do evil that good may themselves to the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The people of Gibeon tried to trick Israel into making a covenant. Gibeon was on a high plain (plateau) north of Jerusalem. It was less than 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Israel's camp at Gilgal (see study note on 7:2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-153-15. when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard--This town, as its name imports, was situated on a rocky eminence, about six miles northwest from Jerusalem, where the modern village of El Jib now stands. It was the capital of the Hivites, and a large important city (Jos 10:2). It seems to have formed, in union with a few other towns in the neighborhood, a free independent state (Jos 9:17) and to have enjoyed a republican government (Jos 9:11).Read the comment

Topics related to Joshua 9:3

• Confidence
• Contracts
• Craftiness
• Deception
• Diplomacy
• Gibeon
• Joshua
• Kirjath-Jearim
• Magnanimity
• Oath
• Treaty

In the dictionaries

• Ai
• Gibeon
• Jericho
• Joshua
• Gibeon, Gibeonite
• Alliance
• Wilily
• Beeroth
• Chephirah
• Exodus, the Book of

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