Joshua 9

Joshua · Chapter 9

Joshua 9:4

1And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;2That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.3And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?8And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?9And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,10And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.14And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.16And 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.17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.18And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.19But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.20This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.21And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.22And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.24And 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.25And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up,

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and they actedוַיַּעֲשׂ֤וּvai-ya-'a-SUH6213A
to make: do

עָשָׂה (a.sah) : do/perform 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do, work, make, produce 1a1a) to do 1a1b) to work 1a1c) to deal (with) 1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect 1a2) to make 1a2a) to make 1a2b) to produce 1a2c) to prepare 1a2d) to make (an offering) 1a2e) to attend to, put in order 1a2f) to observe, celebrate 1a2g) to acquire (property) 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute 1a2i) to bring about 1a2j) to use 1a2k) to spend, pass 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be done 1b2) to be made 1b3) to be produced 1b4) to be offered 1b5) to be observed 1b6) to be used 1c) (Pual) to be made

alsoגַם־gam-H1571
also

גַּם (gam) 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

theyהֵ֙מָּה֙he-mahH1992
they

אִנּוּן (in.nun) these, those, they Aramaic of hem.mah (הֵ֫מָּה "they(masc.)" H1992)

with cunningבְּעָרְמָ֔הbe-'a-re-MAHH6195
craftiness

עׇרְמָה (or.mah) shrewdness, craftiness, prudence

and they wentוַיֵּלְכ֖וּvai-ye-le-KHUH1980G
to go: went

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) : went/go[away] 1) to go, walk, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away 1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to walk 1b2) to walk (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to traverse 1c2) to walk about 1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

and they acted as ambassadorsוַיִּצְטַיָּ֑רוּvai-yitz-tai-YA-ruH6737
to provision

צוּד (tsud) (Hithpael) take provision Another spelling of tsa.yar (צָיַר "to take provision" H6737)

and they tookוַיִּקְח֞וּvai-yik-CHUH3947G
to take: take

לָקַח (la.qach) : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed …

sacksשַׂקִּ֤יםsa-KIMH8242
sackcloth

שַׂק (saq) 1) mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking 1a) sack (for grain) 1b) sackcloth 1b1) worn in mourning or humiliation 1b2) same material spread out to lie on

worn outבָּלִים֙ba-LIMH1087
old

בָּלֶה (ba.leh) worn out, old

for donkeys theirלַחֲמ֣וֹרֵיהֶ֔םla-cha-MO-rei-HEMH2543
donkey

חֲמוֹר (cha.mor) (he) ass

and skin-bottles ofוְנֹאד֥וֹתve-no-DOTH4997
wineskin

נֹאד (nod) skin, bottle, skin-bottle

wineיַ֙יִן֙ya-yinH3196
wine

יַ֫יִן (ya.yin) wine

worn outבָּלִ֔יםba-LIMH1087
old

בָּלֶה (ba.leh) worn out, old

and splitוּמְבֻקָּעִ֖יםu-me-vu-ka-'IMH1234
to break up/open

בָּקַע (ba.qa) 1) to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to cleave, cleave open 1a2) to break through, break into 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be cleft, be rent open, be split open 1b2) to be broken into 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cleave, cut to pieces, rend open 1c2) to break through, break down 1d) (Pual) 1d1) to be ripped open, be torn open 1d2) to be rent 1d3) to be broken into 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to break into 1e2) to break through 1f) (Hophal) to be broken into 1g) (Hithpael) to burst (themselves) open, cleave asunder

and tied upוּמְצֹרָרִֽים׃u-me-tzo-ra-RIMH6887B
to constrain

צָרַר (tsa.rar) 1) to bind, be narrow, be in distress, make narrow, cause distress, besiege, be straitened, be bound 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bind, tie up, shut up 1a2) to be scant, be cramped, be in straits 1b) (Pual) to be bound, be tied up 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to make narrow for, cause distress to, press hard upon

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.