约书亚记 9:21

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

眾首領又對會眾說：“要讓他們存活。”於是他們就給全體會眾作了劈柴打水的人，這是按照眾首領對他們的吩咐。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
首 领 又 对 会 众 说 ： 要 容 他 们 活 着 。 於 是 他 们 为 全 会 众 作 了 劈 柴 挑 水 的 人 ， 正 如 首 领 对 他 们 所 说 的 话 。

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ So Joshua agreed to make peace with the Gibeonites and to let them live. And the leaders of the Israelites swore an oath to keep the agreement. ¹⁶ Three days after they had made the agreement, the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites lived nearby. ¹⁷ So the Israelites went to where they lived and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. ¹⁸ But the Israelites did not attack those cities, because they had made a promise to them before the Lord , the God of Israel. All the Israelites grumbled against the leaders. ¹⁹ But the leaders answered, "We have given our promise before the Lord , the God of Israel, so we cannot attack them now. ²⁰ This is what we must do. We must let them live. Otherwise, God's anger will be against us for breaking the oath we swore to them. ²¹ So let them live, but they will cut wood and carry water for our people." So the leaders kept their promise to them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let them: Joshua 9:23, Joshua 9:27, Deuteronomy 29:11, 2 Chronicles 2:17, 2 Chronicles 2:18

as the princes: Joshua 9:15

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 9:2 - the Nethinims Ezra 2:58 - Nethinims

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
This is the family history of Noah. Noah was a good man, the most innocent man of his time, and he walked with God.

Genesis 9:3
"Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants, but now I give you everything for food.

Genesis 9:4
But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it, because blood gives life.

Genesis 9:15
I will remember my agreement between me and you and every living thing. Floods will never again destroy all life on the earth.

Genesis 9:16
When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the agreement that continues forever between me and every living thing on the earth."

Proverbs 20:1
Wine and beer make people loud and uncontrolled; it is not wise to get drunk on them.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is not a good person on earth who always does good and never sins.

Romans 13:13
Let us live in a right way, like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or get drunk. There should be no sexual sins of any kind, no fighting or jealousy.

1 Corinthians 10:12
If you think you are strong, you should be careful not to fall.

Galatians 5:21
feeling envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like these. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not inherit God's kingdom.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the princes said to them, let them live,.... They were very pressing upon them, and importunate with them, to save their lives, because of the oath they had taken:

(but let them be hewers of wood, and drawers of water, unto all the congregation): which was a very low and mean employment, Deuteronomy 29:11; as well as wearisome; and this being a yoke of servitude on the Gibeonites, and a punishment of them for their fraud, and of service, profit, and advantage to the people of Israel, the princess proposed it in hopes of pacifying them, and that they would yield to spare the lives of the Gibeonites; what they proposed was, not that they should hew wood and draw water for all the Israelites for their private use, but what was necessary for the service of the sanctuary, which the congregation was obliged to furnish them with; and now these men should do that work for them, which before was incumbent on them; for Joshua afterwards imposed this upon them, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God, Joshua 9:23; though Kimchi thinks that while the people of Israel were in camp, and before the land was divided, they were hewers of wood and drawers of water to the congregation; but after the land was divided, and they were settled in their cities and inheritances, then they only hewed wood and drew water for the sanctuary at Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon, and the temple; the Jewish writers say s, the Nethinim and the Gibeonites were the same, who became proselytes in the times of Joshua, see 1 Chronicles 9:2;

as the princes promised them; which is to be connected, not with their being hewers of wood and drawers of water, this the princes had said nothing of before, and which is rightly included in a parenthesis, but with their being let to live; this they had promised and sworn to, even all the princes, not only all that were now at Gibeon, and were persuading the people to let the Gibeonites live, but all the princes, even those that were not present, but in the camp at Gilgal.

s Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Kiddushin, c. 4. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Render “they shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water:” menial duties belonging to the lowest classes only (compare the marginal reference). The curse of Noah Genesis 9:25 on the children of Ham was thus fulfilled to the letter in the case of these Hivites.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 9:21. Hewers of wood and drawers of water — Perhaps this is a sort of proverbial expression, signifying the lowest state of servitude, though it may also be understood literally. See below.