约书亚记 9:24

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

他們回答約書亞，說：“因為你的僕人確實地聽見，耶和華你的　神曾經吩咐他的僕人摩西，要把這整片土地賜給你們，並且要在你們面前把這地上所有的居民都消滅，因此，我們因你們的緣故，很怕喪命，才行了這事。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
他 们 回 答 约 书 亚 说 ： 因 为 有 人 实 在 告 诉 你 的 仆 人 ， 耶 和 华 ─ 你 的 　 神 曾 吩 咐 他 的 仆 人 摩 西 ， 把 这 全 地 赐 给 你 们 ， 并 在 你 们 面 前 灭 绝 这 地 的 一 切 居 民 ， 所 以 我 们 为 你 们 的 缘 故 甚 怕 丧 命 ， 就 行 了 这 事 。

Contextual Overview

²² Joshua called for the Gibeonites and asked, "Why did you lie to us? Your land was near our camp, but you told us you were from a far country. ²³ Now, you will be placed under a curse to be our slaves. You will have to cut wood and carry water for the house of my God." ²⁴ The Gibeonites answered Joshua, "We lied to you because we were afraid you would kill us. We heard that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all of this land and to kill all the people who lived in it. That is why we did this. ²⁵ Now you can decide what to do with us, whatever you think is right." ²⁶ So Joshua saved their lives by not allowing the Israelites to kill them, ²⁷ but he made the Gibeonites slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelites, and they did it for the altar of the Lord —wherever he chose it to be. They are still doing this today.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Exodus 23:31-33, Numbers 33:51, Numbers 33:52, Numbers 33:55, Numbers 33:56, Deuteronomy 7:1, Deuteronomy 7:2, Deuteronomy 7:23, Deuteronomy 7:24, Deuteronomy 20:15-17

we were sore: Exodus 15:14-16, Job 2:4, Matthew 10:28

Reciprocal: Numbers 22:3 - General Deuteronomy 2:25 - General Deuteronomy 2:34 - utterly destroyed Deuteronomy 20:16 - General Joshua 6:21 - utterly Joshua 9:9 - we have Joshua 10:6 - from thy Joshua 10:40 - as the Lord Joshua 11:12 - as Moses 2 Kings 5:15 - now I know 2 Kings 10:5 - We are thy servants 1 Chronicles 14:17 - the fear of him Isaiah 27:5 - let him Micah 7:17 - they shall be Habakkuk 3:7 - saw the Luke 15:19 - make

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they answered Joshua, and said, because it was certainly told thy servants,.... Or "it was told", told t; not only certainly, told, but frequently told them, they had often heard of it by one means or another:

how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land; all the land of Canaan, no part excepted; they had heard much of the Lord God of Israel, and of Moses, what character he bore, and of the commands of the Lord to him; they seem to have knowledge of God, and faith in him as to his promises and threatenings, believing they would be fulfilled:

and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; as the gift of the land of Canaan to Israel was often spoken of by the Lord to Moses, and frequently mentioned by him; so there were instructions given him from the Lord, and which lie delivered to Israel, utterly to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, so, that these people had accurate intelligence and information of this matter; see Deuteronomy 7:1:

therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing; they answer to Joshua's question, "wherefore have ye beguiled us?" Joshua 9:22, that it was fear of losing their lives, than which nothing is dearer to a man, and the principle of self-preservation that put them upon framing and using this device.

t הגד הגד "indicando indicatum est", Pagninus, Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 9:24. We 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.