Bible Strands
Joshua 9:22
Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Joshua summons the Gibeonites to confront them after the three-day delay reveals their true location. He addresses them directly to question their initial claim of residing in a distant land.
The words — The Hebrew verb רִמִּיתֶם (ri.mi.Tem) translates literally as "you deceived," forming the grammatical core of Joshua's accusation. He pairs this with the pronoun אֹתָ֜/נוּ ('o.Ta./nu) to emphasize that the falsification was directed specifically at the Israelite leadership.
The thread — The text explicitly links this confrontation to the Gibeonites' earlier statement in Joshua 9:6 and the delayed discovery recorded in Joshua 9:16. The motif of deception also parallels the pattern in Genesis 3:13 where the serpent deceived the woman.
Why it lands — The text states that the Gibeonites' lie directly triggered Joshua's declaration of a curse and perpetual servitude in Joshua 9:23. It asks the reader to recognize how immediate survival strategies can permanently alter covenant standing and social order.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And 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?
Cross-references
- Joshua 9:6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.”
- Joshua 9:16 Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them.
- Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
- Genesis 27:35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
- Genesis 27:41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
- Genesis 29:25 When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”
- Joshua 9:9 “Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt,
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.