KJV King James Version
And 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.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Joshua 9:21
And 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.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.
WEB World English Bible
The princes said to them, “Let them live, so they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.”
ASV American Standard Version
And the princes said unto them, Let them live: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken unto them.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
And the princes say unto them, ‘They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.’
Surrounding context — Joshua 9
18 And 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.
19 But 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.
20 This 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.
21 And 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.
22 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?
23 Now 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.
24 And 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.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וַיֹּאמְר֧וּH559 · a.marto sayאֲלֵיהֶ֛םH413 · elto(wards)הַנְּשִׂיאִ֖יםH5387 · na.sileaderיִֽחְי֑וּH2421 · cha.yahto liveוַ֠יִּֽהְיוּH1961 · ha.yahto beחֹטְבֵ֨יH2404 · cha.tavto chopעֵצִ֤יםH6086 · etstree: woodוְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־H7579 · sha.avto drawמַ֙יִם֙H4325 · ma.yimwaterלְכָל־H3605 · kolallהָ֣עֵדָ֔הH5712 · e.dahcongregationכַּאֲשֶׁ֛רH834 · a.sherwhichדִּבְּר֥וּH1696 · da.varto speak: speakלָהֶ֖םH9038 · hemthemהַנְּשִׂיאִֽים׃H5387 · na.sileader
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 29:11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that [is] in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:Joshua 9:27And 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.Joshua 9:23Now 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.2 Chronicles 2:17-18And Solomon numbered all the strangers that [were] in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.Joshua 9:15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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