The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 208

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER IX. 1-27. signifies bill-city, like the termination ,iunum in Latin, as Lugdunum, or Lyons; THE GIBEONITEB.-Ver. 1.-And it came dune in Anglo-Saxon, as Et!tandune. Com- to pass, when all the kings. According to pare also Dnnkirk. Robinson, in his' Biblical the explanation given above (eh. vi. 5, 15) Researches,' ii. 135-9, identifies it with el- of the particle :, with the infinitive, this Jib, a village on an eminence in the midst must mean immediately. We must there- of a fertile plain, where the remains of large fore suppose that the distance at which they buildings may still be seen. (So Yanclevelcle lived from the scene of- the events bad pre- and Conder.) "Onely the Hi,ites arc wiser vented them from comprehending their than their fellowes, and w:ill rather yeelrl and astounding character so clearly as those live. Their intelligence was not diverse who lived in the immediate neighbourhood from the rest ; all bad equally heard of the (see eh. ii. 11; v. 1; vi. 1). The kings (see miraculous concluct ancl successe of Israel ; Introduction). In the hills. "The _land is but their resolution was diverse. As Rahab classified under three heads : the hills (or saved her family in the miclst of Jericho, so mountain district), the plain, and the sea these foure cities preserved themsel,es in coast over against Lebanon " (Keil). The the midst of Canaan ; and both of them by hills are not the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon beleeving what God woulcl do. The efficacie range, the operations against which are of God's marvellous works is not in the acts detailed in eh, xi., but the mountains of themselves, but in our apprehension" ( Bp. Ephraim and Judah .. The word translated Hall). "valleys" here is neither n:rw. nor "'l'.;l:;l (see Ver. 4.-They dld work wlllly. Rnther, above note on eh. iii. 16), but· i1~;,~ or low and they workc,i-they also-,cith craft. The country, i.e., the great plain from ,Joppa, or referenoe, no doubt, is to the confederacy of Carmel, to Gaza. The ~ln or sea coast the other kings. The Gibeonites also acted probably refers to the coast between Tyre upon what they had heard, but they pre- and J oppa. The mttite. The Girgashites ferred an acco=odlltion to war. So Calvin are the only tribe omitted here from the list and Rosenmiiller; also Drusius. And they in eh. iii. 10. felt that they could only effect their purpose Ver. 2.-With one accord One mouth, by craft. Other explanations are giwn, according to the Hebrew, referring not merely such as that a reference is mllcle to Joshua's to their opinions, but to the expression of stratagem at Ai. Keil rejects both, oncl them. "0 that Israel would learn this proposes an explanation of bis own, which of Canaanites, to sacrifice private interests is unintelligible. Origen's interpretation to the public welfare, and to lay aside all here is interesting as e. specimen of ibe animosities among themselves, that they theology of the third century. He regards' may cordially unite against the common the Gibeonites as th, type of men who, enemies of God's kingdom " (Matthew though they are enrolled in the Cil urch ns Henry). • believers and ilave faith in God, and llC• Ver. 3.-The inhabitants of Gibeon. That quiesce in all the Divine precepts, an,l are is of a confederation of cities (see ver. 17), ready enough to take part ~ all the es terual of whicil Gibeon was the head, Gibeon was duties of religion, are yet _1Dvol~ed ~n vices a city of some importance (eh. x. 2). Though and foulnesses, like the G1beomtes m their it was for size and importance " as one of oh! go.rments and clouted shoes. They _dis- the royal cities," we hear nothing of a king play no signs of improvement or altemt10n, there. Hengstenberg, in l.tis history, de- yet Jesus our Lord concedes to them sal m- scribes it (p. 227) as "eine freie ~tadt," with tion, even tilough that salvation does not daughter cities dependent on 1t.. In fact, escape a certain stigma of disgrace. That the Phrenician cities (see In~rocluction) s~ew there mav be some persons in a condition to have hlld as grellt a vanety of c~nst1t~- somewhat resembling this described by tion as those of ancient Greece. Its mils.b1t- Oiigen may be admitted, but it is difficult ants were Hivites (ver. 7, and eh. xi. 1_9). to see bow any one in a state of salvation Its n11me (compare Gibes.h s.nd ii¥=!~ o. hill) cun display no signs of improvement what- 148 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ea. 1x. 1-27,