Bible lesson
Chapter 42: The Gibeonite Treaty
Study notes, questions and the Bible passages that Kingdoms of Scripture Chapter 42 covers, as the game’s chapter map shows them. Read the passages first in the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible, the text the game quotes: the game’s choices, maps and staging are reconstructions, not scripture. This page is not a church lesson and adds no doctrine.
Study notes
After hearing about Jericho and Ai, the people of Gibeon come to Joshua at Gilgal in worn-out clothes, saying they are from a far land. Once a covenant is made, Israel learns they live nearby, but the chiefs keep their oath and let them live as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation.
From Joshua 9:3–5 (KoS), Joshua 9:6–8 (KoS), Joshua 9:16–18 (KoS), Joshua 9:19–21 (KoS).
These notes and questions are original study helps written for this site, not scripture. The verses shown with each question are quoted from the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible.
- Chapter
- 42
- Title
- The Gibeonite Treaty
- Bible passages
- Joshua 9:1–9:27
- Read in the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible
- The chapter opens with
Now, look, we are in your hand. Do to us whatever is good and right in your eyes to do. He did so to them. He rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. Joshua made them, on that day, woodcutters and water-drawers for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, at the place that he will choose.
Notice and discuss
Read each passage, then think about the question on your own or talk it over with others. No answers are collected.
-
What do the visitors say happened to their bread, their wineskins, and their clothes on the road?
Our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, saying, Take provisions in your hand for the road, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants. Now cut a covenant with us. This bread of ours was hot when we took it as provision from our houses on the day we set out to come to you. Now look, it is dry, and it has become crumbs. These wineskins, which we filled, were new, and look, they have split. These clothes of ours and our sandals have worn out from the very long road.
-
Before Joshua agrees to peace, what does the text say the men took and failed to do?
The men took some of their provisions, and they did not ask the mouth of Yahweh. Joshua made peace with them and cut a covenant with them, to let them live, and the chiefs of the congregation swore to them.
-
When Joshua calls the visitors, what does he ask them, and what reason do they give for what they did?
Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, Why did you deceive us, saying, We are very far from you, when you are living in our midst? Now you are cursed, and a servant shall not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water-drawers for the house of my God. They answered Joshua and said, Because it was told, yes told, to your servants what Yahweh your God commanded Moses his servant, to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you. We were very afraid for our lives because of you, and we did this thing.
Use your browser’s Print command to print or save a PDF.
Kingdoms of Scripture Bible (KoS). CC BY 4.0. Source: bible.kingdomsofscripture.com. Quotations are whole published verses, matched to the game’s chapter references.