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Joshua 9

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1 And it was, when all the kings that were across the Jordan, on◦ the mountain, and in the lowland, and on◦ all the coast of the great sea, next·​·to Lebanon—the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard of it,

2 that they came·​·together as·​·one to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord*.

3 And they who dwelt·​·in Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai;

4 and they did it, even they◦, with cunning, and went and sent·​·an·​·embassy, and took worn·​·out sacks upon their donkeys, and wine bottles*, worn·​·out and ripped and bundled,

5 and shoes worn·​·out and spotted on◦ their feet, and worn·​·out raiment on them; and all the bread of their provision was dried·​·up and speckled.

6 And they went to▵ Joshua to▵ the camp of Gilgal, and said to▵ him and to▵ the men◦ of Israel, From a land far·​·off have we come; and now, cut a covenant with us.

7 And the men◦* of Israel said unto▵ the Hivite, Perhaps you◦ dwell among us, and how◦ shall we cut a covenant with thee?

8 And they said unto▵ Joshua, We◦ are thy servants. And Joshua said unto▵ them, Who are you and from whence◦ do you come?

9 And they said unto▵ him, From a land very far·​·off thy servants are come, because◦ of the name of Jehovah thy God; for we have heard His fame and all that He did in Egypt,

10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorite who were across the Jordan, to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth.

11 And our elders and all they who dwell in our land said unto▵ us, saying, Take provisions in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say unto▵ them, We◦ are your servants; and now cut ye a covenant with us.

12 This our bread we took· hot ·for· our ·provision from our houses on◦ the day we went·​·out to go to▵ you, and now, behold, it is·​·dried·​·up and become moldy;

13 and these wine bottles, which we filled were new; and behold, they are ripped; and these our raiment and our shoes have worn·​·out from the very great◦ way.

14 And the men◦ took from their provisions, and asked not at the mouth of Jehovah.

15 And Joshua made peace with them, and he cut a covenant with them, to let· them ·live; and the chiefs of the congregation made·​·a·​·promise unto them.

16 And it was at the end of three days, after they had cut a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors unto▵ them◦, and that they dwelt among them◦.

17 And the sons of Israel journeyed, and came unto▵ their cities on the third day. And their cities were Gibeon, and Kephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

18 And the sons of Israel smote them not, for the chiefs of the congregation had promised unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the chiefs.

19 And all the chiefs said unto▵ all the congregation, We◦ have promised unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel; and now we cannot touch them.

20 This we will do unto them and let· them ·live, lest there be rage upon us, because of the promise which we promised unto them.

21 And the chiefs said unto▵ them, Let· them ·live; and let them be hewers of wood and drawers◦ of water unto all the congregation, as◦ the chiefs had spoken unto them.

22 And Joshua called unto them and said unto▵ them, and said, Why have you deceived us, saying, We◦ are very far from you; and you◦ dwell among us?

23 And now you◦ are cursed, and it shall not be cut·​·off from you to be a servant, and hewers of wood, and drawers◦ of water for the house of my God.

24 And they answered Joshua and said, Because◦ telling it was·​·told to thy servants what Jehovah thy God commanded Moses His servant, to give you all the land, and to blot·​·out all those who dwell·​·in the land from before you; and we feared exceedingly for our souls on·​·account·​·of◦ you, and we did this thing.

25 And now, behold, we are in thy hands; as it is good and upright in thine eyes to do to us, do.

26 And so he did unto them, and rescued them out of the hand of the sons of Israel, and they killed them not.

27 And Joshua made them on that day hewers of wood and drawers◦ of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah to◦ this day, in the place which He should choose.

  

Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 9      

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff and Rev. Julian Duckworth

Joshua 9: The Gibeonites deceive Israel.

After Israel conquered Jericho and then Ai, the news about the strength of the Children of Israel - and their mighty God, Jehovah - spread quickly among the people of Canaan. In this chapter, the people of Gibeon came up with a plan to trick Joshua and the Israelites into granting them safety.

To preserve themselves, the Gibeonites cooked up a story that they had come from far away. They dressed in old clothing and worn-out sandals, and brought shabby wine-skins and moldy bread as proof of their long journey. After questioning these travelers, Joshua agreed to guarantee their safety, and the Israelites made a covenant to let them live. Note that the Israelites did not consult the Lord.

In the end, the Gibeonites admitted that they lived close by and were neighbors of Israel, just as the Hivites (the Gibeonites' ancestors) had been with Abraham. Joshua, unable to revoke his promise to them, made them wood-cutters and water-carriers for the altars of the Lord.

This chapter offers us several spiritual lessons. The main one is that there is a place for simple, well-intentioned goodness in our spiritual life, along with our love of God and our love for other people (See Swedenborg's exegetical work, Arcana Caelestia 3436, for details). This is what the Gibeonites stand for; they were not warlike but peaceful, content to live usefully day after day. This is an illustration of natural good, which is an important part of life in this world and in heaven (Arcana Caelestia 3167).

On a spiritual level, their story about living in a country far-away means that when we live good, well-intentioned lives, we are ‘far away’ from the evils of the Canaanites. Although the Gibeonites lived among the Canaanites, their higher values were entirely different. So while the Gibeonites deceived Israel to save themselves, they spoke truthfully when they said: “we come from a place a very long way away” (See Swedenborg's work, Heaven and Hell 481).

Their tattered and torn appearance is meant to illustrate the hard work of doing good. It can be quite wearing to continue doing good things, especially when we feel it is all up to us. Acknowledging that all good is from the Lord renews us, and keeps us from the burden of merit.

In the same vein, their worn-out appearance is also about our relationship with the Word. Little children love and delight in the stories of the Word, but as they grow up, this love dwindles (Arcana Caelestia 3690). But as adults, we have the choice to find those guiding principles from the Word, helping us to keep leading good lives.

The fact that Joshua commanded the Gibeonites to cut wood and draw water also holds spiritual significance. The beauty of wood is that it comes from living trees, and can be turned into many, many useful things. It stands for the steady, humble wish to do good each day (See Swedenborg's work, True Christian Religion 374). This must be present in our worship at the altars of the Lord.

Drawing water provides essential, life-giving refreshment for others. Water stands for truth, and our better actions draw the water of life for the sake of others. Truly, acknowledging the goodness in other people is part of our faith in God. This story shows us that we must allow others to live and to serve everything of God, just as Joshua showed mercy toward the Gibeonites.

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 9      

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff and Rev. Julian Duckworth

Joshua 9: The Gibeonites deceive Israel.

After Israel conquered Jericho and then Ai, the news about the strength of the Children of Israel - and their mighty God, Jehovah - spread quickly among the people of Canaan. In this chapter, the people of Gibeon came up with a plan to trick Joshua and the Israelites into granting them safety.

To preserve themselves, the Gibeonites cooked up a story that they had come from far away. They dressed in old clothing and worn-out sandals, and brought shabby wine-skins and moldy bread as proof of their long journey. After questioning these travelers, Joshua agreed to guarantee their safety, and the Israelites made a covenant to let them live. Note that the Israelites did not consult the Lord.

In the end, the Gibeonites admitted that they lived close by and were neighbors of Israel, just as the Hivites (the Gibeonites' ancestors) had been with Abraham. Joshua, unable to revoke his promise to them, made them wood-cutters and water-carriers for the altars of the Lord.

This chapter offers us several spiritual lessons. The main one is that there is a place for simple, well-intentioned goodness in our spiritual life, along with our love of God and our love for other people (See Swedenborg's exegetical work, Arcana Caelestia 3436, for details). This is what the Gibeonites stand for; they were not warlike but peaceful, content to live usefully day after day. This is an illustration of natural good, which is an important part of life in this world and in heaven (Arcana Caelestia 3167).

On a spiritual level, their story about living in a country far-away means that when we live good, well-intentioned lives, we are ‘far away’ from the evils of the Canaanites. Although the Gibeonites lived among the Canaanites, their higher values were entirely different. So while the Gibeonites deceived Israel to save themselves, they spoke truthfully when they said: “we come from a place a very long way away” (See Swedenborg's work, Heaven and Hell 481).

Their tattered and torn appearance is meant to illustrate the hard work of doing good. It can be quite wearing to continue doing good things, especially when we feel it is all up to us. Acknowledging that all good is from the Lord renews us, and keeps us from the burden of merit.

In the same vein, their worn-out appearance is also about our relationship with the Word. Little children love and delight in the stories of the Word, but as they grow up, this love dwindles (Arcana Caelestia 3690). But as adults, we have the choice to find those guiding principles from the Word, helping us to keep leading good lives.

The fact that Joshua commanded the Gibeonites to cut wood and draw water also holds spiritual significance. The beauty of wood is that it comes from living trees, and can be turned into many, many useful things. It stands for the steady, humble wish to do good each day (See Swedenborg's work, True Christian Religion 374). This must be present in our worship at the altars of the Lord.

Drawing water provides essential, life-giving refreshment for others. Water stands for truth, and our better actions draw the water of life for the sake of others. Truly, acknowledging the goodness in other people is part of our faith in God. This story shows us that we must allow others to live and to serve everything of God, just as Joshua showed mercy toward the Gibeonites.

Swedenborg

Výklad(y) nebo odkazy ze Swedenborgových prací:

Arcana Coelestia 1097, 1110, 2842, 3058, 4431, 6860

Odkazy ze Swedenborgových nevydaných prací:

Apocalypse Explained 608

Spiritual Experiences 151, 271, 273, 330, 363, 377

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Genesis 9:25, 26, 10:17

Exodus 15:14, 23:22, 32

Numbers 13:29, 27:21, 30:3, 31:28, 30, 47

Deuteronomy 1:7, 12:5, 11, 14, 20:11, 15, 23:22, 23, 24, 29:10

Joshua 2:9, 10, 11, 3:10, 4:19, 6:21, 8:2, 26, 10:1, 2, 5, 6, 28, 30, 11:1, 5, 19, 18:25, 26, 21:17, 24:11

2 Samuel 2:12, 15:26, 21:1, 2, 24:7

2 Kings 10:5

1 Chronicles 14

2 Chronicles 1:3, 2:16

Ezra 25

Job 4

Psalms 15:4, 78:12, 83:4

Isaiah 30:1, 2

Jeremiah 26:14

Ezekiel 17:15, 16

Zechariah 5:3, 4

Matthew 33

John 4:20

Významy biblických slov

kings
The human mind is composed of two parts, a will and an understanding, a seat of loves and affections, and a seat of wisdom and...

jordan
The land of Jordan,' as in Psalm 42:6, signifies what is lowly, consequently, what is distant from the celestial, as the external parts of a...

mountain
The Writings tell us that the Lord's love is the sun of heaven, and it is natural for us to look above ourselves to the...

great
The word "great" is used in the Bible to represent a state with a strong degree of love and affection, of the desire for good;...

sea
'The sea and the waves roaring' means heresy and controversies in the church and individual.

lebanon
'Lebanon' signifies spiritual good. 'Lebanon' signifies the church regarding the perception of truth from the rational self.

hittite
'A Hittite' in a good sense, signifies the spiritual church, or the truth of the church. The Hittites were among the upright Gentiles who were...

hivite
The Hivites' represent those who were in idolatry, but in which there was something of good.

heard
Thanks to modern science, we now understand that hearing actually happens in the brain, not the ears. The ears collect vibrations in the air and...

one
A company might have executives setting policy and strategy, engineers designing products, line workers building them, managers handling personnel and others handling various functions. They...

joshua
Joshua is first mentioned in Exodus 17, where he is told to select men to fight for the children of Israel against the Amalekites in...

israel
Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to...

mouth
In most cases, "mouth" in the Bible represents thought and logic, especially the kind of active, concrete thought that is connected with speech. The reason...

dwelt
Inhabitants,' in Isaiah 26:9, signify the men of the church who are in good of doctrine, and thence in the good of life.

gibeon
sun standing still upon Gibeon signifies total vastation of the church.

jericho
Jericho' signifies instruction and also the good of life because no one can be instructed in the truths of doctrine but he who is in...

ai
Hai, or Ai, signifies light derived from worldly things.

donkeys
Donkeys signify the things relating to the self-intelligence of the sensual man; and camels, the things of self-intelligence in the natural man (Isa 30:6, 7.)

Wine
Wine played a key role in the ancient world, where safe, reliable water sources were scarce. It could be stored for long periods of time;...

shoes
In the Word, 'the sole of the foot' and 'the heel' signifies the ultimate natural. 'The shoe' is what clothes the sole of the foot...

spotted
'Spotted,' as in Genesis 30:39, signifies truth mixed with falsities.

feet
The foot, as in Deuteronomy 33:3, signifies an inferior principle. To set the right foot on the sea and the left on the earth, as...

raiment
Soft raiment,' as in Matthew 11:9, represents the internal sense of the Word.

bread
The word “bread” is used two ways in the Bible. In some cases it means actual bread; in others it stands for food in general....

provision
'Provision' or 'meat,' as in Genesis 42:25 and Psalm 78:25, signifies support from truth and good.

dried
'Withering and drying up,' as in Ezekiel 17:10, referring to the east wind, signifies when there is no good or truth.

camp
Camps in the Bible represent spiritual order – a person’s (or a church community’s) whole collection of desires for good and true ideas on how...

gilgal
Gilgal signifies the doctrine of natural truth, serving for introduction into the church.

said
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...

men
"Man" is a tricky word to discuss, because the Hebrew of the Old Testament uses six different words that are generally translated as "man," with...

land
Land' in the Word, denotes the church, for the things which signify the church also signify the things relating to the church, for these constitute...

come
Coming (Gen. 41:14) denotes communication by influx.

us
Angels do give us guidance, but they are mere helpers; the Lord alone governs us, through angels and spirits. Since angels have their assisting role,...

man
The relationship between men and women is deep and nuanced, and one entire book of the Writings – Conjugial Love or Love in Marriage –...

dwell
Many people were nomadic in Biblical times, especially the times of the Old Testament, and lived in tents that could be struck, moved and re-raised...

servants
“Servant” literally means “a person who serves another,"" and its meaning is similar in reference to the spiritual meaninngs of the Bible. Our lives in...

name
It's easy to see that names are important in the Bible. Jehovah changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, changed Jacob to Israel and...

jehovah
The Lord, in the simplest terms, is love itself expressed as wisdom itself. In philosophic terms, love is the Lord's substance and wisdom is His...

God
When the Bible speaks of "Jehovah," it is representing love itself, the inmost love that is the essence of the Lord. That divine love is...

egypt
'Mizraim' signifies the same thing as Egypt.

two
The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see...

heshbon
'Heshbon,' as mentioned in Jeremiah 49:3, signifies the fructification of truth in the natural self.

Og
'Og, king of Bashan' signifies being in evils of every kind.

king of Bashan
'Og, king of Bashan' signifies being in evils of every kind.

elders
Elders are mentioned in the Bible mainly in two ways: First the elders of Israel: and second the 24 elders seated about the throne of...

say
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...

hand
In Genesis 27:22, 'voice' relates to truth, and 'hand,' to good.

way
In John 14:6, 'the way is doctrine,' 'the truth' is every thing pertaining to doctrine, and 'the life' is the essential good which is the...

go
In the physical world, the places we inhabit and the distances between them are physical realities, and we have to get our physical bodies through...

meet
In natural language, to "meet" someone can be positive or negative: it can be a welcoming and greeting, or it can be "meeting" them in...

Hot
'Hot' signifies being in spiritual love.

houses
A "house" is essentially a container - for a person, for a family, for several families or even for a large group with shared interests...

day
The expression 'even to this day' or 'today' sometimes appears in the Word, as in Genesis 19:37-38, 22:14, 26:33, 32:32, 35:20, and 47:26. In a...

filled
Being "filled" means being endowed with a spiritual quality. When the material in question is good – water, food, people who represent good things, etc....

peace
In ordinary life, we tend to think of "peace" as essentially "a lack of conflict." As a nation, if we're not at war, it's a...

congregation
A company, congregation, and a multitude, in the Word, are predicated of truths.

three
The Writings talk about many aspects of life using the philosophical terms "end," "cause" and "effect." The "end" is someone’s goal or purpose, the ultimate...

days
The expression 'even to this day' or 'today' sometimes appears in the Word, as in Genesis 19:37-38, 22:14, 26:33, 32:32, 35:20, and 47:26. In a...

after
Behind, or after, (Gen. 16:13), signifies within or above, or an interior or superior principle.

Sons of Israel
'The camp of the sons of Israel' represents the church.

journeyed
'To journey' signifies the institutes and order of life.

came
As with common verbs in general, the meaning of “come” in the Bible is highly dependent on context – its meaning is determined largely by...

cities
Cities of the mountain and cities of the plain (Jeremiah 33:13) signify doctrines of charity and faith.

Third day
'The third day' signifies the end of a state of preparation for reception, and so an end of purification, as in Exodus 19:16. 'The third...

third
The Writings talk about many aspects of life using the philosophical terms "end," "cause" and "effect." The "end" is someone’s goal or purpose, the ultimate...

smote
'The smitten' signify people who are oppressed by the falsities of ignorance.

murmured
'To murmur' denotes complaint and pain from the bitterness of temptation.

touch
Imagine having your mother touch your cheek. Then imagine having your spouse or someone you love romantically touch your cheek. Then imagine having a baby...

Hewers of wood
Hewers of wood, as mentioned in Joshua 9:23, 27, in the Jewish church represent those who place righteousness and merit in good works, and have...

wood
In general, plants in the Bible represent facts, thoughts and ideas – intellectual things. This makes sense: Plants are rooted in place, but can grow...

water
'Waters' signify truths in the natural self, and in the opposite sense, falsities. 'Waters' signify particularly the spiritual parts of a person, or the intellectual...

spoken
Like "say," the word "speak" refers to thoughts and feelings moving from our more internal spiritual levels to our more external ones – and ultimately...

called
To call someone or summon someone in the Bible represents a desire for conjunction between higher and lower states of life. For instance, imagine someone...

servant
“Servant” literally means “a person who serves another,"" and its meaning is similar in reference to the spiritual meaninngs of the Bible. Our lives in...

house
A "house" is essentially a container - for a person, for a family, for several families or even for a large group with shared interests...

answered
To "answer" generally indicates a state of spiritual receptivity. Ultimately this means being receptive to the Lord, who is constantly trying to pour true ideas...

commanded
To command is to give an order that something must be done, and is directed to an individual, or a group. It is an imperative,...

moses
Moses's name appears 814 times in the Bible (KJV), third-most of any one character (Jesus at 961 actually trails David at 991). He himself wrote...

give
Like other common verbs, the meaning of "give" in the Bible is affected by context: who is giving what to whom? In general, though, giving...

before
In most cases, the meaning of "before" is pretty straightforward, both as a way of assessing relative time, and in its use meaning "in someone's...

feared
Fear has various significations according to the thing which causes it. Fear signifies love. Fear, as in Gen 28:17, signifies a holy change.

souls
The nature of the soul is a deep and complicated topic, but it can be summarized as "spiritual life," who we are in terms of...

hands
Scientists believe that one of the most crucial developments in the evolution of humans was bipedalism – walking on two legs. That left our hands...

good
It seems rather circular to say that “good” in the Bible represents good, but in a general sense it’s true! The case is this: The...

eyes
'Pairs of hands, eyes, etc.' relate to the will and understanding, or to good and truth. The right side to the will or good, and...

killed
'To slay a man to his wounding,' means extinguishing faith, and 'to slay a young man to his hurt,' signifies extinguishing charity, as in Genesis...

altar
The first altar mentioned in the Word was built by Noah after he came out of the ark. On that altar, he sacrificed clean animals...

place
'A dry place,' as in Luke 11:24, signifies states of evil and falsity which are in the life of someone who does the work of...

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 Israel's Treaty with Gibeon Review Questions
Read Joshua 9 to complete sentences about Israel's treaty with the Gibeonites.
Activity | Ages 9 - 13

 The Fate of the Gibeonites
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

 The Five Kings Captured
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

 The Gibeonites
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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