Joshua 9:15 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Joshua made peace with them and formed an agreement to let them live. The leaders of Israel gave them their word with a sworn promise.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Joshua and Israel's leaders made a peace treaty with these people, promising to let them live and not destroy them.

📚 Historical Context

In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites were in the process of conquering the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt, following God's commands to drive out the inhabitants. The Gibeonites, who were part of the local Canaanite groups, deceived Joshua and the Israelite leaders by pretending to be from a distant land, leading them to make a peace treaty without consulting God. This event highlights the cultural practice of forming alliances through oaths, which were binding in ancient Near Eastern societies.

Explore Similar Verses

Joshua 9:19

But all the leaders said to the entire community, 'We have made a promise to them in the name of the LORD God of Israel, so now we cannot harm them.'

Nehemiah 9:38

Because of all this, we are making a binding agreement and writing it down. Our leaders, Levites, and priests are signing and sealing it to make it official.

Nehemiah 5:12

Then they said, 'We will give everything back, and we won't demand anything more from them. We'll do exactly what you've said.' So I called the priests over and made the leaders swear an oath that they would keep this promise.

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