Joshua 9:19 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

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.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

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.'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The leaders are explaining that they must keep their promise to the Gibeonites because they swore an oath in God's name, even though they were deceived.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were commanded by God to conquer the land of Canaan and drive out its inhabitants as part of fulfilling His promise to their ancestors. The Gibeonites, a local people group, tricked Joshua and the Israelite leaders into a peace treaty by pretending to be from a distant land, leading to an oath sworn in God's name. Despite realizing the deception, the leaders chose to honor the oath, highlighting the ancient cultural emphasis on the sanctity of vows made before God.

Explore Similar Verses

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.

Joshua 9:21

The leaders said to them, 'Let them live, but they will cut wood and carry water for the whole community, just as the leaders had promised them.'

Ezra 10:5

Then Ezra stood up and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all the people of Israel promise that they would do what had been said. And they made the promise.

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