This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that God's anger won't come upon us because of the promise we made to them.
The Israelite leaders are saying they must keep their promise to let the Gibeonites live, even though they were deceived, because breaking an oath would bring God's judgment on them.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were conquering the Promised Land as God had commanded, and they encountered the Gibeonites who feared destruction and deceived them by pretending to be from a distant land to secure a peace treaty. When the Israelites discovered the trickery, they realized they had sworn an oath that could not be broken without invoking God's wrath, as oaths were sacred commitments in ancient Near Eastern culture. This decision highlighted the importance of honoring vows despite the circumstances.
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