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
The Gibeonites had tricked Joshua and the Israelite leaders into making a peace treaty by pretending to be from a distant land, when they were actually neighbors who should have been conquered. When the deception was discovered, the Israelites were angry but realized they had sworn an oath before God and could not break it without facing divine consequences.
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