And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
So they went to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, 'We have come from a distant country. Please make a peace treaty with us.'
The Gibeonites deceived Joshua by pretending to be from a far-away land so they could make a peace treaty and avoid being destroyed.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Joshua, the Israelites had recently crossed the Jordan River and set up camp at Gilgal as they began conquering the Promised Land, having already defeated Jericho and Ai. The Gibeonites, who were actually local Canaanites living nearby, heard of Israel's victories and feared for their lives, so they disguised themselves as travelers from a distant land to trick Joshua into making a peace treaty. This deception occurred because the Israelites were commanded by God to destroy the inhabitants of the land, making the Gibeonites' strategy a desperate attempt to survive.
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