Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

JOSHUA 9:11KJV
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Joshua 9:11 (KJV)

What does Joshua 9:11 mean?

Joshua 9:11 records the words of the Gibeonites as they explain to Joshua and the Israelites why they have come: their leaders and all the people of their land told them to bring provisions and go meet Israel, offering themselves as servants and asking to make a treaty. The verse shows the Gibeonites’ strategy to secure peace by presenting themselves humbly and requesting a formal agreement.

The Gibeonites are speaking to Joshua, describing how their elders and all the inhabitants (the people living in their land) instructed them to act. They were told to take food for the journey, approach the Israelites, and ask to become their servants in exchange for a covenant or treaty. This verse is part of the story where the Gibeonites, fearing Israel’s military strength, use a plan to avoid destruction by pretending to come from a distant country and seeking a peaceful alliance.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 9:11

  • "Elders" (זָקֵן, zaqen): This word refers to the leaders or respected older men of the Gibeonite community, showing that the decision to approach Israel was made by those with authority.
  • "League" (בְּרִית, berit): This word means a covenant or treaty, emphasizing that the Gibeonites were not just asking for mercy but for a formal, binding agreement of peace.
  • "Servants" (עֶבֶד, eved): This term means servants or slaves, highlighting the Gibeonites’ willingness to submit themselves to Israel in order to survive.

Why Joshua 9:11 matters

  • Joshua 9:11 clarifies that the Gibeonites’ actions were not impulsive but were directed by their leaders and agreed upon by the whole community, showing a united and deliberate effort to seek peace.
  • The verse highlights the importance of covenants (berit) in the ancient world, where formal agreements carried significant weight and were often seen as unbreakable.
  • This verse sets up the tension in the wider story: Israel is being asked to make a binding agreement with people they believe are from far away, which leads to important consequences later in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“victuals” Hebrew H6720 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
  • Exodus 12:39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
  • Judges 20:10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

“meet” Hebrew H7125 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
  • Judges 7:24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
  • 1 Kings 2:8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.