And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
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Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Gill's Exposition
And they said unto Joshua, we are thy servants,.... Not that they meant to be subjects of his, and tributaries to him; but this they said in great humility and lowliness of mind, being willing to be…
Adam Clarke
We are thy servants - This appears to have been the only answer they gave to the question of the Israelitish elders, and this they gave to Joshua, not to them, as they saw that Joshua was…
Here, I. The Gibeonites desire to make peace with Israel, being alarmed by the tidings they heard of the destruction of Jericho, Jos 9:3. Other people heard those tidings, and were irritated thereby…
Cambridge Bible
Who are ye?] To this is to be noticed that they made no direct reply. They adroitly evaded the question by dwelling on the fact that they were Joshua's "servants" (comp. Gen 32:4; Gen 50:18).
Cross References
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