“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.”
The leaders defend the covenant — The leaders declare, We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. Therefore, what they have done to us is this: we will let them live (נְשַׁמְּרֵנוּ אוֹתָם, 'we must preserve them'). The leaders' response illustrates the tension between justice (the Gibeonites ought to face consequences for deception) and covenant integrity (the oath invoked the LORD's name and cannot be revoked). The principle established is that Israel's honor before God depends on keeping sworn covenants, even when deceived.
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