“And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.”
The Gibeonites' punishment assigned — Let them live, but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation. The Gibeonites are condemned to servitude (עֲבָדִים, the very claim they made becomes their actual lot) in perpetuity. The phrase 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' (חֹטְבֵי עֵצִים וְשֹׁאֲבֵי מַיִם) is applied elsewhere to the lowest service positions, including sanctuary service. Their servitude is simultaneously a curse for deception and a role in Israel's covenant community.
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