“And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.”
They accept their fate — Therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you and have done this thing. The Gibeonites present their deception as existential self-preservation—'we were very much afraid for our lives' (אָנוּ יָרֵאנוּ מְאֹד אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ). Their confession does not absolve them, but it explains the motivation as fear rather than mere malice. Fear of the ban (cherem) that destroys Jericho and Ai drives them to seek covenant.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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