“And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.”
They approach Joshua at Gilgal with their proposal — The Gibeonites come to Joshua at Gilgal (where Israel has encamped) and say, 'We have come from a far country; now make a covenant with us.' They appeal to the ancient Near Eastern convention of hospitality treaties (עֲרִיתִים, literally 'healings' or binding covenants) that provide protection for foreign sojourners. The location—Gilgal, Israel's sacred encampment site—gives the negotiation an air of legitimacy.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!