8 And they said to Joshua, We are your servants. Then Joshua said to them, Who are you and where do you come from?
And if it gives you back an answer of peace, opening its doors to you, then all the people in it may be put to forced work as your servants.
So the controller of the king's house, with the ruler of the town, and the responsible men, and those who had the care of Ahab's sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants and will do all your orders; we will not make any man king; do whatever seems best to you.
Cursed be Canaan; let him be a servant of servants to his brothers. And he said, Praise to the Lord, the God of Shem; let Canaan be his servant.
Now because of this you are cursed, and you will for ever be our servants, cutting wood and getting water for the house of my God.
And that day Joshua made them servants, cutting wood and getting water for the people and for the altar of the Lord, in the place marked out by him, to this day.
As for the rest of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not children of Israel; Their children who were still in the land, and whom the children of Israel had not been able to put to complete destruction, them did Solomon put to forced work, to this day.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 9
Commentary on Joshua 9 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 9
Here is in this chapter,
Jos 9:1-2
Hitherto the Canaanites had acted defensively; the Israelites were the aggressors upon Jericho and Ai. But here the kings of Canaan are in consultation to attack Israel, and concert matters for a vigorous effort of their united forces to check the progress of their victorious arms. Now,
Jos 9:3-14
Here,
Jos 9:15-21
Here is,
Jos 9:22-27
The matter is here settled between Joshua and the Gibeonites, and an explanation of the league agreed upon. We may suppose that now, not the messengers who were first sent, but the elders of Gibeon, and of the cities that were dependent upon it, were themselves present and treated with, that the matter might be fully compromised.