Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, New Living Translation But the Israelites did not attack the towns, for the Israelite leaders had made a vow to them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. The people of Israel grumbled against their leaders because of the treaty. English Standard Version But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. Berean Standard Bible But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. King James Bible And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. New King James Version But the children of Israel did not attack them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers. New American Standard Bible But the sons of Israel did not attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. NASB 1995 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. NASB 1977 And the sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. Legacy Standard Bible But the sons of Israel did not strike them down because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. Amplified Bible But the sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel [to spare them]. And all the congregation murmured [expressing great dissatisfaction] against the leaders. Christian Standard Bible But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders. Holman Christian Standard Bible But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders. American Standard Version And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. Contemporary English Version But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the LORD that they would let these people live. The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, English Revised Version And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. GOD'S WORD® Translation The Israelites didn't destroy these other people, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath about them to the LORD God of Israel. The whole congregation complained about the leaders. Good News Translation But the Israelites could not kill them, because their leaders had made a solemn promise to them in the name of the LORD, Israel's God. All the people complained to the leaders about this, International Standard Version The Israelis did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had made an oath with them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Nevertheless, the entire congregation grumbled against their leaders. Majority Standard Bible But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. NET Bible The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the LORD God of Israel. The whole community criticized the leaders, New Heart English Bible The children of Israel did not strike them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation murmured against the leaders. Webster's Bible Translation And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. World English Bible The children of Israel didn’t strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand the sons of Israel have not struck them, for the princes of the congregation have sworn to them by YHWH, God of Israel, and all the congregation murmur against the princes. Young's Literal Translation and the sons of Israel have not smitten them, for sworn to them have the princes of the company by Jehovah God of Israel, and all the company murmur against the princes. Smith's Literal Translation And the sons of Israel smote them not, for the chiefs of the assembly sware to them by Jehovah the God of Israel. And all the assembly will murmur against the chiefs. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they slew them not, because the princes of the multitude had sworn in the name of the Lord the God of Israel. Then all the common people murmured against the princes. Catholic Public Domain Version And they did not strike them, because the leaders of the multitude had sworn to them in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. And so all of the common people murmured against the leaders. New American Bible but did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. When the entire community grumbled against the leaders, New Revised Standard Version But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd the children of Israel did not kill them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And the whole congregation murmured and were in an uproar against the princes. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the children of Israel did not kill them, because the Princes of the assembly swore to them by LORD JEHOVAH The God of Israel, and all of the assembly were complaining and were in an uproar against the Princes OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. Brenton Septuagint Translation Land the children of Israel fought not with them, because all the princes sware to them by the Lord God of Israel; and all the congregation murmured at the princes. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Deceit of the Gibeonites…17So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. 19All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.… Cross References Numbers 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised. Deuteronomy 23:21-23 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. / But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. / Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth. Psalm 15:4 who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. / It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Judges 11:35 As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” 2 Samuel 21:1-2 During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.” / At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.) 1 Samuel 14:24-28 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food. / Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. / And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. ... 2 Kings 12:15 No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity. 2 Chronicles 6:22-23 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, / then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness. Ezekiel 17:18-19 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’ / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. Matthew 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ / But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; / or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ... Matthew 23:16-22 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ / You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? / And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ ... Romans 1:31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 2 Corinthians 1:17-20 When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” and also “No, no”? / But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” / For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” ... Galatians 3:15 Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended. Treasury of Scripture And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. had sworn 2 Samuel 21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. Psalm 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. Ecclesiastes 5:2,6 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few… Jump to Previous Assembly Attack Chiefs Children Company Congregation Death Israel Israelites Kill Leaders Murmur Murmured Outcry Princes Smitten Smote Strike Sworn WholeJump to Next Assembly Attack Chiefs Children Company Congregation Death Israel Israelites Kill Leaders Murmur Murmured Outcry Princes Smitten Smote Strike Sworn WholeJoshua 9 1. The kings combine against Israel3. The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league 22. They are condemned to perpetual bondage But the Israelites did not attack them This phrase refers to the Gibeonites, who deceived the Israelites into making a peace treaty. The Israelites refrained from attacking due to the covenant they had made. This highlights the importance of oaths and covenants in ancient Near Eastern culture, where breaking an oath was seen as a serious offense. The Israelites' decision not to attack, despite the deception, underscores the binding nature of their agreement. because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe people of God, led by Joshua, who are in the process of conquering the Promised Land. 2. The Gibeonites A group of people from the region of Canaan who deceived the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them. 3. The Leaders of the Assembly The elders and leaders of Israel who made the oath with the Gibeonites. 4. The LORD, the God of Israel The covenant God of Israel, whose name was invoked in the oath. 5. The Whole Assembly The congregation of Israel who were upset with their leaders for making the treaty. Teaching Points The Importance of DiscernmentThe Israelites failed to seek God's guidance before making the treaty. We must always seek God's wisdom in our decisions. The Sanctity of Oaths The leaders' decision to honor their oath, despite the deception, underscores the importance of keeping promises, especially those made in God's name. Leadership Accountability The leaders faced grumbling from the assembly, reminding us that leaders are accountable to those they lead and must act with integrity. The Consequences of Deception The Gibeonites' deception led to a complex situation, teaching us that deceit can have long-lasting effects. God's Sovereignty in Our Mistakes Despite the error, God used the situation for His purposes, reminding us that He can work through our mistakes for His glory.Verse 18. - And the children of Israel smote them not. There is great difference of opinion among the commentators as to whether this oath were binding off the Israelites or not. This difference is to be found among Roman Catholics as well as Protestants, and Cornelius a Lapide gives the ingenious and subtle arguments used on both sides by the Jesuit commentators. Many contend that as it was obtained by fraud, and especially by a representation that the Gibeonites did not belong to the tribes which Joshua was specially commanded to destroy (see Deuteronomy 20:10-18, with which compare the passages cited in note on ver. 7), it was null and void, ab initio. But the Israelites had sworn by the sacred name of Jehovah to spare the Gibeonites. It would have been to degrade that sacred name, and possibly (ver. 20) to bring trouble on themselves, to break that oath under any pretence whatever. If they had been deceived the fault was their own. The Jehovah by whom they swore had provided them with a ready mode of detecting such deceit, had they chosen to use it. Calvin, though he thinks the princes of the congregation were unnecessarily scrupulous, remarks on the superiority of Israelitish to Roman morals. It would have been easy enough for the congregation to argue, as the Romans did after the disaster at the Candine Forks, that the agreement was of no effect, because it was not made with the whole people. Cicero, however, had no sympathy with such morality. He writes ('De Officiis,' 1:13), "Atque etiam si quid singuli temporibus adducti, hosti promiserunt, est in eo ipso tides conservanda." And not a few instances of similar perfidy since the promulgation of Christianity may lead us to the conclusion that the example of Israel trader Joshua is not yet superfluous. As instances of such perfidy, we may adduce the battle of Varna, in 1444, in which Ladislaus, king of Hungary, was induced by the exhortations of Cardinal Julian to break the truce he bad entered into with Amurath, sultan of the Turks. It is said in this case that Amurath, in his distress, invoked Jesus Christ to punish the perfidy of His disciples. Be that as it may, a signal defeat fitly rewarded their disregard of truth. Later instances may be drawn from the conflict between Spain and the Netherlands in the latter part of the sixteenth century, in which the Spaniards frequently and wantonly, in the supposed interests of religion, violated the articles of capitulation formally entered into with the insurgents. These breakers of their plighted word also found that "wrath was upon them;" that God would not prosper the arms of those who, professedly for His sake, were false to their solemn obligations. Both the princes, in the narrative before us, in withstanding the wrath of the congregation, and the congregation in yielding to their representations, present a spectacle of moral principle which few nations have surpassed. Cornelius a Lapide, after giving the opinions of others, as we have seen, and remarking on the opinion here followed as "probabilior," sums up in the following noble and manly words: "Disce hic quam sancte fides, praesertim jurata, sit servanda hosti, etiam impio et infideli. Fide enim sublata, evertitur omnis hominum contractus et societas, quae fidei quasi basi innititur, ut homines jam non homines, sed leones, tygrides, et ferae esse videantur." Would that his Church had always acted upon these insatiable principles of justice and morality! In after years a terrible famine visited the Israelites as a chastisement for the infringement of this agreement (see 2 Samuel 21:1-9). Murmured. Literally, were stubborn. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew But the Israelitesבְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 1121: A son did not וְלֹ֤א (wə·lō) Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no attack them, הִכּוּם֙ (hik·kūm) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural | third person masculine plural Strong's 5221: To strike because כִּֽי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction the leaders נְשִׂיאֵ֣י (nə·śî·’ê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 5387: An exalted one, a king, sheik, a rising mist of the congregation הָֽעֵדָ֔ה (hā·‘ê·ḏāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5712: A stated assemblage had sworn an oath נִשְׁבְּע֤וּ (niš·bə·‘ū) Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear to them לָהֶם֙ (lā·hem) Preposition | third person masculine plural Strong's Hebrew by the LORD, בַּֽיהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh) Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel the God אֱלֹהֵ֣י (’ĕ·lō·hê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative of Israel. יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc And the whole כָל־ (ḵāl) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every congregation הָעֵדָ֖ה (hā·‘ê·ḏāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5712: A stated assemblage grumbled וַיִּלֹּ֥נוּ (way·yil·lō·nū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 3885: To stop, to stay permanently, to be obstinate against עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the leaders. הַנְּשִׂיאִֽים׃ (han·nə·śî·’îm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5387: An exalted one, a king, sheik, a rising mist Links Joshua 9:18 NIVJoshua 9:18 NLT Joshua 9:18 ESV Joshua 9:18 NASB Joshua 9:18 KJV Joshua 9:18 BibleApps.com Joshua 9:18 Biblia Paralela Joshua 9:18 Chinese Bible Joshua 9:18 French Bible Joshua 9:18 Catholic Bible OT History: Joshua 9:18 The children of Israel didn't strike them (Josh. 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