Joshua 9:7
New International Version
The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?”

New Living Translation
The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”

English Standard Version
But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?”

Berean Standard Bible
But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?”

King James Bible
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

New King James Version
Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?”

New American Standard Bible
But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then are we to make a covenant with you?”

NASB 1995
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?”

NASB 1977
And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we make a covenant with you?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall we cut a covenant with you?”

Amplified Bible
But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living within our land; how then can we make a covenant (treaty) with you?”

Christian Standard Bible
The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”

American Standard Version
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?

English Revised Version
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "What if you're living in this area? We wouldn't be able to make a treaty with you."

Good News Translation
But the Israelites said, "Why should we make a treaty with you? Maybe you live nearby."

International Standard Version
But the Israelis responded to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live in our midst. If this is so, how can we make a treaty with you?"

Majority Standard Bible
But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?”

NET Bible
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live near us. So how can we make a treaty with you?"

New Heart English Bible
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "What if you live among us. How could we make a covenant with you?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, It may be ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

World English Bible
The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you live among us? How could we make a covenant with you?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the men of Israel say to the Hivite, “It may be [that] you are dwelling in our midst, so how do we make a covenant with you?”

Young's Literal Translation
and the men of Israel say unto the Hivite, 'It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make with thee a covenant?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the men of Israel will say to the Hivite, Perhaps thou shalt dwell in the midst of me, and I shall not make a covenant to thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Perhaps you dwell in the land which falls to our lot; if so, we can make no league with you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Perhaps instead, you live in the land which ought to be ours by lot, and we would be unable to form a pact with you.”

New American Bible
But the Israelites replied to the Hivites, “You may be living in land that is ours. How, then, can we make a covenant with you?”

New Revised Standard Version
But the Israelites said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the men of Israel said to the Hivites. If you dwell among us, why then should you have a treaty?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they of the house of Israel were saying to the Khivites: “If you dwell with us, why would there be a right hand for you?"
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites: 'Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the children of Israel said to the Chorrhaean, Peradventure thou dwellest amongst us; and how should I make a covenant with thee?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Deceit of the Gibeonites
6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.” 7But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?” 8“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua. Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you come from?”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 20:10-18
When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace. / If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you. / But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city. ...

Exodus 23:32-33
You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. / They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Exodus 34:12
Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.

Numbers 33:55
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.

Deuteronomy 7:1-2
When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— / and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

Judges 2:2-3
and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? / So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”

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 Kings 9:20-21
As for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)— / their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

Psalm 106:34-36
They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, / but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. / They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.

Ezra 9:1-2
After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. / Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”

Nehemiah 13:23-27
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. / Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. / I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! ...

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...

Ephesians 5:6-7
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. / Therefore do not be partakers with them.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. / I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. / But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. / You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.


Treasury of Scripture

And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

Hivites

Joshua 11:19
There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

Genesis 10:17
And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

Genesis 34:2
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

how shall

Exodus 23:31-33
And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee…

Exodus 34:12
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

Numbers 33:52
Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

Jump to Previous
Agreement Covenant Dwell Dwellest Dwelling Hivite Hivites Israel Live Midst Peradventure Perhaps Treaty Within
Jump to Next
Agreement Covenant Dwell Dwellest Dwelling Hivite Hivites Israel Live Midst Peradventure Perhaps Treaty Within
Joshua 9
1. The kings combine against Israel
3. The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league
22. They are condemned to perpetual bondage














The men of Israel
This phrase refers to the leaders or representatives of the Israelite community. In the context of Joshua 9, the Israelites are in the process of conquering the Promised Land, as commanded by God. Historically, the Israelites were a nomadic people who had recently entered Canaan after their exodus from Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the desert. The term "men of Israel" signifies those who were responsible for making decisions on behalf of the nation, emphasizing the communal and covenantal nature of their society.

replied to the Hivites
The Hivites were one of the Canaanite tribes inhabiting the land that God had promised to the Israelites. The historical context here is crucial, as the Hivites, specifically the Gibeonites, were aware of the Israelites' divine mandate to conquer Canaan. In response, they devised a plan to deceive the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them. The interaction between the Israelites and the Hivites highlights the tension between divine command and human diplomacy.

Perhaps you dwell among us
This phrase reflects the suspicion and caution of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "dwell" (יָשַׁב, yashab) implies a settled presence, which contrasts with the nomadic lifestyle of the Israelites. The Israelites were wary of making treaties with local inhabitants, as God had commanded them to drive out the Canaanite nations to avoid being led astray by their idolatrous practices. This suspicion underscores the importance of discernment and obedience to God's commands.

So how can we make a treaty with you?
The question posed by the Israelites reveals their awareness of God's instructions not to make covenants with the inhabitants of the land (Exodus 23:32-33, Deuteronomy 7:2). The Hebrew word for "treaty" (בְּרִית, berit) is significant, as it denotes a solemn and binding agreement. The Israelites' hesitation reflects their struggle to balance the immediate practicalities of their situation with their long-term commitment to God's covenant. This moment serves as a reminder of the need for vigilance and faithfulness in adhering to divine guidance, even when faced with seemingly beneficial opportunities.

(7) Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?--Literally, Peradventure thou art a dweller in the midst of me; and how shall I make a covenant with thee? The Israelites assume the ownership of Canaan as already theirs.

Verse 7. - And the men of Israel said. The Keri here has the singular number instead of the Chethibh plural, in consequence of Israel speaking of itself collectively in the word בְּקִרְבִּי and of the singular אִישׁ. But this last with a plural verb, as a noun of multitude, occurs in the historical books in places too numerous to mention. See, for instance, 1 Samuel 14:22, just as עַם in many passages, e.g., 2 Samuel 18:7, is the nominative to a plural verb. The Hivites (see note on ver. 3). Peradventure ye dwell among us, and how can we make a league with you? This was strictly forbidden in Exodus 23:32; Exodus 34:12; Deuteronomy 7:2, in reference to neighbouring nations, on account of the polluting influence their example had exercised (Numbers 25:1-3), and was sure to exercise, as the subsequent history of the Israelites from Judges 2 onwards, proves.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the men
אִֽישׁ־ (’îš-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

said
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the Hivites,
הַחִוִּ֑י (ha·ḥiw·wî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2340: Hivite -- a Chivvite

“Perhaps
אוּלַ֗י (’ū·lay)
Adverb
Strong's 194: Perhaps

you
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

dwell
יוֹשֵׁ֔ב (yō·wō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

near us.
בְּקִרְבִּי֙ (bə·qir·bî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

How
וְאֵ֖יךְ (wə·’êḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

can we make
אֶֽכְרָת־ (’eḵ·rāṯ-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

a treaty with you?”
בְרִֽית׃ (ḇə·rîṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant


Links
Joshua 9:7 NIV
Joshua 9:7 NLT
Joshua 9:7 ESV
Joshua 9:7 NASB
Joshua 9:7 KJV

Joshua 9:7 BibleApps.com
Joshua 9:7 Biblia Paralela
Joshua 9:7 Chinese Bible
Joshua 9:7 French Bible
Joshua 9:7 Catholic Bible

OT History: Joshua 9:7 The men of Israel said to (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 9:6
Top of Page
Top of Page