Josua 9:14

Svenska Bibel

Då togo männen av deras reskost, men rådfrågade icke HERRENS mun.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the men took of their victuals: or, they received the men by reason of their victuals

asked not: Exodus 28:30, Numbers 27:21, Judges 1:1, Judges 20:18, Judges 20:28, 1 Samuel 14:18, 1 Samuel 14:19, 1 Samuel 22:10, 1 Samuel 23:9-12, 1 Samuel 30:7, 1 Samuel 30:8, 2 Samuel 2:1, 2 Samuel 5:19, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 1 Chronicles 10:14, Ezra 8:21, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:6, Isaiah 30:1, Isaiah 30:2, James 1:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:32 - shalt make Judges 20:7 - give here 1 Samuel 23:2 - inquired 1 Samuel 25:13 - Gird ye 1 Kings 22:5 - Inquire 2 Kings 3:11 - that we may 1 Chronicles 17:2 - Do all 2 Chronicles 35:22 - the mouth Luke 9:50 - Forbid 1 Timothy 5:22 - suddenly

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the men took of their victuals,.... That is, the princes of Israel took thereof; not to eat of them, for it cannot be thought that such personages would eat of such dry and mouldy bread, and especially as they were now in a plentiful country, and possessed of the fruits of it; but to see whether it was in such a plight and condition as they said, whereby they might judge of the truth of what they said; and they learned and knew, as R. Jonah observes, from the dryness of their food, that it was truth they said; and so the Targum, the men hearkened to their words; and so Jarchi, they believed what they said on sight of their provisions; but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, they ate with them, to confirm the covenant they made with them; but had this been the case, as it sometimes was a custom to eat together at making covenants, see Genesis 26:30; the princes would doubtless have provided a better entertainment for such a purpose: the "margin" of our Bibles leads to the other sense,

"they received the men by reason of their victuals:''

and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the Lord; as they might and should have done, by desiring the high priest to inquire of the Lord by Urim and Thummim; but this they neglected, which, had they attended to, the fraud would have been discovered; or however, they would have had the mind of God about making peace with the Gibeonites, which in all likelihood he would not have disapproved of, they becoming proselytes, and giving up their possessions to Israel; but this did not excuse their neglect.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The elders of Israel Joshua 9:18, tasting what was offered them by the Gibeonites, pledged themselves according to the usage of Eastern nations to peace and friendship with them. They credited the story at once, instead of seeking the direction of God in the matter. The rendering of the margin is not to be preferred to that of the text.

At the mouth of the Lord - i. e. by the Urim and Thummim Exodus 28:30.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 9:14. The men took of their victuals — This was done in all probability in the way of friendship; for, from time immemorial to the present day, eating together, in the Asiatic countries, is considered a token of unalterable friendship; and those who eat even salt together, feel themselves bound thereby in a perpetual covenant. But the marginal reading of this clause should not be hastily rejected.

And asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. — They made the covenant with the Gibeonites without consulting God by Urim and Thummim, which was highly reprehensible in them, as it was a state transaction in which the interests and honour of God their king were intimately concerned.