Introduction:

 

This is a study of the Gibeonites in the Bible. I suggest you read Joshua 9 and 10 and 2 Samuel 21 before reading this, as reading those will give you a better understanding as to what I will be talking about (if you truly want to go deep I recommend reading Deuteronomy 7, 20 and Leviticus 19 as well).

 

Who were the Gibeonites? 

 

The Gibeonites were the people from the city of Gibeon and are descendants of the Hivites (the Hivites themselves are descendants of Ham's son, Canaan). They are first mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 9:3 (“And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,” Joshua 9:3 KJV). The city of Gibeon was located in ancient Palestine, northwest of Jerusalem.

 

Archaeological Evidence:

 

“In the 8th and 7th century BCE there was a considerable wine industry there; cellars with room for 95,000 liters of wine have been found. Impressive among these finds are sixty-three wine cellars from the 8th to 7th century BC. Hebrew inscriptions of גבען (GBʻN) on the handles of wine storage jars, most of which were excavated from a large pool matching the biblical description, made the identification of Gibeon secure and a landmark product of biblical archaeology. Pritchard published articles on their production of wine, the Hebrew inscriptions, the rock-cut wine cellars, and the well engineered water conduits that supplied the city water.

 

The remains of Gibeon were excavated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by a team of archeologists led by University of Pennsylvania archaeologist James B. Pritchard.

 

The pool itself was unearthed in 1957. The Pool of Gibeon, "one of the ancient world's remarkable engineering achievements", was dug 88 feet into limestone until it met the water table. A spiral staircase along the walls allowed access to the water, according to the archaeologist that excavated the site.”*1 The pool of Gibeon is mentioned in 2 Samuel 2:13:

 

(“And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.” 2 Samuel 2:13 KJV) This will not be covered later but the battle that took place at the pool of Gibeon took place in 2 Samuel 2.

 

Helpful Information:

 

(“When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.” Deuteronomy 7:1-4 KJV)

 

Moses in Deuteronomy 7:1-4 is commanding the Israelites to beware of tolerating the people living in Canaan. The people in Canaan must be destroyed and taken out of the land. This may seem extreme but there were reasons for this. The reasons are listed below:

 

• The people in Canaan deserved to die for their sin (Deuteronomy 9:4-5)
• The people in Canaan persisted in their hatred of God (Deuteronomy 7:10)
• The people in Canaan had the potential to bring idols into Israel (Deuteronomy 20:17-18)

 

They were not to make covenants with the people in the land of Canaan for the reasons stated above. As for those outside of Canaan, Deuteronomy 20:9-11 shows how the Israelites are to treat them. 

 

What had happened before the treaty between the Gibeonites and Israel?

 

Joshua had become Moses’ successor in the leadership of Israel (Joshua 1:1). The Israelites recently had two major victories over Jericho and Ai (Joshua 6 and 8). News on the conquest of these two cities spread through the land of Canaan, causing kings on the left side of Jordan to gather together so that they could fight against Israel, hoping that their cities would not be destroyed. Joshua also had made his main encampment at the city Gilgal. (Joshua 9:1-2)

 

The Gibeonites Deception:

 

(“And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. 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.” Joshua 9:3-6 KJV)

 

The Gibeonites in verse three have learned about Israel’s conquest of Jerhico and Ai, and in verse four the people “work wilily”. What does this mean? The people knew that if they tried to destroy Israel in battle that they would be destroyed themselves. The people knew about God’s command to Moses that the Promised Land would be theirs and they did not want to lose their lives. So they “worked wilily” which means they were very clever in their deception. They then sent Ambassadors to the Israelites to make a treaty with the Israelites.

 

(“and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.” Joshua 9:4b-5 KJV)

 

Since Israel, under God’s command, could not enter into a treaty with people in the land of Canaan, the Ambassadors for Gibeon were clever and made their appearance and supplies look as if they had been traveling for a while. The people placed worn-out bags of sackcloth on the backs of their donkeys. The wine bottles were not made of glass as you may think but actually the skin of the beasts of the field, which when the wineskins got older the skins would begin to tear and burst. The wineskins would need to be repaired, and they’d often patch the holes and tears with new leather. The clothes the people wore had many holes in them, making it appear they had traveled for a while. The bread they took was mouldy and dry making it look old from the long journey. 

 

 (“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. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.”  Joshua 9:6-11 KJV)

 

The ambassadors from Gibeon arrived at the Israelites encampment at Gilgal. The people then lied to the Israelites saying they are from a far country, but the Israelites were concerned about where these people may actually come from. They even asked the Hivites, “Peradventure ye dwell among us: and how shall we make a league with you?” which means that they had some suspicion over where the nation of these people was located. If they were one of the seven nations close by, the people of Israel could not make a “league” or treaty with them. 

 

(“And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?” Joshua 9:8)

 

The ambassadors said “We are thy servants” not because they wanted to be Joshua’s servants, but they were saying this out of humility because they were willing to do anything so that they could join Israel. Joshua was cautious however and suspected them of being from Canaan, so he asked them where they were from. 

 

(“And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.” Joshua 9:9-13 KJV)

 

They answered Joshua’s question with a lie, saying they were from a very far country. They spoke of Egypt, Heshbon and Bashan, because if they had mentioned Ai or Jericho (which were recent victorious battles by the Israelites) then it would have seemed very suspicious since news would not travel that fast in this ancient world. The Gibeonites claimed that their elders had instructed them to make a league with Israel and that they had taken bread hot from the oven on the day they left. It was now dry and moldy. Also, they said their bottles of wine were filled at the beginning of their journey, but were now worn and useless. This contributed to a very convincing story. 

 

Treaty between Israel and Gibeon:

 

(“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.” Joshua 9:14-15 KJV)

 

This is the verse I believe out of the whole chapter we can learn the most from. The people of Israel, seeing the false evidence the Gibeonites presented, made peace with the Gibeonites. However verse 14 shows where they really went wrong. Joshua and Israel trusted in their own judgement and did not seek God’s wisdom. This caused them to go against Moses’ commands in Deuteronomy 7. 

 

Deception Uncovered:

 

(“And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. 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. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.” Joshua 9:16-21 KJV)

 

The treaty seems to have been made the same day the Gibeonites met with Israel because the longer they stayed in Israel without making the treaty, the bigger chance they had of being discovered. The Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites were their neighbors and journeyed to the cities Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. Gibeon seemed to have been the metropolis, the other three cities seemed to be subject to Gibeon. Since they had sworn by the Word of the Lord not to smite the Gibeonites they didn't smite them. The Israelites had sworn under oath that they would not smite the Gibeonites. The Israelites could not break their oath even though the other party obtained it out of fraud. (This is why they could not break the oath; In Joshua 9:19 it states, “But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.” The verse shows that the Israelites “sworn unto them by the Lord”, according to Leviticus 19:12 KJV “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.”) However, just because the Gibeonite lives were spared does not mean that they were without punishment. The people of Israel demanded that they be Israel’s servants for their deception. 

 

 (“And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose." Joshua 9:22-27 KJV) 

 

Joshua called the ambassadors to come before him and asked why they deceived him. He didn't understand their motives as to why they would lie and say they didn't dwell near them. Joshua told them they would now be the servants of Israel as a punishment. ("Hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God": This only service they mention here, because it was their principal and most durable servitude. Being first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple, where they were called temple assistants. Whereas their servitude to the whole congregation would, in a great measure, cease when the Israelites were dispersed to their several habitations.)

 

The Battle at Gibeon:

 

(“Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.” Joshua 10:1-2 KJV)

 

Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard about Israel's conquest of Jerhico and Ai, he also heard about the league made between the Gibeonites and Israelites. The king and his people were very frightened because Gibeon was a great city and had very mighty men. (The King of Jerusalem could have also been frightened of more nations making treaties with the Israelites, although this is not likely since the king (like the Gibeonites) most likely knew that Israel did not accept treaties with those inside Canaan).

 

(“Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.” Joshua 10:3-5 KJV)

 

The King of Jerusalem summoned the other kings whose positions were threatened by Gibeon’s association with Israel, and asked them to “come up unto me” (he said this because the other nations seemed to be in the lowlands while Jerusalem was in the hills of Judea). The king does not plan on attacking Israel, but instead Gibeon as a form of punishment for making a league with Israel. 

 

Here are some more reasons that they wanted to wage war against Gibeon:

• They did not want the strength of Gibeon on Israel’s side
• They wanted to discourage other nations from making peace with the Israelites
• They may have wanted to seek revenge because of the Gibeonites treaty

 

(“And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.” Joshua 10:6-9 KJV)

 

The Gibeonites knew they could not defeat all five of the Amorite kings, so they sent out messengers to Joshua asking for Israel’s support in battle. Since they were Joshua’s servants, the people of Gibeon felt they were entitled to Israel’s protection. Joshua didn't seem to go to Gibeon out of love for the people, but instead to honor the agreement between the Israelites and the Gibeonites (it was also an opportunity to destroy five of the Israelites enemies at once). Joshua consulted the Lord, (probably because he had learned that it’s a bad idea not to consult the Lord because of what happened earlier) and the Lord told him to “fear not” because the Lord would deliver the five kings and the combined army into his hand. The Israelites' arrival must have surprised the Amorites in battle because they were not expecting the Israelites to come aid the Gibeonites in battle. This is hinted from the word “suddenly” in verse 9. 

 

(“And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” Joshua 10:10-11 KJV)

 

The Amorite army was terrified by the sudden and unexpected presence of Israel. They attacked and chased the Amorite army. There was a great loss of life for the Amorites that day. Those who were not killed at Gibeon fled to Beth-horon, Azekah, and Makkedah. (These lands would later be Judah)

 

Large hailstones started to rain down on the Amorites which caused massive amounts of Amorites to die. Infact, more Amorites died from the hailstones than from the sword of the Israelites according to verse 11 (“they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” Joshua 10:11b KJV)

 

(“Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:12-14 KJV)

 

Joshua prays to the Lord for the sun and moon to stand still until his victory over the Amorites is complete. We will come back to this part later for a detailed explanation of the long day. The “book of Jasher'' is believed to have been the book of wars stated in Numbers 21:14.

 

Joshua’s Long Day:

 

Many Scholars and critics of the Bible try to interpret what the “sun stood still” really meant. 

 

Some say it was a lunar or solar eclipse, but I don't believe it was at all and here is my reasoning. Lunar and Solar eclipses have been studied and people still see them on certain occasions. However, Joshua 10:14 KJV states, “And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.” This verse clearly shows that the sun standing still never happened before and was never to be repeated. Since we have Solar eclipses and Lunar eclipses to this day, it cannot be what was described in Joshua 10. (Many say this happened again in Hezekiah’s day, but the sun was tilted ten degrees backward on the dial of Ahaz, it is not certain whether those degrees were hours, half hours, or quarters of an hour.)

 

The best interpretation is that the sun actually stood still. This would allow Joshua’s forces, who gained the upper hand, to continue the battle and gain a complete victory. Those who say this would cause catastrophes around the world don't realize that if there is a God who can tell the sun to stand still in the sky, God can certainly hold back any catastrophes from happening. 

 

Israelites Victory Over The Amorites:

 

Death of the Five Kings:

 

(“And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah. And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them: And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand. And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities. And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave. And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.” Joshua 10:16-27 KJV)

 

The kings were not killed by hailstones or killed by the sword of the Israelites, it seems that God saved them for a more shameful end. The kings fled to a cave near Makkedah (it was not in Makkedah but in one of the hills near Makkedah since the city was not controlled by Israel, whereas the cave was). Their armies were dead, so they fled to a cave in the mountains. Joshua was told either by his own men or the inhabitants of the land that the five kings were in the cave near Makkedah. Joshua with this information commands his men to roll a stone over the mouth of the cave so that they will not escape until he had a convenient time to have the kings brought before him for their demise. Joshua then, after the cave is sealed, tells his men to not stay at the cave but instead pursue the enemy. The warriors were commanded not to let the enemy retreat to their cities for temporary protection. Joshua encourages his men by telling them that the Lord has delivered them into their hands. 

 

The rest of Joshua’s army continued to pursue the Amorites while it seems Joshua was encamped at Makkedah. Joshua’s army returned to the cave at Makkedah when they had destroyed the fleeing army. In verse 21 it seems that no one cursed the Israelites; the inhabitants were terrified of Israel and their God that they did not speak ill of them. Joshua orders his men to open the cave by rolling away the stones and bring out the five Amorite kings. The five kings were mentioned by name and brought before Joshua for judgement. Joshua orders his captains to place their feet upon the neck of the five kings.

 

“Feet upon the necks” This symbolized victory, superiority and promised assurance of future conquest.

 

In verse 25, Joshua once again encourages his men by stating that they need to have faith that God will put Israel’s enemy into Israel’s control.

 

Joshua then smote the Amorite kings, either by his own sword or of the swords of his men that he ordered to kill them. He then hanged the kings on trees to shame and disgrace them, this also was a warning to other nations that their God was the one true God. They were hanged on the trees until evening. Then Joshua ordered his men to take the kings off of the trees before the sun came down. He had to take them down before the day was over according to Deuteronomy 21:23 (“His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” Deuteronomy 21:23 KJV). After they had been taken down from the trees, Joshua’s men cast the king’s bodies into the cave they had hid in. What had been their hiding place was now their grave. Joshua’s men then rolled a stone over the mouth of the cave for a couple of reasons:

 

1. To prevent the carcasses from being dragged out, and eaten by wild animals.
2. To prevent them from being buried again in a more honorable manner.

 

The stone remained there “until this very day” meaning it was still there when Joshua grew old and wrote this book.

 

This was the final victory during the battle at Gibeon. However, in the rest of chapter 10 Joshua does lead a campaign into southern Canaan and conquers many strategic cities (Joshua 10:28-43). 

 

Saul Son Of Kish Breaks The Treaty Between The Gibeonites And Israelites:

 

It seems around 400-500 years have passed since the treaty between the Gibeonites had been signed (most resources state that 440-480 years have passed).

 

The events take place in 2 Samuel 21 and don't follow Chronologically from the chapters before and after this one.

 

(“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them. 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.  But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.” 2 Samuel 21:1-9 KJV)

 

God sent a famine over Israel during the reign of King David. David “enquired” or asked the Lord why He had sent a famine over the land, to which the Lord responded that the famine was sent because Saul had broken the treaty between the Israelites and Gibeonites recorded in Joshua 9. So David therefore asked the Gibeonites “What shall I do for you?” that they may “bless the inheritance of God”. Because Saul had broken the oath, this put all of Israel out of a favorable relationship with God. David is asking the Gibeonites what he must do to atone for the sin Saul committed so that they may be blessed again. Saul oppressed the Gibeonites and so they asked for David to hand seven of Saul’s sons over to them so that they may be hanged. 

King David did hand over seven of Saul’s sons (sparing Mephibosheth since David made a promise to be kind to Jonathan’s descendants in 1 Samuel 20). Some believe this was harsh for David to let seven of Saul’s sons die for a sin that they didn't commit, but there is actually two reasons that this wasn't a harsh act.

 

1. In the first verse of 2 Samuel 21 it states “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house” this could definitely mean that Saul wasn't the only one breaking the oath between the Israelites and Gibeonites but actually parts of his own family where breaking the oath as well.
2. The other logical reason was because of  corporate responsibilities for families. Meaning that the whole family was held accountable for all actions committed by just one person in the family.

 

The Gibeonites had the men hanged “before the Lord’ (these people were pagans and did not follow the law stated in Deuteronomy 21:22-23). It seems they waited for God’s approval which would be evident by rain therefore ending the famine. 

Conclusion:

 

The treaty between the Israelites and the Gibeonites, although obtained by fraud, was not meant to be broken according to the law. This brought Israel advantages as read in Joshua 10 during the battle of Gibeon, when they were able to destroy five Amorite nations in one battle, but also serious disadvantages like the famine in 2 Samuel 21. Miracles like the sun standing still and hail stones falling from the sky made it evident to even the Canaanite nations that God was in authority and favored the Israelites. 

 

Sources:

 

Gibeon (Ancient City).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2025,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibeon_(ancient_city).

"Joshua Chapter 9.” Bible-Studys.org, n.d.,
https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Joshua/Joshua%20Chapter%209.html.

"Judges Chronology.” Bible Insight, n.d.,
http://www.bibleinsight.com/judges-chronology.html.

Thomas, Lloyd. “Joshua to David.” Israel Timeline, n.d.,
http://www.lloydthomas.org/1-IsraelTimeLine/2-MosesManasseh/Joshua-David.htm.

 

Below is where Gibeon was in biblical times, today it is in modem day Al Jib