Text: Joshua 9:6
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 20:15
Subject: Gibeonite treaty request
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: The Gibeonites' request in Joshua 9:6 -- "We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty (בְּרִית, berit) with us" -- directly targets the Deuteronomy 20:15 provision allowing peace treaties with distant cities. Their language is crafted to invoke the legal category of the "far away" (רְחֹקוֹת, rechoqot) city that may receive mercy, in contrast to the nearby Canaanite nations that must be destroyed (Deut 20:16-17). The Gibeonites' shrewd appeal demonstrates their knowledge of Israel's Torah-based warfare policies and their understanding that survival depended on being classified under the distant-city provision rather than the local-city חֵרֶם (cherem) mandate.