Lives of Scripture

A Canaanite city whose people tricked Joshua into a treaty by disguising themselves as distant travelers (Joshua 9), which Israel honored even after discovering the deception — later defending Gibeon from an Amorite coalition in the battle where the sun stood still (Joshua 10:1-14). A deadly contest between Abner's and Joab's men at Gibeon's pool helped ignite civil war between the houses of Saul and David (2 Samuel 2:12-17), and it was at Gibeon's high place that Solomon offered sacrifices and God appeared to him in a dream, granting his request for wisdom (1 Kings 3:4-15).

The Gibeonites

The Gibeonites were Hivites (Joshua 9:7; 11:19), the people of Gibeon and three nearby towns, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim (Joshua 9:17). After their deception was uncovered, Joshua kept the oath Israel had sworn, but made them cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD (Joshua 9:16-27). Of all the cities of Canaan, Gibeon alone made peace with Israel (Joshua 11:19).

Generations later, King Saul broke that oath and tried to wipe the Gibeonites out. In David's day God sent three years of famine because of it. At the Gibeonites' request, seven of Saul's descendants were handed over and put to death, and Saul's concubine Rizpah guarded their bodies until David gave them burial; only then did God answer prayer for the land (2 Samuel 21:1-14). The account shows how seriously Scripture treats an oath made in the LORD's name, even one obtained by a trick.

Gibeonites later served Israel loyally. A Gibeonite was among the warriors who joined David at Ziklag and was counted with his thirty mighty men (1 Chronicles 12:1-4), and men of Gibeon helped repair Jerusalem's wall under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:7). Many interpreters connect the Gibeonites with the temple servants listed after the exile (Ezra 2:43-58), but the text does not say so directly.