Joshua 9:10 describes the reputation that Israel’s victories had built across the region. The Gibeonites, a people living near Israel, tell Joshua that they have heard about what God did to two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, and that this news brought them to seek a treaty. The words are spoken by the Gibeonite envoys, who are trying to convince Joshua and the leaders of Israel that they have come from a distant land.
And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
Joshua 9:10 (WEB)
What Joshua 9:10 Means
The verse begins with “and all that he did,” which points to a whole pattern of action rather than one event. The envoys are summarizing a series of acts by God that they have heard reported. The kings named, Sihon of Heshbon and Og of Bashan, ruled territories on the eastern side of the Jordan, and their defeat was well known to the surrounding nations. The verse is a short account of rumor carried from one people to another.
The phrase “who was beyond the Jordan” locates these kings on the far side of the river from where Israel was camped, which makes the Gibeonites’ claim about hearing the news from a great distance sound plausible. Notice that the verse does not promise anything to the reader. It reports what the Gibeonites say they know, and their purpose in saying it is to win a covenant. Scripture here records their words without endorsing their motives.
The Context of Joshua 9:10
The book of Joshua tells the story of Israel entering and taking the land of Canaan after the wilderness years, and it is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, with later editing that many scholars recognize. The original audience was an Israelite community that had just seen Jericho fall and Ai overcome, and who needed to understand how God was keeping his word to them. Chapter 9 turns to a people who live close by and who choose a different approach than open war.
The verses just before this one describe the Gibeonites deciding to trick Israel by pretending to be travelers from far away. Verse 10 forms the center of their deception, because the news they claim to have heard is true, and it is exactly that truth that makes them afraid. Read in this setting, the verse shows how God’s reputation spreads even among those who oppose his people, and how that fame can drive people to seek peace by stealth.
Key Phrases in Joshua 9:10
Joshua 2:10-11
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
(WEB)
Rahab speaks in these verses about hearing of the drying of the Red Sea and the defeat of the kings east of the Jordan, the same events the Gibeonites mention. Reading her words beside Joshua 9:10 shows that the news of God’s deeds moved through several peoples and produced different responses, some of faith and some of fear.
Deuteronomy 2:31
The LORD said to me, “Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you. Begin to possess, that you may inherit his land.”
(WEB)
In this verse God speaks to Moses about giving the land to Israel and beginning to possess it, which sets the larger promise behind the victories that the Gibeonites describe. Connecting it to Joshua 9:10 reminds the reader that the reports of Israel’s success rested on God’s earlier word and purpose for the land.
A Short Prayer From Joshua 9:10
Lord, you have made your deeds known among the nations, and people far away have heard of your faithfulness. Teach me to receive the stories of your work in others with humility and not with fear or cleverness. When I hear of what you are doing, let it draw me closer to you and make me honest before you and before the people around me. Guard my heart from trying to protect myself by disguise, and help me trust your word to keep your promises. Amen.
