Albert Barnes Commentary Joshua 9

In the hills - See the Numbers 13:17 note.

The valleys - Or “the vale” (the Shephelah, Deuteronomy 1:7), which refers to the lowland country between the mountains and the sea coast.

Gibeon was the head of the four towns (Joshua 9:17) occupied by the Hivites (Joshua 11:19). The inhabitants were Amorites (2 Samuel 21:2); the name “Amorites” being used as a general name for the Canaanite population (Deuteronomy 1:44 note). The Hivites seem to have had a non-monarchical form of government (compare Joshua 9:3, Joshua 9:11), but their city was (Joshua 10:2) in size and importance equal to those cities which the kings of the country made their capitals.

Gibeon signifies “pertaining to a hill,” that is, built on a hill (compare Gibeah and Geba, towns in the same neighborhood), and describes the site, which is on two of the rounded hills unique to this district. It is still known as El-Jib, and lies about five miles north of Jerusalem by the most direct route. It stands at the head of the pass of Beth-horon, through which lies the main route from Jerusalem and the lower Jordan valley to Joppa and the sea coast.

Thus from its position, no less than from the number and valor of its people (Joshua 10:2), it was one of the most important cities of southern Canaan. Gibeon fell within the lot of Benjamin (Joshua 18:25), and was one of the cities assigned to the priests (Joshua 21:17).

In later times it was famous as the scene of various events (2 Samuel 2:12–17; 2 Samuel 20:4–13; 1 Kings 2:28–29, compare with 1 Chronicles 16:39). It was for a long time the spot where the tabernacle of Moses, together with the brass altar of burnt offering (1 Chronicles 21:29) and other portions of the sacred furniture, were placed. It was the scene of the magnificent ceremonial with which Solomon inaugurated his reign (1 Kings 3:0), but no doubt lost much of its importance after the tabernacle and its accompaniments were removed to the temple of Solomon.

They did work wilily - literally, “they also,” or “they too, did work, and so on.” The “also” serves, apparently, to connect the stratagem of the Gibeonites with that employed by the Israelites before Ai. It hints that the Gibeonites resolved to meet craft with craft.

Rent and bound up - that is, the wine skins were torn and roughly repaired by tying up the edges of the tear. The more thorough and careful way, hardly feasible in a hasty journey, would have been to insert a patch.

Camp at Gilgal - While Joshua was engaged in more distant enterprises, the women, children, and property of the Israelites were left with a sufficient guard at this place, where they had been established immediately after crossing the Jordan (Joshua 5:9).

Compare the marginal references.