John Calvin Commentary Joshua 9:1

"And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;" — Joshua 9:1 (ASV)

And it came to pass when all the kings, etc. Since the arrival of the people was well known to these kings from the very first, it is certain that their minds were intoxicated from above with security or lethargy, so that they did not immediately league together to oppose them. It implied excessive stupor not to provide for themselves until they were violently roused to action by the overthrow of two cities. For as the war concerned them all, it was a kind of voluntary surrender to send no aid to their neighbors, indeed, even to have no army ready that could have mounted a strong defense. But in this way God spared the weakness of His people, to whom the combined forces of so many nations would have caused no small fear.

It is certain, then, that by the sluggishness and inactivity of their enemies, the Israelites were able to advance more quickly. For an interval was, meanwhile, given them to compose themselves, and thus those who might have been alarmed by the mere name of their enemies could prepare at leisure to face them. In the same way, although the reprobate desire by every possible means to destroy the Church, God, to take away their power of harming her, scatters and confounds their plans, indeed, even destroys their spirit.

On the other hand, these nations display their frantic audacity. Instead of being overcome by a clear miracle, they continue to rage like wild beasts against the unassailable power of God. A report of the taking of Jericho had reached them. Was it overthrown by human strategy, or actions, or prowess, or human devices? No, the walls had fallen of their own accord. With what confidence then can they league together to take up arms against heaven?