Gibeonites are mentioned several times in the Bible. But what do they actually represent? And what is the spiritual meaning of gibeonites? Learn about the significance of gibeonites: why God directed Gideon to deal with this group of giants, and how their worship would ultimately play a role in both Old and New Testament times. Gibeon was pre-Israelite — a seemingly invincible city. It’s inhabitants were formidable giants. God directs Gideon to attack them and he does as told, killing all but one man who submit peacefully to him. God gives that man a message for the inhabitants of another city. There are several times later in Scripture where gibeonites are mentioned.
The Gibeonites, get it? Because they live on the mountain? Ugh. Yeah, so the Gibeonites were a bunch of guys who climbed a mountain and then later got highjacked by a band of other guys who wanted to live on their mountain. This story is crazy if you really think about it.
There are many ways to interpret the story of the Gibeonites, and each interpretation holds deeper meaning.
The first important thing to note is that Scripture tells us that they were “Hivites,” not “Hittites.” This is a significant difference because it means that they were not part of the Canaanite people who were under God’s judgment for their sinfulness. Instead, they were part of a different group of people who lived in the land with them. The Gibeonites had made an alliance with Israel prior to this event and had helped them during times of war (Joshua 9:3). Because of this, Joshua made a covenant with them in which he promised them protection from other nations who might try to take over their land (Joshua 9:15).
It is also important to note that God chose these men as ambassadors for the whole nation of Israel, not just themselves personally. In fact, he even gave them some special gifts so they could fulfill their duties well—sacrifices and peace offerings (Joshua 9:11-13).
In summary, we see here that God protects those who are faithful to him even when they aren’t perfect or when others don’t always agree with him or his ways.
The Gibeonites were a people who lived in the mountains of Canaan. They are mentioned in the Bible as being descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham. In the Book of Joshua, they were conquered and forced to become Israelite slaves.
The Gibeonites were mentioned in Joshua 9:3 as “a remnant of giants” and therefore an enemy of Israel. However, through their cunning and deception, they managed to avoid being wiped out by Joshua’s forces by convincing him that they were not enemies but rather subjects of a nearby king named Jabin (their former master). This made them immune from attack under the law of nations at the time which stated that it was illegal for one nation to wage war against another which had submitted itself voluntarily as a slave or vassal state.
This incident led to God’s judgement against Israel when He sent two spies to determine whether or not this was true; if so, then He would punish them for breaking His commandment against making war on fellow Israelites (Deut. 7:2-3).
spiritual meaning of gibeonites
The Gibeonites were a group of people, descended from the Amorites (2 Samuel 21:2). They are described in Joshua 9 as people who deceived the Israelites in order to protect themselves. After the Israelites had defeated the cities of Jericho (Joshua 6—7) and Ai (Joshua 8), many of the nearby Canaanites united to form a large army to fight Israel (Joshua 9:1–2).
The Gibeonites, however, took a different approach: “They resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us’” (Joshua 9:4–6).
The Israelites did not consult with God before agreeing to the treaty and fell for the Gibeonites’ scheme. The Israelites soon discovered they had been tricked and discussed how to respond. The leaders of Israel decided, “‘We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.’ They continued, ‘Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.’ So the leaders’ promise to them was kept” (Joshua 9:19–21).
The end of this account notes, “That day [Joshua] made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.” (Joshua 9:27). In other words, the Gibeonites survived, yet they served as slaves to the Israelites for generations to come. The land of Gibeon would later be allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 21:17).
King Saul later broke the treaty that Joshua had signed and attacked the Gibeonites. Later still, during the time of King David, a famine occurred in Israel. When David asked the Lord about the famine, God said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death” (2 Samuel 21:1). To appease the Gibeonites and put an end to the famine, seven descendants of Saul were given to them to be put to death (2 Samuel 21:6). God healed Israel’s land after that (2 Samuel 21:14).
Though the Gibeonites were enemies of the Israelites, they teach us some important lessons today. The Gibeonites’ deception was effective because Joshua and his people did not first consult God for wisdom. Thus, Joshua 9 reveals the need for believers in Christ to pray concerning all major decisions and to seek His will before moving forward. Also, the fact that the Lord held the Israelites to their covenant with the Gibeonites shows that God requires faithfulness of His people. Breaking a covenant is a serious thing. Finally, the eventual incorporation of the Gibeonites into Israel shows the mercy and grace of God to all people.
significance of gibeonites
The Gibeonites were a group of people who lived in the mountains surrounding Israel. They were mostly farmers, but they also made some money by selling wood to the Israelites.
When the Israelites first came to Canaan, they had a lot of trouble with the Gibeonites—one year, they even had to move their camp because there was a famine and they couldn’t get enough food. It was during this time that God told them not to kill any Gibeonite men or women, and he promised them that if they obeyed this commandment, he would give them victory over their enemies (Joshua 9:6-27).
As a result of this promise, the Gibeonites became allies with the Israelites—they helped them fight against other groups in Canaan (Judges 3:4-6), and in return for their help, King Saul gave them land on which to live (1 Samuel 21:2).