Jos 9:22-23 | KD | STEP | Joshua then summoned the Gibeonites, charged them with their deceit, and pronounced upon them the curse of eternal servitude: “ There shall not be cut off from you a servant ,” i.e., ye shall never cease to be servants, ye shall remain servants for ever (vid., ; 1Ki 2:4), “ and that as hewers of wood and drawers of waters for our God’s house .” This is a fuller definition of the expression “for all the congregation” in Jos 9:21. The Gibeonites were to perform for the congregation the slaves’ labour of hewing wood and drawing water for the worship of the sanctuary-a duty which was performed, according to , by the lowest classes of people. In this way the curse of Noah upon Canaan ( ) was literally fulfilled upon the Hivites of the Gibeonitish republic.

‏ Joshua 9:22-23

Joshua then summoned the Gibeonites, charged them with their deceit, and pronounced upon them the curse of eternal servitude: “There shall not be cut off from you a servant,” i.e., ye shall never cease to be servants, ye shall remain servants for ever (vid., 2Sa 3:29; 1Ki 2:4), “and that as hewers of wood and drawers of waters for our God’s house.” This is a fuller definition of the expression “for all the congregation” in Jos 9:21. The Gibeonites were to perform for the congregation the slaves’ labour of hewing wood and drawing water for the worship of the sanctuary-a duty which was performed, according to Deu 29:10, by the lowest classes of people. In this way the curse of Noah upon Canaan (Gen 9:25) was literally fulfilled upon the Hivites of the Gibeonitish republic.