Joshua 9:2

That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:1,2 Hitherto the Canaanites had defended themselves, but here they consult to attack Israel. Their minds were blinded, and their hearts hardened to their destruction. Though often at enmity with each other, yet they united against Israel. Oh that Israel would learn of Canaanites, to sacrifice private interests to the public welfare, and to lay aside all quarrels among themselves, that they may unite against the enemies of God's kingdom!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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

The valleys - Or "the vale" (the Shephelah, Deuteronomy 1:7), which imports the lowland country between the mountains and the sea coast.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord—Although divided by separate interests and often at war with each other, a sense of common danger prompted them to suspend their mutual animosities, that by their united forces they might prevent the land from falling into the hands of foreign masters.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

They gathered themselves together; not actually, as the following history shows; but they entered into a league or confederation to do this.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

That they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua,

and with Israel,.... Not at this time, but they met together to consult what was proper to be done in order to secure themselves, and their people, and put a stop to the successes of the arms of Israel; and for this purpose entered into alliances with each other to assist one another, or at a convenient time and place to join their forces together, and attack Israel, as afterwards they did, Joshua 11:1; and this they did

with one accord; were unanimous in their councils and resolutions; they all confederated together, and agreed as one man to make a common cause of it, and oppose Israel with their united forces.

Geneva Study Bible

That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - With one accord. One mouth, according to the Hebrew, referring not merely to their opinions, but to the expression of them. "O that Israel would learn this of Canaanites, to sacrifice private interests to the public welfare, and to lay aside all animosities among themselves, that they may cordially unite against the common enemies of God's kingdom" (Matthew Henry). Joshua 9:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Joshua 9:1, Joshua 9:2 form the introduction to chs. 9-11, and correspond to the introduction in Joshua 5:1. The news of the miraculous passage of the Israelites through the Jordan had thrown all the kings of Canaan into such despair, that they did not venture to make any attack upon Israel. But they gradually recovered from their first panic, partly, no doubt, in consequence of the failure of the first attack of the Israelites upon Ai, and resolved to join together in making war upon the foreign invaders. The kings of Canaan did this when they heard, sc., what Israel had hitherto undertaken and accomplished, not merely "what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai" (Knobel): that is to say, all the kings across the Jordan, i.e., in the country to the west of the Jordan (היּרדּן עבר, as in Joshua 5:1), viz., "upon the mountains" (not only the mountains of Judah, as in Joshua 10:40; Joshua 11:16, etc., but all the mountains which run throughout the whole length of Canaan, as in Deuteronomy 1:7 and Numbers 13:17 : see the explanation of the latter passage); "in the lowlands" (shephelah, the low-lying country between the mountains and the sea-coast, which is simply intersected by small ranges of hills; see at Deuteronomy 1:7); "and on all the coast of the Great Sea towards Lebanon," i.e., the narrow coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Joppa up to the Ladder of Tyre (see at Deuteronomy 1:7). The different tribes of the Canaanites are also mentioned by name, as in Joshua 3:10, except that the Girgashites are omitted. These gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one mouth, or with one accord (1 Kings 22:13).