The Gibeonites were a group of people descended from the Hivites, who lived in the land of Canaan during the time of Joshua. They are most notably recognized for their cunning approach to securing a peace treaty with the Israelites, as recorded in the Book of Joshua. Fearing the advancing Israelite forces, the Gibeonites resorted to deception, pretending to be travelers from a distant land to make a covenant with Israel (Joshua 9:3-15). Despite the deceit, the leaders of Israel, bound by their oath before God, honored the treaty, sparing the Gibeonites from destruction but subjecting them to servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the LORD (Joshua 9:21-27).

The narrative of the Gibeonites takes a significant turn during the reign of King Saul. Although the initial covenant with the Gibeonites was made during Joshua's leadership, Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, sought to annihilate them, violating the sacred oath made by the Israelites. This act of aggression against the Gibeonites is not detailed extensively in the biblical text, but its consequences are profound and are later addressed during the reign of King David.

The breach of the covenant by Saul resulted in a divine retribution upon Israel in the form of a famine during David's reign. The famine lasted for three years, prompting David to seek the LORD's guidance. The LORD revealed that the famine was a consequence of Saul's bloodshed against the Gibeonites, highlighting the seriousness with which God regarded the covenant made in His name (2 Samuel 21:1).

In response to this revelation, David sought to make amends with the Gibeonites to lift the curse from the land. The Gibeonites requested the execution of seven of Saul's male descendants as retribution for the wrongs committed against them. David complied with their request, sparing only Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, due to his own covenant with Jonathan (2 Samuel 21:2-9). This act of justice appeased the Gibeonites and subsequently, God answered the prayers for the land, ending the famine (2 Samuel 21:14).

The account of the Gibeonites and Saul's attempt to destroy them underscores the importance of faithfulness to covenants and the severe consequences of breaking oaths made before God. It serves as a reminder of the sanctity of promises and the divine expectation for justice and righteousness in dealings with others.2 Samuel 21:2
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said to them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Sixth Commandment
... he would not bow to him, and presently sought revenge, by ... the princes of Israel had
sworn to the Gibeonites that they ... smitten him if he had cut off Saul's head ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 6 the sixth commandment.htm

Divine Support and Protection
... with us, but no longer: as the Gibeonites were in ... While Saul persecuted the Church
the world smiled upon ... before had employed and caressed him, sought his life. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xlv divine support and.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... of Canaan: the judges"The Philistines and the Hebrew kingdom"Saul, David, Solomon ...
became insufficient to support their numbers, and they sought to exchange ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Historical Books.
... law was written, the artifice of the Gibeonites by which ... the voice of a man." Some
have sought to explain ... of Samuel give the history of Samuel, Saul, and David ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xx the historical books.htm

His Name --The Counsellor
... the Lord, and they found out that the Gibeonites had deceived ... Saul, the son of Kish,
died before the Lord upon ... he asked not counsel of God, but sought unto the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/his namethe counsellor.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... Thoughtful men sought as their one supreme necessity an adequate and ... for the breach
of faith by Saul, many years before, with the Gibeonites, whom he had ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

The Barren Fig-Tree;
... and dissembling, and at this gap the Gibeonites got in ... after this provocation; then,
after he had sought and found ... Thus he cut down Saul, when he gave him up ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the barren fig-tree.htm

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian ...
... and that a true Christian life is sought and judged ... Thy day of judgment come and
destroy the Devil's ... in ignorance and error, to the Gibeonites, their enemies. ...
/.../iii twenty-seven articles respecting the.htm

Letter cviii. To Eustochium.
... 2770] where also he condemned the Gibeonites (who by a ... Esau; so David met the
unrelenting persecution of Saul. ... all of which considerations he sought to prove ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cviii to eustochium.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... But God will destroy both them and it.". 7. I have quoted these few passages of
Scripture to show that we are at one with the philosophers. ... [4790] Saul, as it ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Who were the Nethinim? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Mephibosheth? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of Gibeah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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