Joshua 9:17

"At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them."

Key Reflection

This passage highlights the sudden realization of the Israelites upon discovering the deceptively friendly nations were actually living among them. It symbolizes how spiritual truths or people we thought distant can unexpectedly become very close, challenging our initial perceptions and requiring us to reassess our relationships and obligations.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Chephirah (Kefir) is situated eight or nine miles west of Gibeon, and was an inhabited city in the days of Ezra and NehemiahEzra 2:25;Nehemiah 7:29. Beeroth (Birch), about eight miles north of Jerusalem. Kirjath-jearim, i. e. “city of woods,” is identified by Robinson with the modern Kuriet el Enab, nine miles from Jerusalem on the road to Jaffa (and by Conder with Soba). The town was numbered among those belonging to Judah, and was in the northern boundary of that tribe. Beyond this city the six hundred Danites encamped on their famous expedition to LaishJudges 18:12.

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