The Meaning of Joshua 9:1 Explained

Joshua 9:1

KJV: And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

YLT: And it cometh to pass, when all the kings who are beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the low-country, and in every haven of the great sea, over-against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, hear --

Darby: And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and along all the coast of the great sea as far as opposite to Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it,

ASV: And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass, when all the kings  which [were] on this side  Jordan,  in the hills,  and in the valleys,  and in all the coasts  of the great  sea  over against  Lebanon,  the Hittite,  and the Amorite,  the Canaanite,  the Perizzite,  the Hivite,  and the Jebusite,  heard  [thereof]; 

What does Joshua 9:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Joshua 9:1-15 - Deceived By The Gibeonites
The presence of common peril forced the nations of Canaan to combine for self-preservation. Would that the various sections of the visible Church might see their way to a similar policy in view of the evil in the world!
Gibeon lay five miles north of Jerusalem. The name means "built on a hill." The Church has suffered more from the wiles of the devil than from his attacks. The deceitfulness of sin is most to be dreaded. Better to meet Caiaphas than Judas, and a black devil than a white one.
How often we act without asking the counsel of God! Yet when once an oath is taken which does not absolutely conflict with morality, God holds us to it, 2 Samuel 21:1. By this impressive instance we are taught to wait on God before making our decisions, which are apt to become irrevocable, Psalms 127:2. [source]

Chapter Summary: Joshua 9

1  The kings combine against Israel
3  The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league
22  They are condemned to perpetual bondage

What do the individual words in Joshua 9:1 mean?

And it came to pass when heard [about it] all the kings who [were] on this side of the Jordan in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Sea Great over toward Lebanon the Hittite and the Amorite the Canaanite the Perizzite the Hivite and the Jebusite
וַיְהִ֣י כִשְׁמֹ֣עַ כָּֽל־ הַמְּלָכִ֡ים אֲשֶׁר֩ בְּעֵ֨בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֜ן בָּהָ֣ר וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֗ה וּבְכֹל֙ ח֚וֹף הַיָּ֣ם הַגָּד֔וֹל אֶל־ מ֖וּל הַלְּבָנ֑וֹן הַֽחִתִּי֙ וְהָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ הַפְּרִזִּ֔י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי

וַיְהִ֣י  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כִשְׁמֹ֣עַ  when  heard  [about  it] 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
הַמְּלָכִ֡ים  the  kings 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֲשֶׁר֩  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּעֵ֨בֶר  on  this  side 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵבֶר  
Sense: region beyond or across, side.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֜ן  of  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
בָּהָ֣ר  in  the  hills 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
וּבַשְּׁפֵלָ֗ה  and  in  the  lowland 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁפֵלָה  
Sense: lowland, valley.
וּבְכֹל֙  and  in  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
ח֚וֹף  the  coasts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֹוף  
Sense: seashore, coast, shore.
הַיָּ֣ם  of  the  Sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
הַגָּד֔וֹל  Great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
אֶל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
מ֖וּל  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: לְמֹואל 
Sense: front.
הַלְּבָנ֑וֹן  Lebanon 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְבָנׄון  
Sense: a wooded mountain range on the northern border of Israel.
הַֽחִתִּי֙  the  Hittite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִתִּי  
Sense: the nation descended from Heth, the 2nd son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon.
וְהָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י  and  the  Amorite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱמֹרִי  
Sense: one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt.
הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙  the  Canaanite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּנְעָן 
Sense: descendant of inhabitant of Canaan n.
הַפְּרִזִּ֔י  the  Perizzite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פְּרִזִּי  
Sense: a people who inhabited southern Canaan prior to the conquest.
הַחִוִּ֖י  the  Hivite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִוִּי  
Sense: 6th generation of descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who were living in northern Canaan near Mount Hermon at the time of the conquest.
וְהַיְבוּסִֽי  and  the  Jebusite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְבוּסִי  
Sense: descendants of the 3rd son of Canaan who lived in or around the site of Jebus, the early name for Jerusalem.