SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:27
Y Josué los constituyó aquel día por leñadores y aguadores para la congregación y para el altar del SEÑOR, en el lugar que él escogiese; lo que son hasta hoy.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 27. And Joshua made them that day , etc.] Constituted and appointed them, ordered and settled them, in the post and office after mentioned; or “gave” them f154 ; hence some think they had the name Nethinim, persons given to the Levites for the service of the sanctuary: namely, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord ; some think they were employed both for the service of the congregation, when they wanted wood and water, and for the altar, and what belonged to it, that needed both. Abarbinel supposes that they served the congregation while they were engaged in war, and subduing the land, but after the division of the land they only served the sanctuary; (see Gill on “ Joshua 9:21”); even unto this day in the place which he should choose ; to have the tabernacle pitched, and the altar set up therein, as it was in various places, before the temple built by Solomon at Jerusalem, which was the place the Lord chose; and this shows that the writer of this book lived before the building of the temple, or otherwise it, is highly probable he would have expressly mentioned it; whereas he uses only the phrase that Moses frequently expressed it by in his time; (see Deuteronomy 12:5,11,14,18,21 16:2,6,7,11,15,16).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 22-27 - The Gibeonites do not justify their lie, but plead that they did it to save their lives. And the fear was not merely of the power of man; on might flee from that to the Divine protection; but of the power of God himself, which they saw engaged against them. Joshua sentences them to perpetual bondage. They must be servants, but any work become honourable, when it is done for the house of the Lord, and the office thereof. Let us, in like manner, submit to our Lord Jesus, saying, We are in thy hand, do unto us as seemeth good and right unto thee, onl save our souls; and we shall not repent it. If He appoints us to bea his cross, and serve him, that shall be neither shame nor grief to us while the meanest office in God's service will entitle us to a dwellin in the house of the Lord all the days of our life. And in coming to the Saviour, we do not proceed upon a peradventure. We are invited to dra nigh, and are assured that him that cometh to Him, he will in nowis cast out. Even those things which sound harsh, and are humbling, an form sharp trials of our sincerity, will prove of real advantage __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויתנם 5414 יהושׁע 3091 ביום 3117 ההוא 1931 חטבי 2404 עצים 6086 ושׁאבי 7579 מים 4325 לעדה 5712 ולמזבח 4196 יהוה 3068 עד 5704 היום 3117 הזה 2088 אל 413 המקום 4725 אשׁר 834 יבחר׃ 977
