The Battle of Gibeon.

THE BATTLE OF GIBEON

After the initial Israelite penetration into the Land of Canaan, the next pericope deals with the Gibeonite ruse and the resultant battle with the ruler of Jerusalem and his allies. The narrative (Josh 9:3–10:15) recounts how Joshua and the Israelites were deceived into making a solemn oath of peace with the Hivite population at the center of the plateau north of Jerusalem. The Hivites had disguised themselves as travelers from afar and came seeking Israel’s protection. As punishment for this successful ruse, the Gibeonites were reportedly forced to become “wood-cutters and water-carriers” for the Israelites, who, for their part, felt contractually obliged to rescue Gibeon from a retaliatory attack by their erstwhile overlord, the ruler of Jerusalem. In the ensuing battle, Joshua's warriors drove the Canaanites from Gibeon into the descent of Beth-horon while God “hurled huge hailstones from heaven” (cf. Isa 28:21) on them as the sun and moon stood still in their courses. This famous story is probably based on an etiological tradition explaining the subservient relationship of the Hivites of Gibeon to the Israelites.

Article abstract from The Sacred Bridge