Joshua confronts the Gibeonites with their deception by forcing them to verbally acknowledge the contradiction between their false claim of distant origin and the discovered reality of their proximity. The interrogative form places the burden of explanation on the deceivers rather than simply announcing judgment.

The Gibeonites acknowledged their deception openly, confessing ‘Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing’ (Joshua 9:24, ESV). They submitted themselves entirely to Joshua’s judgment, saying ‘we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it’ (Joshua 9:25).

Joshua’s question exposes the logical impossibility of the Gibeonites’ claims by juxtaposing their sworn statement with observed reality. The Hebrew construction emphasizes the temporal immediacy, ‘when you dwell’ uses the active participle, highlighting that even as they spoke their lie, they were residing nearby. By asking ‘why’ rather than simply pronouncing sentence, Joshua invites explanation and creates space for the relationship to continue under altered terms. The question format also serves Israel’s leadership by publicly establishing the facts before the congregation, demonstrating that the covenant oath was obtained through fraud. This confrontation carries theological weight because it forces Israel to reconcile God’s command to destroy the Canaanites with the binding nature of an oath sworn in Yahweh’s name, ultimately leading to the creative solution of perpetual servitude rather than annihilation.