And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.
The princes joined Joshua in this treaty, treating them as partners in government, not underlings. An oath by the God of Israel sealed it, but the whole mischief lay in haste: they examined the bread by taste and sight alone, never reasoning whether stale provisions proved a distant home. Sense without understanding made fools of them.
AI summary
Commenting on Joshua 9:15-21
The princes pressed hard to save Gibeonite lives because the oath bound them; they offered servitude as both punishment for fraud and profit to Israel. These men would cut wood and draw water for the sanctuary, work the congregation had owed themselves, which before fell to the Israelites.
AI summary
Hewers of wood and drawers of water - Perhaps this is a sort of proverbial expression, signifying the lowest state of servitude, though it may also be understood literally. See below.