יהושע, פרק ט׳, פסוק כ״א

Dealing with the deceit of the Gibeonites presented the leaders of the Israelites with a complex challenge. They were bound by a sacred oath to spare their lives, yet they also needed to punish and humble them for their fraud. The leaders found a solution that balanced honoring their promise with imposing absolute subjugation. By publicly declaring that the Gibeonites would live, the leaders ensured the Israelites would not harm them, thereby keeping the oath intact [מצודת דוד]. However, they also made it clear that the Gibeonites would not be treated as equals. Instead, they were degraded to perform the lowest, poorest tasks, leaving them with no better means of making a living [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They were assigned the grueling labor of cutting and chopping wood [מצודת ציון] and drawing water.

This arrangement fulfilled two distinct obligations: the oath to spare their lives and the Torah commandment to impose servitude and tribute upon the inhabitants of the land. Because the original peace treaty was secured through fraud, it was entirely void, but the oath to keep them alive remained strictly in force [מלבי״ם]. The transition into this new reality was instantaneous. The moment the leaders issued their decree, the Gibeonites immediately assumed their new roles. They took this heavy burden upon themselves willingly, understanding it was the unavoidable price they had to pay for their deception [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

Initially, the Gibeonites performed these tasks for the entire community, but this arrangement was only temporary. While the Israelites were still gathered in their camps before dividing the land, the Gibeonites served everyone. Once the land was distributed and the people settled in their respective territories, the scope of their work shifted. From then on, their service was restricted exclusively to the House of God, moving with it to locations like Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon, and ultimately the Temple. Because of this dedicated role, Joshua decreed that the Gibeonites were forbidden to marry into the Israelite nation as long as the Temple stood. Centuries later, King David made this prohibition permanent, officially establishing them as a dedicated class of subjects assigned to assist the Levites in their duties [רד״ק].