A sudden encounter with a group of strangers immediately raised the suspicions of the Israelites. When approached with a request for a peace treaty, the nation responded with deep skepticism. They addressed these strangers with a completely unified voice, speaking together as though they were a single person [רד״ק, מנחת שי].
The strangers they addressed were the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon and its surrounding cities. There is a deeper meaning behind their name, as it relates to the Aramaic word for a snake. Just as the ancient serpent deceived Eve, the Gibeonites chose a path of cunning manipulation and deception [רד״ק]. The Israelites spontaneously doubted the story presented to them, suspecting that these men were not actually travelers from a distant country [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Instead, they reached the highly logical conclusion that these strangers were actually local Canaanites living right in their midst [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. This fear naturally led to their refusal to make a treaty, as the Torah explicitly forbids forming alliances of peace and equality with the local nations of the land [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].
The entire deception was born out of the Gibeonites' lack of trust in the Israelites. Before entering the land, Joshua had sent three letters to the inhabitants of Canaan, giving them the choice to make peace, wage war, or leave the region entirely. While some nations chose to relocate to Africa, the Gibeonites feared that Joshua would not honor a promise of peace, especially after they witnessed the total destruction of Jericho and Ai. Consequently, they decided to disguise themselves as foreigners [רד״ק].
According to strict law, local nations that agreed to make peace, abandon idol worship, and accept the seven Noahide commandments were permitted to remain in the land under Israelite rule and taxation. However, because the Gibeonites secured their treaty through outright fraud, they technically deserved to be put to death once their true identity was exposed. The only thing that saved their lives was the solemn oath sworn by the Israelite leaders.
The exact reason why this oath protected them is a matter of discussion. Some maintain that a public vow or oath simply cannot be broken under any circumstances. Others argue that an oath obtained under false pretenses holds no legal weight at all. According to this view, the Gibeonites were spared purely to sanctify the name of God. By keeping them alive, the Israelites showed the surrounding nations how strictly they revered an oath made in God's name, refusing to violate it even when they were the victims of a calculated trick [רד״ק].