9:9a

Your servants have come from a very distant land: The Gibeonites lied to Joshua so that they could make a treaty with the Israelites. The phrase from a very distant land is placed at the beginning of the sentence in the Hebrew text to emphasize it. If a location phrase at the beginning of the sentence is not natural, you should use some other means in your language to show this emphasis.

they replied: In some languages it may be more natural to translate the word replied as “answered.”

9:9b

because of the fame of the LORD your God: The phrase the fame of the LORD your God refers to the reputation, or name, that Yahweh had because of the miracles he did for the Israelites. He made it possible for them to leave Egypt and then to defeat the kings of the Amorites.

9:9c

For we have heard the reports about Him: The clause we have heard the reports about Him indicates that the news about Yahweh had spread among the people in the surrounding area.

all that He did in Egypt: The clause all that He did in Egypt indicates that the Gibeonites heard about the miracles Yahweh did when he helped the Israelites escape from Egypt. These events are described in Exodus chapters 5–14.

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