## Rashi on Joshua Chapter 9

###### Rashi on Joshua 9:4:1
[Rashi on Joshua 9:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:4:1)

**וַיַּעֲשׂוּ גַּם הֵמָּה בְּעָרְמָה** כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב בְּעָרְמָה (בראשית לד) וּבַחֲמוֹר אֲבִי שְׁכֶם שֶׁהָיָה חִוִּי, וְיוֹשְׁבֵי גִּבְעוֹן מִן הַחִוִּי הָיוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמוּר בָּעִנְיָן.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**And they too¹ proceded with deception** just as the sons of Yaakov dealt with trickery with Chamor, the father of Shechem, who was a Chivite.² The people of Givon were descendents of the Chivites, as it is said in this context.

footnotes:
¹ Our verse indicates that others had also practiced deception but does not tell us who it was. Rashi proceeds to tell us who else had deceived them.
² The Givonim were a branch of Chivites, who were related Shechem who had raped Dinah the daughter of Yaakov. They remembered how their relatives were tricked by the sons of Yaakov and were subsequently killed by the two son of Yaakov. Thus the Gevonim felt justified in perpetrating their deception. (See Bereishis 34:1-26).


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:4:2
[Rashi on Joshua 9:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:4:2)

**וַיִּצְטַיָּרוּ** עָשׂוּ עַצְמָם כְּהוֹלְכִים בִּשְׁלִיחוּת, לְשׁוֹן (ירמיהו מט יד): וְצִיר בַּגּוֹיִם שֻׁלַּח, וְכָל תֵּיבָה שֶׁתְּחִלַּת יְסוֹדָהּ צָדִ"י, כְּשֶׁהִיא מִתְפַּעֶלֶת ל' מִתְפַּעֵל, אוֹ נִתְפַּעֵל, בָּאָה טֵי"ת בְּתוֹכָהּ וְחוֹלֶקֶת אֶת אוֹתִיוֹת שָׁרְשֵׁי הַתֵּיבָה, כְּמוֹ (בראשית מד טז): מַה נִּצְטַדָּק, מִגִּזְרַת צֶדֶק, שֶׁאוֹמֵר נִּצְטַדַּק, וְכֵן (דניאל ד ל): גִּשְׁמֵהּ יִצְטַבַּע, מִגִּזְרַת צֶבַע.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**They presented themselves as envoys.** They made themselves look like messengers. The word יִצְטַיָרוּ messenger, is from, צִיר “וְצִיר בַּגוֹיִם שְׁלַח” (Ovadiah 1:1) [and a messenger was sent among the nations.] Every word whose root begins with a “צ” (צַדִי ), when used as a reflexive either in the form of מִתְפַּעֵל or נִתְפַּעֵל, is constructed with a “ט” (טֶית) in the middle and separates the root letters of the word,³ like מַה נִצְטַדָק, (how can we justify ourselves).⁴ the root of נִצְטַדָק is צֶדֶק (justice) which he says as נִצְטַדָק. Similarly, וּמִטַל שְׁמַיָא גִשְׁמֵה יִצְטַבַע [His body was wet from the dew of Heaven)⁵ The root of יִצְטַבַע is צֶבַע.

footnotes:
³ Rashi thus explains why the letter “ט” was inserted in the word יִצְטַיָרוּ.
⁴ See Bereishis 44:16.
⁵ Daniel 6:21.


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:4:3
[Rashi on Joshua 9:4:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:4:3)

**שַׂקִּים בָּלִים** שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נִרְאִים כְּבָאִים מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**Worn-out sacks.** To give the appearance that they were coming from a distant land.


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:4:4
[Rashi on Joshua 9:4:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:4:4)

**וּמְצֹרָרִים** לְשׁוֹן מְבוּקָּעִים, לְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי: צִירְיָא דְּחִיטֵּי דְּמָצְרִי זִיקֵי.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**And tied together.** מְצרָרִים is another expression of מְבוּקָעִים (split), which is an Aramaic expression, “The cleft of the wheat.”⁶ of the other, so that the water does not cover it on all sides and it will cause fermentation. “Which makes the wine-skin burst.”⁷

footnotes:
⁶ See Pesachim 40A. Rabbi Yoseph said: A man must not scald two grains of wheat together, lest one becomes wedged in the cleft
⁷ See Avodah Zara 30A. There is a type of wine which is considered “strong wine,” and it is known to make the wine-skin burst. According to most commentaries however, the word מְצרָרִים is translated tied up.


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:5:1
[Rashi on Joshua 9:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:5:1)

**נִקֻּדִים** ארשי"ץ בְּלַעַז (שְׂרוּפִים כֶּעֵין צְנִימִים), לְשׁוֹן מוֹקֵד, וְכֵן תִּרְגְּמוֹ יוֹנָתָן: כִּסְנִין.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**Moldy.** “Arson” in old French is an expression of מוֹקֵד, fire or heat.⁸ Targum Yonasan also translates נִקֻדִים as כִּסְנִין.

footnotes:
⁸ Rashi explains that נִקֻדִים indicates that the bread was not merely dry but burned as toast which would preserve it over a long period. He therefore would reject the translation of נְקֻדִים as moldy.


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:7:1
[Rashi on Joshua 9:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:7:1)

**אוּלַי בְּקִרְבִּי אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב** שֶׁמָּא מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ אַתֶּם.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**Maybe you really live in our midst.** Perhaps you are of those who dwell in the land.⁹ said, but it is read וַיאמַר אִישׁ “the *man* of Yisroel said.” They all spoke together as a single person who had doubts about the truth of their presentation.

footnotes:
⁹ The Torah explicitly states that the inhabitants of the land of Canaan were to be totally destroyed. It was forbidden to make any sort of treaty with them, as it is said “Do not make a treaty with them or with their gods.” (Shemos 23:32). The men of Givon therefore attempted to portray themselves as people who were not of Canaan and therefore not included in the destruction that was to befall all those who were inhabitants of the land. The verse states וַיאמְרוּ אִישׁ, and they


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:12:1
[Rashi on Joshua 9:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:12:1)

**הִצְטַיַּדְנוּ** לְשׁוֹן צֵדָה, כְּשֶׁהוֹצֵאנוּהוּ לְצֵדָה לַדֶּרֶךְ.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**We prepared.** The word הִצְטַיַדְנוּ is from צֵדָה provision. When we took [the bread] as provisions for our journey.


###### Rashi on Joshua 9:14:1
[Rashi on Joshua 9:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20Joshua/r/9:14:1)

**וַיִּקְחוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים מִצֵּידָם** קִבְּלוּ דִּבְרֵיהֶם, שֶׁצָּדוּם בְּפִיהֶם, לְשׁוֹן (שמות כא יג): וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא צָדָה.

**The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997:**
**And the men took of their provisions.** They accepted their words. They trapped them with their mouths,¹⁰ as it is said, “But if he did not set an ambush.”¹¹

footnotes:
¹⁰ The men of Yisroel were taken in by their trick.
¹¹ Shemos 21:13.