Uriah ben Shemaiah was an unknown prophet from Kiriath-jearim, one of the four
Gibeonite cities (Josh.
Hivai, a
Gibeonite who once successfully foretold the future, now appears to have lost his prophetic skill.
Third, the Old Testament describes Gentiles who come under the sway of the God of Israel, who show more zeal and faithfulness than the Israelites themselves: Joshua 2:1-14, Rahab sees more clearly than many Israelites; Ruth 1:11-12, Ruth clings faithfully to Naomi; 1 Samuel 7:1-2, the people of Kiriath Jearim, a
Gibeonite town (Josh.
When reported to Samuel he said: for example, a widow married to a high priest, a divorcee or a woman who has received halitzah married to a rank-and-file priest, a mamzeret or
Gibeonite woman married to an Israelite, a daughter of an Israelite married to a mamzer or
Gibeonite.
In the introduction, we are in the walled city of Gibeon, where we experience events through the dismal perception of Hivai, a
Gibeonite seer.
Kallai had observed ("An Attempt to Determine the Location of Beeroth," Eretz-Israel 3 [1954]: 115), there are several arguments from the sources that militate against the location of this
Gibeonite town at el-Bireh (el Bire).
In one battle where Joshua was helping the
Gibeonites (an ally) fight the forces of the kings of the Amorites, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." (Joshua 10:12) "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies as it is written in the book of Jashar.
In Joshua 9: 3 - 27, the
Gibeonites deceived Joshua and God not only allowed the fruit of the deceit to stand, but also punished Israel when King Saul violated it (11 Samuel 21: 1- 9).
Famine was unleashed (Samuel 2, 21:1) for King Saul slaughtering the
Gibeonites.
David put to death seven sons and grandsons of Saul to expiate the bloodguilt caused by an otherwise unmentioned massacre of the
Gibeonites at the hands of Saul (2 Samuel 21:8; Joshua 9).
Years before, David's predecessor and father-in-law Saul had massacred the
Gibeonites. David needs to avenge them, but runs into a moral conflict.
But, apart from the sparing of the
Gibeonites (Hurrians) in Jos.