They answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told your servants, how that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
The reason God forbade His people from allowing the Canaanites to live and become incorporated into Israel was that they might lead the Israelites into idolatry. The leaders of Israel therefore punished the Gibeonites for their deception in a way designed to minimize the possibility of their doing this. They made them servants in the tabernacle. This plan undoubtedly reinstated the leaders in the good favor of the Israelites. Nevertheless this was not a wise move because the Lord wanted only authorized Israelites to assist in tabernacle worship. By bringing these foreigners into tabernacle service, the leaders of Israel violated the holiness of God (cf. Numbers 3:10; Ezekiel 44:7).