The princes said to them, Let them live: so they became wood cutters and drawers of water to all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.
"The ’oath’ was made in the name of the Lord. Consequently fidelity was owed, not to the Gibeonites, but to the Lord. The form of the oath called on the Lord to punish the Israelites if they failed to keep their agreement (cf. Joshua 9:18-20). This explains why Israel felt bound to the treaty even though it had been made under false pretenses (cf. Genesis 27:35; Psalms 15:4)." [Note: Madvig, p. 299.] 