And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?

Perhaps you dwell in the land which falls to our lot; if so, we can make no league with you.

And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how should I make a covenant with thee?

And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, It may be ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

and the men of Israel say unto the Hivite, 'It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make with thee a covenant?'

And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, It may be that you are living among us; how then may we make an agreement with you?

"Perhaps instead, you live in the land which ought to be ours by lot, and we would be unable to form a pact with you."

Tune responderunt viri Israel ad Hivaeum, Forte in medio mei tu habitas, et quomodo percutiam tocum foedus?

Compare the marginal references.

Peradventure ye dwell among us - It is strange they should have had such a suspicion, as the Gibeonites had acted so artfully; and it is as strange that, having such a suspicion, they acted with so little caution.

And the men of Israel said unto the (d) Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
(d) For the Gibeonites and the Hivites were all one people.

And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites,.... Though they did not know them to be such, but as they afterwards appeared to be the Hivites, as the Gibeonites were, they are here so called, see Joshua 11:19. The name signifies "serpents"; according to a Derash, or mystical exposition, mentioned by Kimchi, the Gibeonites are so called, because they did the work of the serpent; that is to say, they deceived the Israelites, as the serpent deceived Eve:
peradventure ye dwell among us; of which they had some suspicion:
and how shall we make a league with you? which they were forbid to do with any of the seven nations, Deuteronomy 7:2.

the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us--The answer of the Israelites implied that they had no discretion, that their orders were imperative, and that if the strangers belonged to any of the native tribes, the idea of an alliance with them was unlawful since God had forbidden it (Exodus 23:32; Exodus 34:12; Deuteronomy 7:2).

The Hivites - That is, the Gibeonites who were Hivites, Joshua 11:19. Among us - That is, in this land, and so are of that people with whom we are forbidden to make any league or covenant.