Joshua 9:13
And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.
The envoys pointed to their torn bottles of wine and their worn garments and shoes as proof that they had traveled from very far away. Their worn supplies and clothing were put forward to make the claim of a long journey from a distant land appear true. Their appearance and story were deceptive, for they were in fact Israel's neighbors who had devised this account to preserve their own lives. The statement belongs to the making of an unwise treaty that Israel entered because it neglected to ask counsel of God. It also belongs to the history of a heathen people who renounced their heathenism and former religion, united with Israel and joined themselves to it, and thus shared in the blessings of God's covenant.