16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and he became indignant over the misery of Israel.
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bore them and carried them all the days of old.
But he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry; And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses;
O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah; say unto him, Forgive all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Thou art] our God; because in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
For we have not a high priest not able to sympathise with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart.
Wherefore I was wroth with this generation, and said, They always err in heart; and *they* have not known my ways;
and said, Where have ye put him? They say to him, Lord, come and see.
Ephraim [shall say], What have I to do any more with idols? (I answer [him], and I will observe him.) I am like a green fir-tree. -- From me is thy fruit found.
And Jehovah repented that he had made Man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.
Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your snare. Cast away from you all your transgressions wherewith ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: why then will ye die, house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah; therefore turn ye and live.
Is Ephraim a dear son unto me? is he a child of delights? For whilst I have been speaking against him, I do constantly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will certainly have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.
At the moment that I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to break down, and to destroy, if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, then I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
And he removed the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem, and cast [them] out of the city.
And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities that he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.
Now therefore put away the strange gods that are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah the God of Israel.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Judges 10
Commentary on Judges 10 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 10
In this chapter we have,
Jdg 10:1-5
Quiet and peaceable reigns, though the best to live in, are the worst to write of, as yielding least variety of matter for the historian to entertain his reader with; such were the reigns of these two judges, Tola and Jair, who make but a small figure and take up but a very little room in this history. But no doubt they were both raised up of God to serve their country in the quality of judges, not pretending, as Abimelech had done, to the grandeur of kings, nor, like him, taking the honour they had to themselves, but being called of God to it.
Jdg 10:6-9
While those two judges, Tola and Jair, presided in the affairs of Israel, things went well, but afterwards,
Jdg 10:10-18
Here is,