1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
1 And after H310 Abimelech H40 there arose H6965 to defend H3467 Israel H3478 Tola H8439 the son H1121 of Puah, H6312 the son H1121 of Dodo, H1734 a man H376 of Issachar; H3485 and he dwelt H3427 in Shamir H8069 in mount H2022 Ephraim. H669
2 And he judged H8199 Israel H3478 twenty H6242 and three H7969 years, H8141 and died, H4191 and was buried H6912 in Shamir. H8069
3 And after H310 him arose H6965 Jair, H2971 a Gileadite, H1569 and judged H8199 Israel H3478 twenty H6242 and two H8147 years. H8141
4 And he had thirty H7970 sons H1121 that rode H7392 on thirty H7970 ass colts, H5895 and they had thirty H7970 cities, H5892 which are called H7121 Havothjair H2334 unto this day, H3117 which are in the land H776 of Gilead. H1568
5 And Jair H2971 died, H4191 and was buried H6912 in Camon. H7056
6 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 did H6213 evil H7451 again H3254 in the sight H5869 of the LORD, H3068 and served H5647 Baalim, H1168 and Ashtaroth, H6252 and the gods H430 of Syria, H758 and the gods H430 of Zidon, H6721 and the gods H430 of Moab, H4124 and the gods H430 of the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 and the gods H430 of the Philistines, H6430 and forsook H5800 the LORD, H3068 and served H5647 not him.
7 And the anger H639 of the LORD H3068 was hot H2734 against Israel, H3478 and he sold H4376 them into the hands H3027 of the Philistines, H6430 and into the hands H3027 of the children H1121 of Ammon. H5983
8 And that year H8141 they vexed H7492 and oppressed H7533 the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 eighteen H8083 H6240 years, H8141 all the children H1121 of Israel H3478 that were on the other side H5676 Jordan H3383 in the land H776 of the Amorites, H567 which is in Gilead. H1568
9 Moreover the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 passed over H5674 Jordan H3383 to fight H3898 also against Judah, H3063 and against Benjamin, H1144 and against the house H1004 of Ephraim; H669 so that Israel H3478 was sore H3966 distressed. H3334
10 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 cried H2199 unto the LORD, H3068 saying, H559 We have sinned H2398 against thee, both because we have forsaken H5800 our God, H430 and also served H5647 Baalim. H1168
11 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, H4714 and from the Amorites, H567 from the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 and from the Philistines? H6430
12 The Zidonians H6722 also, and the Amalekites, H6002 and the Maonites, H4584 did oppress H3905 you; and ye cried H6817 to me, and I delivered H3467 you out of their hand. H3027
13 Yet ye have forsaken H5800 me, and served H5647 other H312 gods: H430 wherefore I will deliver H3467 you no more. H3254
14 Go H3212 and cry H2199 unto the gods H430 which ye have chosen; H977 let them H1992 deliver H3467 you in the time H6256 of your tribulation. H6869
15 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 said H559 unto the LORD, H3068 We have sinned: H2398 do H6213 thou unto us whatsoever seemeth H5869 good H2896 unto thee; deliver H5337 us only, we pray thee, this day. H3117
16 And they put away H5493 the strange H5236 gods H430 from among H7130 them, and served H5647 the LORD: H3068 and his soul H5315 was grieved H7114 for the misery H5999 of Israel. H3478
17 Then the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 were gathered together, H6817 and encamped H2583 in Gilead. H1568 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 assembled themselves together, H622 and encamped H2583 in Mizpeh. H4709
18 And the people H5971 and princes H8269 of Gilead H1568 said H559 one H376 to another, H7453 What man H376 is he that will begin H2490 to fight H3898 against the children H1121 of Ammon? H5983 he shall be head H7218 over all the inhabitants H3427 of Gilead. H1568
1 And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not.
7 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
8 And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years `oppressed they' all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.
11 And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, `Did' not `I save you' from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
15 And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.
18 And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
1 And there riseth after Abimelech, to save Israel, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he is dwelling in Shamir, in the hill-country of Ephraim,
2 and he judgeth Israel twenty and three years, and he dieth, and is buried in Shamir.
3 And there riseth after him Jair the Gileadite, and he judgeth Israel twenty and two years,
4 and he hath thirty sons riding on thirty ass-colts, and they have thirty cities, (they call them Havoth-Jair unto this day), which `are' in the land of Gilead;
5 and Jair dieth, and is buried in Kamon.
6 And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the Bene-Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsake Jehovah, and have not served Him;
7 and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the Bene-Ammon,
8 and they crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year -- eighteen years all the sons of Israel `who' are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which `is' in Gilead.
9 And the Bene-Ammon pass over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, and Israel hath great distress.
10 And the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, saying, `We have sinned against Thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and serve the Baalim.'
11 And Jehovah saith unto the sons of Israel, ``Have I' not `saved you' from the Egyptians, and from the Amorite, from the Bene-Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 And the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon have oppressed you, and ye cry unto Me, and I save you out of their hand;
13 and ye -- ye have forsaken Me, and serve other gods, therefore I add not to save you.
14 Go and cry unto the gods on which ye have fixed; they -- they save you in the time of your adversity.'
15 And the sons of Israel say unto Jehovah, `We have sinned, do Thou to us according to all that is good in Thine eyes; only deliver us, we pray Thee, this day.'
16 And they turn aside the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and serve Jehovah, and His soul is grieved with the misery of Israel.
17 And the Bene-Ammon are called together, and encamp in Gilead, and the sons of Israel are gathered together, and encamp in Mizpah.
18 And the people -- heads of Gilead -- say one unto another, `Who `is' the man that doth begin to fight against the Bene-Ammon? he is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.'
1 After Abim'elech there arose to deliver Israel Tola the son of Pu'ah, son of Dodo, a man of Is'sachar; and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of E'phraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died, and was buried at Shamir.
3 After him arose Ja'ir the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty asses; and they had thirty cities, called Hav'voth-ja'ir to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Ja'ir died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Ba'als and the Ash'taroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD, and did not serve him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,
8 and they crushed and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of E'phraim; so that Israel was sorely distressed.
10 And the people of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Ba'als."
11 And the LORD said to the people of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?
12 The Sido'nians also, and the Amal'ekites, and the Ma'onites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress."
15 And the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day."
16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and he became indignant over the misery of Israel.
17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead; and the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.
18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, "Who is the man that will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."
1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he lived in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2 He judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 After him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years.
4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Yahweh, and didn't serve him.
7 The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
8 They vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years [oppressed they] all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 The children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.
11 Yahweh said to the children of Israel, Didn't I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13 Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods: therefore I will save you no more.
14 Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
15 The children of Israel said to Yahweh, We have sinned: do you to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, we pray you, this day.
16 They put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Yahweh; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.
18 The people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
1 Now after Abimelech, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, became the saviour of Israel; he was living in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2 He was judge over Israel for twenty-three years; and at his death his body was put to rest in the earth in Shamir.
3 And after him came Jair the Gileadite, who was judge over Israel for twenty-two years.
4 And he had thirty sons, who went on thirty young asses; and they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are named Havvoth-Jair to this day.
5 And at the death of Jair his body was put to rest in the earth in Kamon.
6 And again the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, worshipping the Baals and Astartes, and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines; they gave up the Lord and were servants to him no longer.
7 And the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he gave them up into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year the children of Israel were crushed under their yoke; for eighteen years all the children of Israel on the other side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites which is in Gilead, were cruelly crushed down.
9 And the children of Ammon went over Jordan, to make war against Judah and Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great trouble.
10 Then the children of Israel, crying out to the Lord, said, Great is our sin against you, for we have given up our God and have been servants to the Baals.
11 And the Lord said to the children of Israel, Were not the Egyptians and the Amorites and the children of Ammon and the Philistines
12 And the Zidonians and Amalek and Midian crushing you down, and in answer to your cry did I not give you salvation from their hands?
13 But, for all this, you have given me up and have been servants to other gods: so I will be your saviour no longer.
14 Go, send up your cry for help to the gods of your selection; let them be your saviours in the time of your trouble.
15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord, We are sinners; do to us whatever seems good to you: only give us salvation this day.
16 So they put away the strange gods from among them, and became the Lord's servants; and his soul was angry because of the sorrows of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon came together and put their army in position in Gilead. And the children of Israel came together and put their army in position in Mizpah.
18 And the people of Israel said to one another, Who will be the first to make an attack on the children of Ammon? We will make him head over all Gilead.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Judges 10
Commentary on Judges 10 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Of these two judges no particular deeds are mentioned, no doubt because they performed none.
Judges 10:1-2
Tola arose after Abimelech's death to deliver Israel, and judged Israel twenty-three years until his death, though certainly not all the Israelites of the twelve tribes, but only the northern and possibly also the eastern tribes, to the exclusion of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, as these southern tribes neither took part in Gideon's war of freedom nor stood under Abimelech's rule. To explain the clause “ there arose to defend (or save) Israel ,” when nothing had been said about any fresh oppression on the part of the foe, we need not assume, as Rosenmüller does, “that the Israelites had been constantly harassed by their neighbours, who continued to suppress the liberty of the Israelites, and from whose stratagems or power the Israelites were delivered by the acts of Tola;” but Tola rose up as the deliverer of Israel, even supposing that he simply regulated the affairs of the tribes who acknowledged him as their supreme judge, and succeeded by his efforts in preventing the nation from falling back into idolatry, and thus guarded Israel from any fresh oppression on the part of hostile nations. Tola was the son of Puah , the son of Dodo , of the tribe of Issachar. The names Tola and Puah are already met with among the descendants of Issachar, as founders of families of the tribes of Issachar (see Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23, where the latter name is written פּוּה ), and they were afterwards repeated in the different households of these families. Dodo is not an appellative, as the Sept . translators supposed ( υἱὸς πατραδέλφου αὐτοῦ ), but a proper name, as in 2 Samuel 23:9 ( Keri ), 24, and 1 Chronicles 11:12. The town of Shamir , upon the mountains of Ephraim, where Tola judged Israel, and was afterwards buried, was a different place from the Shamir upon the mountains of Judah, mentioned in Joshua 15:48, and its situation (probably in the territory of Issachar) is still unknown.
Judges 10:3-5
After him Jair the Gileadite (born in Gilead) judged Israel for twenty-two years. Nothing further is related of him than that he had thirty sons who rode upon thirty asses, which was a sign of distinguished rank in those times when the Israelites had no horses. They had thirty cities (the second עירים in Judges 10:4 is another form for ערים , from a singular עיר = עיר , a city, and is chosen because of its similarity in sound to עירים , asses). These cities they were accustomed to call Havvoth - jair unto this day (the time when our book was written), in the land of Gilead. The להם before יקראוּ is placed first for the sake of emphasis, “ even these they call, ” etc. This statement is not at variance with the fact, that in the time of Moses the Manassite Jair gave the name of Havvoth-jair to the towns of Bashan which had been conquered by him (Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14); for it is not affirmed here, that the thirty cities which belonged to the sons of Jair received this name for the first time from the judge Jair, but simply that this name was brought into use again by the sons of Jair, and was applied to these cities in a peculiar sense. (For further remarks on the Havvoth-jair, see at Deuteronomy 3:14.) The situation of Camon , where Jair was buried, is altogether uncertain. Josephus (Ant. v. 6, 6) calls it a city of Gilead, though probably only on account of the assumption, that it would not be likely that Jair the Gileadite, who possessed so many cities in Gilead, should be buried outside Gilead. But this assumption is a very questionable one. As Jair judged Israel after Tola the Issacharite, the assumption is a more natural one, that he lived in Canaan proper. Yet Reland (Pal. ill. p. 679) supports the opinion that it was in Gilead, and adduces the fact that Polybius (Hist. v. 70, 12) mentions a town called Καμοῦν , by the side of Pella and Gefrun, as having been taken by Antiochus. On the other hand, Eusebius and Jerome (in the Onom .) regard our Camon as being the same as the κώμη Καμμωνὰ ἐν τῷ μεγάΛῳ πεδίῳ , six Roman miles to the north of Legio ( Lejun ), on the way to Ptolemais, which would be in the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon. This is no doubt applicable to the Κυαμών of Judith 7:3; but whether it also applies to our Camon cannot be decided, as the town is not mentioned again.
The third stage in the period of the judges, which extended from the death of Jair to the rise of Samuel as a prophet, was a time of deep humiliation for Israel, since the Lord gave up His people into the hands of two hostile nations at the same time, on account of their repeated return to idolatry; so that the Ammonites invaded the land from the east, and oppressed the Israelites severely for eighteen years, especially the tribes to the east of the Jordan; whilst the Philistines came from the west, and extended their dominion over the tribes on this side, and brought them more and more firmly under their yoke. It is true that Jephthah delivered his people from the oppression of the Ammonites, in the power of the Spirit of Jehovah, having first of all secured the help of God through a vow, and not only smote the Ammonites, but completely subdued them before the Israelites. But the Philistine oppression lasted forty years; for although Samson inflicted heavy blows upon the Philistines again and again, and made them feel the superior power of the God of Israel, he was nevertheless not in condition to destroy their power and rule over Israel. This was left for Samuel to accomplish, after he had converted the people to the Lord their God.
Israel's Renewed Apostasy and Consequent Punishment - Judges 10:6-18
As the Israelites forsook the Lord their God again, and served the gods of the surrounding nations, the Lord gave them up to the power of the Philistines and Ammonites, and left them to groan for eighteen years under the severe oppression of the Ammonites, till they cried to Him in their distress, and He sent them deliverance through Jephthah, though not till He had first of all charged them with their sins, and they had put away the strange gods. This section forms the introduction, not only to the history of Jephthah (Judg 11:1-12:7) and the judges who followed him, viz., Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (Judges 12:8-15), but also to the history of Samson, who began to deliver Israel out of the power of the Philistines (Judg 13-16). After the fact has been mentioned in the introduction (in Judges 10:7), that Israel was given up into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites at the same time, the Ammonitish oppression, which lasted eighteen years, is more particularly described in Judges 10:8, Judges 10:9. This is followed by the reproof of the idolatrous Israelites on the part of God (Judges 10:10-16); and lastly, the history of Jephthah is introduced in Judges 10:17, Judges 10:18, the fuller account being given in Judg 11. Jephthah, who judged Israel for six years after the conquest and humiliation of the Ammonites (Judges 12:7), was followed by the judges Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, who judged Israel for seven, ten, and eight years respectively, that is to say, for twenty-five years in all; so that Abdon died forty-nine years (18 + 6 + 25) after the commencement of the Ammonitish oppression, i.e., nine years after the termination of the forty years' rule of the Philistines over Israel, which is described more particularly in Judges 13:1, for the purpose of introducing the history of Samson, who judged Israel twenty years under that rule (Judges 15:20; Judges 16:31), without bringing it to a close, or even surviving it. It was only terminated by the victory which Israel achieved under Samuel at Ebenezer, as described in 1 Sam 7.
Judges 10:6-8
In the account of the renewed apostasy of the Israelites from the Lord contained in Judges 10:6, seven heathen deities are mentioned as being served by the Israelites: viz., in addition to the Canaanitish Baals and Astartes (see at Judges 2:11, Judges 2:13), the gods of Aram , i.e., Syria , who are never mentioned by name; of Sidon , i.e., according to 1 Kings 11:5, principally the Sidonian or Phoenician Astarte; of the Moabites , i.e., Chemosh (1 Kings 11:33), the principal deity of that people, which was related to Moloch (see at Numbers 21:29); of the Ammonites , i.e., Milcom (1 Kings 11:5, 1 Kings 11:33) (see at Judges 16:23). If we compare the list of these seven deities with Judges 10:11 and Judges 10:12, where we find seven nations mentioned out of whose hands Jehovah had delivered Israel, the correspondence between the number seven in these two cases and the significant use of the number are unmistakeable. Israel had balanced the number of divine deliverances by a similar number of idols which it served, so that the measure of the nation's iniquity was filled up in the same proportion as the measure of the delivering grace of God. The number seven is employed in the Scriptures as the stamp of the works of God, or of the perfection created, or to be created, by God on the one hand, and of the actions of men in their relation to God on the other. The foundation for this was the creation of the world in seven days. - On Judges 10:7, see Judges 2:13-14. The Ammonites are mentioned after the Philistines, not because they did not oppress the Israelites till afterwards, but for purely formal reasons, viz., because the historian was about to describe the oppression of the Ammonites first. In Judges 10:8, the subject is the “children of Ammon,” as we may see very clearly from Judges 10:9. “ They (the Ammonites) ground and crushed the Israelites in the same year, ” i.e., the year in which God sold the Israelites into their hands, or in which they invaded the land of Israel. רעץ and רצץ are synonymous, and are simply joined together for the sake of emphasis, whilst the latter calls to mind Deuteronomy 28:33. The duration of this oppression is then added: “ Eighteen years (they crushed) all the Israelites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, ” i.e., of the two Amoritish kings Sihon and Og, who (dwelt) in Gilead. Gilead , being a more precise epithet for the land of the Amorites, is used here in a wider sense to denote the whole of the country on the east of the Jordan, so far as it had been taken from the Amorites and occupied by the Israelites (as in Numbers 32:29; Deuteronomy 34:1 : see at Joshua 22:9).
Judges 10:9
They also crossed the Jordan, and made war even upon Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim (the families of the tribe of Ephraim), by which Israel was brought into great distress. ותּצר , as in Judges 2:15.
Judges 10:10-12
When the Israelites cried in their distress to the Lord, “ We have sinned against Thee, namely, that we have forsaken our God and served the Baals, ” the Lord first of all reminded them of the manifestations of His grace (Judges 10:11, Judges 10:12), and then pointed out to them their faithless apostasy and the worthlessness of their idols (Judges 10:13, Judges 10:14). וכי , “ and indeed that, ” describes the sin more minutely, and there is no necessity to remove it from the text-an act which is neither warranted by its absence from several MSS nor by its omission from the Sept. , the Syriac, and the Vulgate. Baalim is a general term used to denote all the false gods, as in Judges 2:11. This answer on the part of God to the prayer of the Israelites for help is not to be regarded as having been given through an extraordinary manifestation (theophany), or through the medium of a prophet, for that would certainly have been recorded; but it was evidently given in front of the tabernacle, where the people had called upon the Lord, and either came through the high priest, or else through an inward voice in which God spoke to the hearts of the people, i.e., through the voice of their own consciences, by which God recalled to their memories and impressed upon their hearts first of all His own gracious acts, and then their faithless apostasy. There is an anakolouthon in the words of God. The construction which is commenced with ממּצרים is dropped at וגו וצידונים in Judges 10:12; and the verb הושׁעתּי , which answers to the beginning of the clause, is brought up afterwards in the form of an apodosis with אתכם ואושׁיעה . “ Did I not deliver you (1) from the Egyptians (cf. Ex 1-14); (2) from the Amorites (cf. Numbers 21:3); (3) from the Ammonites (who oppressed Israel along with the Moabites in the time of Ehud, Judges 3:12.); (4) from the Philistines (through Shamgar: see 1 Samuel 12:9, where the Philistines are mentioned between Sisera and Moab); (5) from the Sidonians (among whom probably the northern Canaanites under Jabin are included, as Sidon, according to Judges 18:7, Judges 18:28, appears to have exercised a kind of principality or protectorate over the northern tribes of Canaan); (6) from the Amalekites (who attacked the Israelites even at Horeb, Exodus 17:8., and afterwards invaded the land of Israel both with the Moabites, Judges 3:13, and also with the Midianites, Judges 6:3); and (7) from the Midianites? ” (see Judg 6-7). The last is the reading of the lxx in Cod. Al . and Vat ., viz., Μαδιάμ ; whereas Ald . and Compl . read Χαναάν , also the Vulgate . In the Masoretic text, on the other hand, we have Maon . Were this the original and true reading, we might perhaps think of the Mehunim , who are mentioned in 2 Chronicles 26:7 along with Philistines and Arabians (cf. 1 Chronicles 4:41), and are supposed to have been inhabitants of the city of Maan on the Syrian pilgrim road to the east of Petra ( Burckhardt , Syr. pp. 734 and 1035: see Ewald , Gesch. i. pp. 321, 322). But there is very little probability in this supposition, as we cannot possibly see how so small a people could have oppressed Israel so grievously at that time, that the deliverance from their oppression could be mentioned here; whilst it would be very strange that nothing should be said about the terrible oppression of the Midianites and the wonderful deliverance from that oppression effected by Gideon. Consequently the Septuagint ( Μαδιάμ ) appears to have preserve the original text.
Judges 10:13
Instead of thanking the Lord, however, for these deliverances by manifesting true devotedness to Him, Israel had forsaken Him and served other gods (see Judges 2:13).
Judges 10:14-16
Therefore the Lord would not save them any more. They might get help from the gods whom they had chosen for themselves. The Israelites should now experience what Moses had foretold in his song (Deuteronomy 32:37-38). This divine threat had its proper effect. The Israelites confessed their sins, submitted thoroughly to the chastisement of God, and simply prayed for salvation; nor did they content themselves with merely promising, they put away the strange gods and served Jehovah, i.e., they devoted themselves again with sincerity to His service, and so were seriously converted to the living God. “ Then was His (Jehovah's) soul impatient ( תּקצר , as in Numbers 21:4) because of the troubles of Israel; ” i.e., Jehovah could no longer look down upon the misery of Israel; He was obliged to help. The change in the purpose of God does not imply any changeableness in the divine nature; it simply concerns the attitude of God towards His people, or the manifestation of the divine love to man. In order to bend the sinner at all, the love of God must withdraw its helping hand and make men feel the consequences of their sin and rebelliousness, that they may forsake their evil ways and turn to the Lord their God. When this end has been attained, the same divine love manifests itself as pitying and helping grace. Punishments and benefits flow from the love of God, and have for their object the happiness and well-being of men.
Judges 10:17-18
These verses form the introduction to the account of the help and deliverance sent by God, and describe the preparation made by Israel to fight against its oppressors. The Ammonites “ let themselves be called together, ” i.e., assembled together ( הצּעק , as in Judges 7:23), and encamped in Gilead, i.e., in that portion of Gilead of which they had taken possession. For the Israelites, i.e., the tribes to the east of the Jordan (according to Judges 10:18 and Judges 11:29), also assembled together in Gilead and encamped at mizpeh , i.e., Ramath-mizpeh or Ramoth in Gilead (Joshua 13:26; Joshua 20:8), probably on the site of the present Szalt (see at Deuteronomy 4:43, and the remarks in the Commentary on the Pentateuch, pp. 180f.), and resolved to look round for a man who could begin the war, and to make him the head over all the inhabitants of Gilead (the tribes of Israel dwelling in Perea). The “ princes of Gilead ” are in apposition to “ the people .” “The people, namely, the princes of Gilead,” i.e., the heads of tribes and families of the Israelites to the east of the Jordan. “ Head ” is still further defined in Judges 11:6, Judges 11:11, as “ captain ,” or “ head and captain .”