Ill Hill I'll mmmmmfimtmiimmmem "1 >l THE SAMBRIBP BIBLE EOfi SCHOdLS & COLLEGES I ■^■ipm;ii<>;)«Ba3B»ariijin«ii'»'i»i*¥'«*«»>>*w.v.<^lr'^-^viiif^h<:-i.-*^ vjsssissb THE BPC;>K OF J U DGES EDITED BY J.J. LIAS, M. A. taatumtBtmuaamemmatagctaitmnt BISHOP OF WOHGiSTER J ■\. mmmmmtmfntmmmmtfmmfmmmmmmmmit 6.6 Stom f^e fetBrarg of Q0e<|ueat0e^ 6g ^im fo f ^e feifirarg of (Princeton S^^ofogtcdf ^eminarjj THE BOOK OF JUDGES. HonDon: C. J. CLAY and SONS, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, AVE MARIA LANE. CambrilJBe: DEIGHTON, BELL AND CO. ILtmis: F- A. BROCKHAUS. i^cto gorit: MACMILLAN AND CO. anil ColUjjes. General Editor :— J. J. S. PEROWNE, D.D., Bishop of Worcester. THE BOOK OF JUDGES, IVITH MAP, NOTES AND INTRODUCTION REV. J. J. ^LIAS, M.A. LATE PROFESSOR AT ST DAVID's COLLEGE, LAMPETER. EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITV PRESS crnmbttbgc : AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 1890 \All Rights rei>i:iveJ.\ PRINTED liV C. J. CLAY M.A. AND SONS AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS PREFACE BY THE GENERAL EDITOR. The General Editor of The Cambridge Bible for Schools thinks it right to say that he does not hold himself responsible either for the interpretation of particular passages which the Editors of the several Rooks have adopted, or for any opinion on points of doctrine that they may have expressed. In the New Testament more especially questions arise of the deepest theological import, on which the ablest and most conscientious interpreters have differed and always will differ. His aim has been in all such cases to leave each Contributor to the unfettered exercise of his own judgment, only taking care that mere controversy should as far as possible be avoided. He has contented himself chiefly with a careful revision of the notes, with pointing out omissions, with 6 PREFACE. suggesting occasionally a reconsideration of some question, or a fuller treatment of difficult passages, and the like. Beyond this he has not attempted to interfere, feeling it better that each Commentary should have its own individual character, and being convinced that freshness and variety of treatment are more than a compensation for any lack of uniformity in the Series. CONTENTS. PAGES I. Introduction. Chapter I. Contents, Authorship and Date, Genuineness, Canonicity, of the Book of Judges 9 Chapter II. The Political, Moral, and Religious condition of Israel under the Judges 14 Chapter III. The Personal character of tlie Judges 23 Chapter IV. The Song of Deborah ig Chapter V. The Chronology of the Period 34 Chapter VI. Analysis 38 II. Text AND Notes 43 III. Appendix 209 IV. Index ■217 Map of the Holy Land .facing Title Page * The Text adopted in this Edition is that of Dr Scrivener's Cambridge Paragraph Bible. A few variations from the ordi- nary Text, chiefly in the spelling of certain words, and in the use of italics, will he noticed. For the principles adopted by Dr Scrivener as regards the printing of the Text see his Intro- duction to the Paragraph Bible, published by the Cambridge University Press. INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. CONTENTS, AUTHORSHIP AND DATE, GENUINENESS, CANO- NICITY, OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES. I. Contents. The book of Judges consists of three parts. Theyfrj/ part (ch. i. i, iii. 7) forms an Introduction, obviously designed to connect the book with the previous narrative in Joshua^. We have first a description of the condition of the Israelites immediately after Joshua's death, and their relations with the Phoenician peoples whom Joshua had left only half subdued (ch. i. i — ii. 10}. Then (ch. ii. il — iii. 7) the writer proceeds to give a brief summary of his history chiefly from a moral and religious point of view, pointing out the cause of national misfortunes, namely the disobedience of the people to the national law, and their apostasy from the national religion. The second part (ch. iii. 8 — xvi. 31) contains the history of the Judges. In the third part (ch. xvii. to end) the historian adds two episodes of a more private and personal character, obviously intended to illustrate the disordered condition of the morals of the people, and to point to the value in the author's mind of the more regular system of government under which he lived. These episodes" belong to a period of the history almost im- mediately subsequent to the death of Joshua, and are quite sufficient to account for the after history of the people. ^ See note on ch. i. i. 2 See notes, especially on ch. xx. 18. Also below, p. 11. INTRODUCTION. 2. Authorship and Date. The book has been attributed to various periods and to various authors. By some^ the whole of the historical Scriptures are supposed (i) to have been reduced to their present form shortly before the captivity. Others have thought (2) that the book is of early origin, but that the part of it containing the history of Micah and the Danites, and the Levite and his concubine, was added by another hand. Keil supposes (3) from the statement in ch. i, 21, that it was written in the first seven years of David's reign, before the capture of Jerusalem^, and that therefore the statement in the Talmud* that the book was written by Samuel is so far true that it may have been written at his request by one of his disciples ^ With regard to (i) it may be remembered that the book of Judges shews many signs of independent authorship. For in Joshua, written when the Israelites had not been long in Palestine, and when the Book of the Law was the only book of importance in the literature of the nation^, we meet with very few words and phrases not found in the books of Moses. But in Judges, written some centuries after the conquest, we find a large number of words hitherto unknown. Some of these, it is true, are poetical archaisms, which occur in the Song of Deborah, and these, of course, must be excepted from the list. But when these have been deducted there remain a number of words and turns of expression which shew that from a nation of slaves the Israelites had grown to be a nation of freemen and conquerors*. And on the other hand we may remark on the absence of Aramaic expressions and words of the later Hebrew which occur in the subsequent books. We conclude therefore, that the book of Judges, as it stands, ^ E.g. Ewald, Knobel, Eleek, De Wette, Davidson. ' 1 Sam. V. 6 — 9, i Chron. xi. 4 — 9. * Baba-bathra, i4(5and 15^. * Keil and Delitzsch, Com>nen(ary, Introduction. ^ Unless, wilh some, we are to regard the Book of the warsof Jahveh (Numb. xxi. 14), and the book of Jashar (Josh. x. 13) as separate books. See Ewald, History of Israel. ® See notes on ch. i. 8, 14, ii. 13, 18, iii. 15, 16, 10, 21, 22, 23, 25, 31, iv. 6, 10, 13, 18, 21, vi. 2, 26, 38, vii. 3, 5, 13, viii. 7, 21, 31, ix. 4, 6, 14, 46, xi. 6, xii. 5, xiii. 25, xiv. 12, xv. 8, 9, 16, 19, xvi. 13, 16, xix. I, XX. 12, 32. This list might be largely increased. INTRODUCTION. n was written later than the previous books of the Old Testa- ment. We proceed to inquire whether the author were one and the same throughout. At first sight this would not appear to have been the case. The third part of the book contains a good deal of that peculiar kind of repetition for the sake of emphasis, which, found in the earlier historical books, is absent from the later ones^ But a closer examination of the style does not bear out the first impression. Several peculiarities of ex- pression are to be found both in the main portion of the book and in the appendix beginning with ch. xvii-. The preface (especially ch. ii.) was evidently written by the author of the book upon a general view of its contents. The appendix falls in most strikingly with the drift of that general view. Thus it becomes more probable that the appendix was compiled by the author himself from private and local narratives which had fallen into his hands, and which he inserted with but little alteration. From whence those narratives were derived may perhaps be conjectured. The author was evidently a firm partisan of kingly government^. To its absence he apparently attributes all the disorders of the country, with which the system of judges, he felt, was incompetent to deal. He could hardly have been in all respects a disciple of Samuel'', for that great prophet, with a noble enthusiasm, desired rather to main- tain the theocracy, and raise the people to its levels The writer of the present book, on the contrary, was clearly of opinion that ^ Specimens of this kind of repetition, where the same story is related twice over, the second time with additional particulars, may be found in Gen. i., ii., vii. 7 — 16 ; Josh, iii., iv., vi. 6 — 9, 12 — 16, In the book of Judges it is only found to any considerable extent in the last five chapters. See ch. xvii. i — 5, xviii. 14 — 20, xx. 31 — 42. ^ Cf. 1. 8 with XX. 48, i. 27, with xvii. 11. Also i. r with xx. 18, 23, 27, ix. 2 with XX. 5. Also the use of the perfect with the copula, in- stead of the more usual historical narrative tense with Vau conversive is remarkable, in spite of Jteil's attempt to attenuate the force of this argument. Compare especially xix. 30, xx. 43 and ch. xv. 14. The narrative in ch. xix. appears to have been re-writlen, for it flows on consecutively throughout. •' Seech, xvii. 6, xviii. r, xix. i, xxi. 25. ■* As Keil and Delitzsch suppose. ^ 1 Sam. viii. 6 — 22, xii. 16 — i(j. INTRODUCTION. kingly government alone had been found capable of putting an end to the confusions of the times. This conviction points to an early period in the kingly history for the composition of this book. Had the writer lived under the later kings, he would have seen that, whatever the advantages of kingly government when the sceptre was in proper hands, they were by no means so great in every case as he supposed. Such intimations of date as we find in the book of Judges tend to confirm this view. These are by no means so many as are to be found elsewhere, but though we can perhaps build no argument on ch. i. 21, yet ch. vi. 24 would seem more reconcileable with the early than with the late date of this book^. Thus we are led to fix some period in the reigns of either David or Solomon as the time when the history was written. But the contents of the book itself furnish us with strong grounds for believing that it was written in the former reign. It will be observed that both the episodes related in the last five chapters are connected with Bethlehem-judah^. The scene of the Book of Ruth is laid in the same place. It is therefore by no means improbable that these narratives were communicated to the writers by David himself. Now we find that the prophets Nathan and Gad, who were closely connected with David^, composed histories. We venture therefore to set down the book of Judges as written by one of the above-mentioned prophets, or under their supervision, after David had become undisputed king over Israel, and after he had overthrown his enemies round about, but most probably before the disorders of his later years, commencing with Absalom's rebellion. This would fix the date between 1042 and 1023 B.C. 3. Genuineness. The genuineness of the book is vouched for (i) by the consideration of its style, mentioned above (p. 10), (2) by the general life-like freshness of the narrative, to which even so unprejudiced a critic as Ewald frequently testifies, (3) by the minute accuracy of its local and other details, which are ' See notes on these passages. " ch. xvii. 8, 9, xix, i, 1, 18. ^ 1 Sam. xii., xxiv. ; i Chron. xxix. 29; 1 Chron. ix. 29. IN'IRODUCTION. 13 frequently mentioned in the notes^, and (4) by the consideration referred to in note on ch. i. i, that it forms an integral part of the authorized historical writings of the Jews, a body of literature which is clearly, from internal evidence, written by persons in authority, who had access to documents which gave them full information on the events treated of, but at such a distance of time as rendered a general view of the history possible. 4. Canoiiicity. Of this there can be no question. The book of Judges forms part, not only of the Scptuagint translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, but also of the Hebrew text, which appears (2 Mace. ii. 13) to have been handed down among the Jews from the time of Nehemiah. Though Josephus does not mention their names, there is no reason to doubt that the twenty-two books whose authenticity he describes as recognized in his time, were the same as are contained in our present Hebrew Bible. And the universal testimony of all Jewish writers establishes the fact that this book was one of the Canonical Scriptures of the Jews, that is, it was regarded by the Jews as written by inspiration of God. The Christian Church has ratified this decision, if not formally, at least effectually. Though no representative assembly of the whole Church has ever pronounced itself on the Christian Canon, yet practically all sections of the Christian Church have agreed to receive these twenty-two books, and the book of Judges among them, as those Canonical Looks, "of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church I" ^ i. 3, 9, 15 — 17, 27—36, ill. 3, 19, 20, 23, -27, 28, iv. 5, V. 14—17, vl. 2, 4, 15, 33, viii. ?4, 26, ix. 51, xiii. 25, xiv. i, 5, 8, xviii. 7, 21, xix. 10, 12, XX. I, 15, xxi. 19. 2 Art. VI. of the Church of England. 14 INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER II. THE POLITICAL, MORAL, AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF ISRAEL UNDER THE JUDGES. I. Conquest of Palestine. In order to understand the mission of the Israelites, it will be necessary to glance at the circumstances under which they entered the land of Canaan. It was no ordinary people that they were commissioned to displace. The Phoenicians stood "at the head of the civiliza- tion of their time^" They were the greatest maritime and commercial people then known. Their colonies had spread over all the coasts of the Mediterranean. Their land was the home of the arts and sciences^. At a far earlier period than that of Joshua they had risen to eminence. But this was the period of their decay. The vices which for a long time had raged unchecked', had at length produced their usual effect in sapping the manly vigour of the people. Thus the Israelites were destined to play the same part on the shores of the Mediterranean in the fifteenth century before Christ, that the Germans did in the hour of the decrepitude of the Roman empire. There are many common features in the two histories. The austerer morals of the invading peoples, the slaughter of the vanquished, the adoption too often by the conqueror of the habits he began by despising — these were equally characteristics of the conquest of Palestine and the fall of the Roman Empire. But whereas the Germans infused their ^ Bachmann, Buck der Richter. Introduction, p. 21. " See Kenrick's Phoenicia, ch. viii., ix. The Greeks owed their literary culture in the first instance to the Phoenicians. The Egyptians were great architects, but they do not appear to have attained much eminence in the other arts. See an article by Stanley Lane Poole, in the Contemporary Review, Sept. 1881. ' Gen. xiii. 13, of. xix. INTRODUCTION. 15 national spirit into the institutions of the more civilized people they had subdued, the Jews introduced a polity of their own into the land in which they settled — a polity of Divine origin, destined to produce incalculable results upon the future of the world. II. Institutions of ihe yews. The idea which underlay the Mosaic institutions was that of a Divine Society, with God as its acknowledged head, the books of Moses as its code of law and morals, and the priesthood, with its prophetic gift of Urim and Thummim^, as the medium of communication between the Ruler and His people. This idea was never destined to be realized. Indeed it was fore-ordained to failure, so far as its adoption as a system by the Jewish community as a whole was concerned 2, though its ultimate effect was so beneficial to man- kind, and its direct influence so vast upon individuals. During the life-time of Joshua and Phinehas, amid much individual depravity^, an attempt was made to carry on the government in accordance with the provisions of the Law. The elders, at first appointed by Moses*, and afterwards by Joshua, or by the common consent of the tribe, we know not which, exercised the necessary civil authority among the peopled Matters of moment, whether of war or peace, but especially the former, including, no doubt, the choice of a leader, were decided upon by a general assembly®, in which counsel was formally asked of God. The occurrences in Mount Ephraim and at Gibeah, which clearly^ occurred during the life-time of the "elders that out- lived Joshua," give us a momentary glimpse of the working of the Mosaic institutions. The last five chapters of the book of Judges depict to us Israel under circumstances such as we never meet again. The memories and traditions of Joshua's ^ See note on ch. i. r. - Josh. xxiv. 19; cf. Rom. iii. ■20; G.il. ii. 16; Hcb. vii. 11, 19. ^ As the narratives in ch. xvii — xxi. shew. * Exod. xviii. 25 ; Numb. xi. 16. " Levit. iv. 15 ; Dcut. xxv. 7, 8, xxix. 10, xxxi. 9, 28; cf. Ruth iv. 2, 4, Josh. xxii. 44; Judg. viii. 16. * Josh. xxii. 12; Judg. xx, i. ' ch. XX. 'zS. l6 INTRODUCTION. government are yet fresh in men's minds. God is still re- cognized as the unseen governor of His people. The high priest formally asks counsel of Him in times of perplexity^. The people weep and fast and offer burnt offerings before His altar*. There is not a hint of idolatry throughout. Marriage with heathen women is a thing not even thought 6P. And the ease with which all Israel is gathered together for war"*, dis- playing as it does so marked a contrast with later times, shews that the military organization established by Moses, and per- fected by Joshua, was still in existence, in all its completeness But this state of things did not last long. The moral strength of the people had not been sufficiently developed to maintain it^ Consequently when the personal influence of the followers of Joshua was withdrawn, it fell into abeyance, and the successful invasion of Chushan-Rishathaim put an end to it, until the time of the great reformation under Samuel®. The worship of Jehovah still continued, but save in individual cases, its in- fluence scarcely extended beyond the immediate neighbourhood of the sanctuary 7. III. Collapse of the Israelitish polity. The theocratic polity of Israel disappears, then, most probably, with the death of Phinehas. Henceforth, individual tribes may possess a governmental organization, individual cities may appoint ^ XX. i8, 23, 28. * XX. 26, xxi. 4. * xxi. 7, 16 — 23. ^ XX. I, 10, 17. ^ " Israel had as yet scarcely found time to imbue itself deeply with the great truths which had been awakened into life in it, and to appro- priate them as an inalienable possession. " Ewald, Hist. Israel, 11. p. 27 1. ® On the importance of Samuel's reformation see Jost, Geschichte des Israelitischen Volkes, i. 199, "As Moses took them out of Egypt," he says, " another was wanted to rescue them from Canaanitish influences. This was Samuel." ^ Hengstenberg adduces the songs of Deborah and Hannah, the character of Gideon, and the Nazarite vow of Samson, as evidence that the old belief had not entirely died out {Geschichte des Reiches Gottes, II. 76). He might have instanced the whole of Sam. i. — iv., including the conduct of Hannah and the character of Eli, as proofs that among the people a devout minority was to be found quite sufficient to make God's Law a living influence, at least to a certain extent, even in the worst of times. See also p. 20. INTRODUCTION. 17 their elders, two or three tribes may combine for common action, but no instance appears of all Israel acting in concert. Everything is confusion and disorganization, except when some leader arises who is capable of arousing the courage of a dispirited people. Then the successful hero becomes the centre of their hopes and affections. The whole government is vested in his person. He "judges Israel," we are told^ That is, the war- like leader becomes, by common consent, a civil magistrate. He exercises full, and if he pleases, almost despotic authority. But the recollection of the Theocracy is yet too vivid to permit of his assuming the title of king of Israel, or of his bequeathing his power to his descendants 2. As the history progresses, the disorganization becomes more complete. The song of Deborah represents the tribes as incapable of a common effort. Judah is not even mentioned^, and historians have wondered at the isolation of this tribe, which, after Othniel, did not produce a single judge, and which is not further referred to in the history except as being partially included in the general distress caused by the incursions of the Philistines and Ammonites. It would seem as if the tribe of Judah (in which the small tribe of Simeon was included)'*, secure in its numbers and mountain fastnesses, had held aloof from, its brethren, and had maintained its inde- pendence until subjugated by the Philistines^ But not only was Judah content to stand apart. Though Ephraim and Ma- nasseh and Benjamin and Issachar gave some slight assistance ^ Some have compared the judges to the Carthaginian and Tyrian suffctes. The names are no doubt of common origin, since the Carthaginians were the descendants of the ancient Phoenicians who spoke a kindred language to the Hebrew. 15ut the stiffetes (Ewald, Hist. Israel, II. 36; Keniick, Phoenicia, p. ■268) were regular magis- trates appointed by public election, and forming an integral portion of the political organization of the people, whereas the Jmlgcs were heroes (cf. Just I. 175) who owed their influence to a victory over their country's oppressors, and whose very office testified to the utter disor- ganization of their nation. * Judg. vii. 23. ^ And was probably therefore not included in Jabin's oppression (Jostl. 178). * See cli. i. 3, 17 ; cf. Josh. xix. i, 9 ; Numb. xxvi. 14. * .See notes on ch. v. 17, viii. i ; cf. also ch. xv. 11, i Sam. iv. JUDGES 2 INTRODUCTION. in the struggle against Jabin^ Reuben, Gilead (i.e. Gad and half Manasseh), Dan and Asher held aloof. Upon Zebulun and Naphtali fell the brunt of the battle^. These two last tribes, with the half tribe of Manasseh and part of Asher, took part in Gideon's attack on the Midianites, and Ephraim came to their assistance afterwards^. No mention is made of any other tribes, save as scoffing at Gideon and his little band*. After the deliverance by Gideon matters became still worse. Shechem, the capital, so far as Israel had a capital, chooses a king for itself without communication with the rest even of its own tribe, and the result is civil war. Jephthah ruled only over the region beyond Jordan ^ The judges who succeeded him were judges only of the northern tribes^. Samson's authority was still more circumscribed, and was due only to the fear inspired by his personal prowess. He does not seem ever to have rallied round him even the scantiest band of his fellow countrymen. And when he is said to have "judged Israel," the words can only refer to an extremely limited area, and a jurisdiction of a most precarious kind, as the words "in the days of the Philis- tines^" clearly imply. A kind of hegemony seems to have been claimed by Ephraim, as possessing the principal city (Hebron, perhaps, excepted^), as well as from its central position, and from the tabernacle worship having been set up at Shiloh, within its borders. But even this undefined superiority was not very cheerfully recognized. Gideon admitted it^, but Judah does not seem ever to have acknowledged it, and Jephthah the Gileadite rejected it with scorn ^'*. IV. Religious Apostasy, This political disorganization was the direct result of the religious declension". The only possible means of supremacy and even of safety for Israel was a resolute maintenance of the worship of the sanctuary i^, for ^ ch. V. 14. 2 ^^ y_ j5 — jg 3 (,}^_ yj 25, vii. 24. * viii. 6, 8. 5 xii. 7. 6 xii. 8 — 14. ^ xv. 20. 8 See i. lo, ix. i (notes). ^ viii. 2. ^^ xii. I — 4. See also Jost I. 195; Hengstenberg li. 72 sqq. ; Hitzig, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, 107; Ewald, Hist. Israel, II. 321. " Wilberforce, Heroes of Hebrew History, 164, 165. 12 Hengstenberg 11. 12, 74; Hitzig 107. INTRODUCTION. 19 it was the only bond of union, and the only guarantee of law and order and political importance that the people possessed. That neglected, there existed no other. They could not trust in their numbers. In civilization they were the inferiors of the Canaan- ites. Simplicity and austere purity of life was their only hope. The grossly sensual worship of the Phoenician gods' was certain to destroy what moral fibre the people possessed. And that, as the latter chapters of Judges shew, was very little. The Mosaic institutions were at present too lofty and pure for a people who had imbibed the vices of slaves, and had been trained in the heathen civilization of their Egyptian masters. The personal influence of men like Joshua and Phinehas no doubt secured a certain amount of external decorum. But occurrences such as those related in Numb. xxv. and judg. xix. shew how insecure was the foundation of public morality. As soon as the worship of Jehovah was abandoned the only safeguard was swept away, and the whole nation speedily became almost as corrupt as its neighbours. The history does not fail to point out the connection between national apostasy and national ruin, and its silence is as eloquent as its direct assertions. Side by side with the complaints of the prevalence of idolatrous worship we may place the absence of any reference to that which God had enjoined. After the invasion of Chushan-Rishathaim there is no mention of a national observance of the law of Moses. The high priest is never once mentioned. Of the tabernacle worship we hear never a word. Micah led the way with his superstitious burlesque of the Mosaic rites''^, in which he had tlie countenance of a descendant of Moses. The Danites soon followed his ex- ample'. Gideon felt himself compelled to substitute the worship of a visible for that of an invisible Jehovah*. A few years later, and, in spite of Israel's repentance^ Jephthah does not appear to have had the slightest knowledge of the provisions of God's law as affecting his vow", nor does any one suggest them to him. Samson and his parents, beyond their acquaintance with the * See note on ch. ii. 11, 13. - ch. xvii. ' ch. xviii. * ch. viii. 27. See Jest I. 183. » ch. X. 16. " See note on ch. xi. 36. INTRODUCTION. precepts relating to the Nazarite vow, betray scarcely the slightest knowledge of the Mosaic institutions^ V. Influence of the Mosaic Law. Yet it would be a mistake to infer from this wide-spread demoralization and this general neglect of the Law that it had been altogether a failure during the period with which we are concerned. What its effect upon individuals was may be seen in the passages already mentioned", as well as in the delightful picture of pastoral simplicity, up- rightness, and piety which meets us in the book of Ruth. The sacred fire was smothered, not quenched. Its rites may have been confined to its own immediate neighbourhood, but the worship of the tabernacle must have been kept up in almost unbroken continuance throughout the whole of the period between Joshua and Samuels The books of Moses still existed as a record of the high ideal set before Israel by Jehovah; a record to which his prophets could and did appeal ^ The distresses and disorders in Israel were the evi- dent results of a disobedience of its warnings. And the na- tional conscience awoke to this fact under the exhortations of Samuel. Thus the period of the Judges was an important stage in the moral and religious development of Israel. It was a time of probation, a time of conflict between untamed nature and the discipline enjoined by God^ Not only were the pre- cepts of the Mosaic law, in their conceptions both of God and of duty, far above the level of the Israelites, they were immeasure- ably superior to any the world had yet seen. And they had been given to a people who were at the time, save in the one point of a traditional monotheism — a tradition we have no reason to believe very clearly comprehended — probably behind rather than in advance of the Egyptians both in philosophical and ethical enlightenment. When Joshua died they had only enjoyed the advantage of the Mosaic institutions for about 60 years, and a ^ Cf. ch. xiv. 3, with the strong prohibition in Deut. vii. 3, and Josh, xxiii. 12. - See p. 16. 3 Ewald 11. 441. ■* ch. iii, I ; 1 Sam. ii. 27 — 30, vii. 3. ^ Bachmann, Com7nenta)y on Judges, Introduction. INTRODUCTION. nation whose institutions are far in advance of themselves do not, as a rule, appreciate them as they should ^ But adversity was to do its work, and recall Israel to a sense of the blessings it had slighted. The reform introduced by Samuel was a pre- lude to the glorious times of David and Solomon. And though a fresh rebellion against God brought in the end fresh distresses upon God's people, yet they never again, whatever their sins may have been, sank so low as in the period covered by this book. Manifold as were the shortcomings of the Jews, grievous as were their misapprehensions of the higher meaning of their Law, that Law never, after this, entirely ceased to be both a witness to the world at large of One God, holy, just and true, Who would reward righteousness and punish iniquity, and a protest against the base, impure, unworthy ideas of God current among the heathen. VI. Israel and her oppressors. A few words should be added concerning Israel's oppressors. The first was a king of Mesopotamia^ no doubt, as his name implies, a monarch of that Turanian dynasty founded by Nimrod in Babylon, before the Semitic kingdom founded by Asshur in Nineveh attained its supremacy. This was probably the last expiring effort of the Turanian power in Babylon. We read no more of Assyria or Babylon till the reign of Uzziah^ And this agrees with the recent discoveries from the monuments, which give us a time of anarchy and decay, previous to the transfer of power from Babylon to Nineveh'*. The next period of oppression marks the last attempt of the Phoenicians to regain their ascendency over the land which 1 We may illustrate this remark by a reference to the history of our own country. The laws and reforms of Ina and Offa, of Alfred, of Henry II., of Edward I. were excellent, but they were not properly carried out, and so, for a time at least, they seemed to fail of their object. The history of rising nationalities in our own time will suggest further parallels. ^ See note on Chushan-Rishathaim, ch. iii. 8. * 2 Kings XV. 19. * See Rawlinson, Ancient Monarchies. Sayce, Babylonian Literature. In the latter a valuable summary of recent discoveries in Babylonian history is given in a small space. INTRODUCTION. had once been theirs. Jabin king of Canaan, no doubt in possession of the resources which centres of commerce like Tyre and Sidon must have amassed, was a powerful monarch i. But his decisive defeat by Barak put an end for ever to Phoenician ascendency in Palestine, The next calamity was of a different character, more re- sembling the incursions of the Danes in our own history. Nomad tribes, known as the "children of the east 2," invaded Palestine yearly, not for conquest, but for plunder, and their ravages caused the greatest terror and distress. But the signal chastisement inflicted on them by Gideon dispersed their bands, and delivered Israel permanently from these disorderly marauders. This deliverance, however, wrought little real good. Since the true source of national strength had been forsaken, Israel lay at the mercy of her enemies on every side. The PhiHstines on the south, and the Ammonites on the east, endeavoured to partition the country between them^ The latter put forth as a plea their desire to regain the territory which was once theirs, but which, after having fallen into the hands of the Amorites, had been occupied by Israel*. The brunt of the Ammonite invasion had to be borne by Gilead. By Gilead, accordingly, it was at last repelled. With Jephthah at their head the trans- Jordanic tribes organized an expedition into the Ammonite territory 5, and put an end to Ammonite endeavours to subdue Israel. The Philistine invasion was of a more formidable character. Dan and Judah were at the mercy of the invaders till the great victory under Samuel^. Samson's exploits, though they annoyed the Philistines, did not shake the foundations of their authority. It is doubtful if he did them as much injury as a guerilla chief might have done'^. For in the time of Eli, who was probably ^ ch. iv. 3. " cli. vi. 3. 2 X. 7 — 9. * xi. 13. 5 xi. 32. ® Sam. vii. 10. ^ Not so much, probably, as the border forays recorded in our history, or the raids by the Highlands upon the lowlands of Scotland. INTRODUCTION. 23 contemporary with Samson, we find the Philistines penetrating beyond Judah and Dan into central Israeli And the whole history of Samson implies that he and his countrymen were under Philistine dominion^. To relate how the Philistine yoke was shaken off is beyond our province. Commenced by Samuel, the struggle was carried on with varying success by Saul until the Philistine power was finally broken by David. CHAPTER III. THE PERSONAL CHARACTER OF THE JUDGES. The history of the Old Testament, as we are often told, differs from ordinary history chiefly in this respect, that while in the latter we must be content as a rule to trace the secondary causes of events, in the Sacred history we are brought face to face with the primary cause, namely the Will of God. And thus it follows that the ethical lessons which all history is calculated to teach, lie more clearly upon the surface in Scripture than else- where. It has already been shewn that an ethical purpose underlies the whole of this history. And we cannot doubt that from the careers of the various Judges we are intended to learn what to imitate and what to avoid. I. Of Othniel, Ehud, and Barak there is little to be said. The significant omissions of the sacred writer in the history of Ehud^ are a sufficient proof of the fact that he did not commend a cowardly assassination. Othniel, we are led to suppose, was a brave and religious man*. Barak was no less personally brave, but he was superstitious. He could not conceive of the assistance of Jehovah without the personal presence of His prophetess "*. ' I Sam. iv. i, cf. vii. 12. " ch. xiii. i, xiv. 4, xv. 11. ' See note on ch. ill. 10. * iii. 12, where the declension occurs after his death. ■> iv. 8, 9. 24 INTRODUCTION. II. Gideon's faith was also of no very robust kind. He possessed, however, a good deal of that sensitive, self-distrusting spirit which seems to mark all those who are called by God to high ventures for His caused And once convinced, he lacks neither courage nor conduct. His natural gifts were of a high order ^ To them he adds a strong sense of duty, regardless of consequences, when his way is clear before him^ His natural disposition was gentle and unassuming, and where there seemed a reason for it, his inclination was toward measures of conciliation^. But he could be stern towards the wantonly cruel and the faithless to God and their brethren'. He had no ulterior aims, either for himself or his family in the deliverance he wrought for Israeli But though he was sufficiently in- structed in the law of God not to take part in the idolatrous worship of Canaan, he was nevertheless unable to rise suffi- ciently above his age to worship God as He had ordained, and he resorts to an unworthy compromise which becomes a source of temptation to himself and to his descendants^. III. Jephthah is a different character. He met with un- fair treatment in his youth, which seems to have had an evil effect on his disposition*. An exile from his country 9, it was not likely that he could have had much acquaintance with the precepts of God's law. So he consorts with idle and dissolute persons^", and the first question he asks when his reputation for bravery brings a request for assistance from those who before had unjustly treated him, relates to his own personal pre- eminence". He was not devoid of great qualities. His reply to the king of Moab is temperate and statesmanlike ^2. But he could fiercely resent an insult, as the misplaced severity of his treatment of Ephraim shews ". His impetuosity of character, his deep parental affection combined with unbending resolution, as ' vi. 15, 22,36 — 40, vii. 10; cf. Exod. iv. 10 — 14, vi. 12,30; Is. vi. 5 ; Jer. i. 6. * ch. vi. 12, 14. 3 vi 27, vii. 15. * viii. 2, 3, 19. 5 viij_ J2 — 21. 6 yijj_ 22_ ^ viii. 27. 8 xi. 7. 9 xi. 3. i" /i>. " xi. 9. " xi. 15 — 27. 13 xii. 6. INTRODUCTION. 25 well as his ignorance of the precepts of his religion, come out clearly in the narrative of his vow. IV. Samson is more fully pourtrayed than that of any other of these ancient heroes of Israel. His individuality, in all its strength and weakness, is placed forcibly before us in this book. He has been regarded by some as a type of his country ^. He might rather be looked upon as a type of humanity at large. His amazing strength, his child-like simplicity, his undisciplined affections, his aspirations after better things, his yielding to the impulses of his passions, his consequent misery, slavery and death, as well as his repentance when it was too late, are only too true a picture of human nature, when un- subdued by the Gospel of Christ. In his history we find some interesting pictures of those far-off days. The simple pastoral life of his father and mother, Samson's choice of a wife — throwing light as it does upon the position of women, and the marriage customs of the age — the marriage feast and its amusements, the scarcely concealed con- tempt of the dominant race for its subjects, the lawlessness of times when might was right" — all these serve to explain the condition of society in southern Israel under Philistine rule. Some have detected a comic vein in the incidents of Samson's career^. But this characteristic of the history appears to be the creation of a vivid imagination. Simplicity and naturalness there is, gradually deepening into tragedy as the dark shadow of sin indulged crept over Samson's life. At first we read of a light- hearted youth, frank, trustful, affectionate, obedient to his parents, rejoicing in the consciousness of a strength which as yet has never been misused. Then the darker shades of his character begin to appear. Promptness to avenge an injury, fierce re- sentment against the oppressors of his country, quickened into action by wounded affections, are developed by the high-handed treatment of the Philistines. And then, after an interval, we ^ Hcngstenberg Ii. 63. ^ See ch. xiv. 15, xv. 6. ^ .See Ewald, History of Israel, li. 399, 400; Milman, ///j/. of the ^ Jews, I. 257. ~ 26 INTRODUCTION. have as it were a second Samson, the older and better self being "as good as buried i", when the second sad chapter of his life begins with ch. xvi. Here we find that " the man who had burst the fetters of his foes could not break the cords of his own lusts'"'. After a course of lawless indulgence, he becomes the helpless slave of one of his paramours. We find him like a moth fluttering round a candle, each time coming more peril- ously near to the fatal revelation of his secret. And then, that secret once revealed, we see him in the hands of his enemies, blinded, fettered, degraded, the sport of those who had once trembled at his name. And it is here that our great poet, with the touch of a fellow feeling, takes him up, and gives us a picture of the hero in his last hours, which is unsurpassed by any effort even of his great genius. Why was my breeding ordered and prescribed As of a person separate to God, Design'd for great exploits, if I must dye Betray'd, Captiv'd, and both my Eyes put out, Made of my Enemies the scorn and gaze ; To grind in Brazen fetters under task With this Heav'n-gifted strength ? Yet stay, let me not rashly call in doubt Divine Prediction ; what if all foretold Had been fulfilled but through mine own default, Whom have I to complain of but myself? But peace, I must not quarrel with the will Of highest dispensation, which herein Happ'ly had ends above my reach to know : Suffices that to me strength is my bane, And proves the source of all my miseries; O loss of sight, of thee I most complain ! Blind among enemies, O worse then chains, Dungeon, or beggery, or decrepit age ! O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse Without all hope of day ! O first created beam, and thou great Word, * Hengstenberg li. 6i. ^ St Ambrose, cited by Keil. See note on ch. xvi. i. INTRODUCTION. 27 Let there be light, and light was over all ; Why am I thus bereaved thy prime decree? The Sun to me is dark And silent as the Moon. To live a life half dead, a living death And buried ; but O yet more miserable ! My self, my Sei)ulchre, a moving grave. Milton, Samson y1_!^on/sies. The exploits of Samson have been thought to have suggested those of the Greek Heracles^. It is possible that the Greek myth may have originated in the incidents of his life. In one respect the Greeks have improved on their model. Samson becomes in their hands no mere local chieftain, fighting "for his own hand " against the oppressors of his country. He be- comes a kind of knight-errant, doing life-long battle against all oppressors and abuses, and yet withal most human. Fired with such burning hate of powerful wrong So loving of the race, so swift to raise The fearless arm and mighty club and smite All monstrous growths with ruin. and yet was the while A very man, not cast in mould too fine For human love, but ofttimes snared and caught By womanish wiles, fast held within the net His passions wove. Eric OF Hades, Ddattcira. Still the Hebrew narrative touches here as ever, a deeper chord of moral truth. Samson's history, like every other in Holy Writ, illustrates the misery of sin and the beauty of holiness. It brings before us a man, strong in the power of a consecration to God's service, and a mission from Him to over- throw His enemies. It represents him as victorious as long as ^ " Ilerculcm Thebanum non male compares, ingenti robore corporis animique, mulieribus addictum." Grolius on Judg. xiv. 15. He is only " the Samson of the inspired record, distorted, and robbed by the thick vapours of heathendom of the moral teaching which breathes everywhere from the history of Manoah's son." Wilberforce, Heroes of Hebrew History, 193. 28 INTRODUCTION, that divine consecration is maintained, and the vow with which it was connected is observed. But the indulgence in sensual lusts is fatal to that consecration \ The strength from above departs, and the victim of sin becomes a miserable slave to those whom in his days of innocence and piety, he had despised. No more striking illustration could be conceived of the tyranny of evil habits, no more moving exhortation to preserve carefully the sources of that strength which cannot be maintained, except by purity and self-control VI. Of the typical character of these heroes of ancient Israel it is not necessary to say much. The whole struggle of the people of God against their heathen environment is, as St Paul imphes^, typical of the struggle of the Christian Church and of the individual Christian against the evil influences around. Each of these deliverers of Israel is moreover in some sense typical of the One great Deliverer of Israel, in Whom all that was great, strong or worthy in humanity finds its counterpart. But there is no marked typical character in the life of Gideon, Jephthah or Samson, such as we see in Moses or Joshua, David or Elijah. Yet the early fathers, Origen, Ambrose, Augustine and others, especially the two former, carry out their allegorical treatment of this history in a number of fanciful details. Perhaps the most effective specimen of this kind of allegory is to be found in St Augustine', in which he compares Samson's arms, ex- tended to grasp the two pillars, to those of our Lord extended on the Cross, and draws a parallel between Samson's death, more fatal to his enemies than his life, and that of Christ, Whose death achieved for mankind what His life in the flesh could never have purchased for them. But, like the solar myths which some discover in the history of Samson'', these creations belong rather to the region of poetry or fancy than of historical fact. ^ "Would that he had been as cautious in preserving grace, as strong in overcoming an animal !" Ambrose, £>e Spiritu Sancto, Bk. ii. ^ I Cor. X. I, 2. ^ Serm. 107, De Temp. * Dr Steinthal, in Prof. Goldziher's Mythology of the Hebrews, who derives Samson (Shimshon) from Shemesh, Sun. INTRODUCTION. 29 CHAPTER IV. THE SONG OF DEBORAH. Hebrew poetry in general would naturally be discussed under the head of the poetical books. But inasmuch as one of the oldest as well as one of the most striking of the lyric poems of the Hebrews occurs in this book, a few words about the prin- cipal features of their poetry may not be out of place. I. Early Hebrew poet7y. The earliest Hebrew poem is the song of Lamech (Gen. iv. 23) ^ Noah's blessings and curse on his sons comes next (Gen. ix. 25). After this comes Jacob's blessing (Gen. xlix). Then we have the first battle ode of the Israelites, the stirring song of Miriam (Exod. xv.). In Numb. X- 35) 36, we have the germ of that magnificent processional Psalm (Ps. Ixviii.) which, according to many commentators of note'-, was composed for the setting up of the ark at Jerusalem, and which embodied part of Deborah's song'. In Numb. xxi. we have numerous extracts from early poems which have not come down to us, such as the song of the wars of Jehovah (z/. 14), the song of the well {v. 17), the song of the victory over Moab {vv. I J — 30). After this the only other poetical pieces which have come down to us are the two songs of Moses in Deut. xxxii., xxxiii., unless the superscription of Ps. xc. be accurate, as many have believed it to be. It is strange that ^ Unless we regard the curse of Adam (Gen. iii. 14 — 16) as poetry. But the prose of strong emotion or solemn prediction often assumes a poetic form. " One may fairly say that a rigorous distinction between poetry and prose was unknown to the Israelitish writers, as it still is to nations on a low level of worldly culture." Rev. T. K. Cheyne in Variorum Teacher'' s Bible. The priest's blessing (Xumb. vi. 23 — 26), may perhaps be a specimen of this border land between poetry and prose. * See Perowne on the Psalms. Ps. Ixviii. Introduction. ' See notes on ch. v. 30 INTRODUCTION. Joshua's victories do not seem to have been celebrated in song, except the extract from the "book of Jasher" in ch. x., which seems to be a quotation of some poem. Nothing more has been handed down to us until the victory of Mount Tabor once more awakened the poetic muse of the children of Israel. 2. Characteristics of Hebrew poetry. The more polished forms of metre and rhyme were unknown to primitive poetry, though the Greeks, as is seen in the poems of Homer and Hesiod, adopted this more exact form at a very much earlier period than other nations. In Hebrew poetry a rude kind of rhythm, accompanied by a good deal of alliteration, is all that is found. The alliteration is much less, conspicuous, how- ever, than it was in the early Anglo-Saxon poetry, in which it was a necessary featured But the one most conspicuous characteristic of Hebrew poetry is what is called parallelism, in which the second portion of a distich embodies an idea in some way corresponding to the first. This was due to the custom of antiphonal recitation, such as we find mentioned in Exod. XV. 21. It is still kept up in a manner in the singing of the Psalms among ourselves. But the rationale of it is altogether lost in our habit of singing the whole verse antiphonally in- stead of only a part of it. Hebrew parallelism is of various kinds, {a) Synonymous parallelism. This occurs when the second portion of the verse simply repeats the idea of the first in different words. This is the most common form of parallelism. We find it in the song of Lamech (Gen. iv. 23), and it meets us frequently in the song of Deborah 2. ^ In Anglo-Saxon poetry the mle was very definite. The lines were divided into couplets, and in each couplet the alliteration was expected to occur twice in the first, and once in the second line. See for instance the following passage from Caedmon : Zfalig & ^^ofon-beorht /('atan fyres. This alliteration is still the chief feature of English poetry as late as Langland, who was contemporary with Chaucer. It has recently been revived with effect by the Laureate. * See w. 3 — 6, 12, 15, iS, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 2S. INTRODUCTION. 31 {b) A7itithetic parallelism. This is where the second member of the sentence expresses the opposite idea to the first. Of this the only instances in Deborah's song are found in vv. 25, 31. This form of parallelism, though it is frequently to be found in .the later Hebrew poetry, is rare in the earlier. But instances may be found in the blessing of Jacob, Gen. xlix. v. 19, 27. if) Corroborative parallelism. A third kind of parallelism is when the second member of the sentence extends and com- pletes the idea of the first. A good instance of this is to be found in the song of Lamech, Gen. iv. 24. It is to be found in the first verse of Deborah's song, where the idea of the readiness of the leaders is reinforced in the second member of the sentence by the responsive willingness of the people. So also in V. 10, 12, 14, 19. Some fine examples of this are to be found in Ps. xix. 7 — II. id) Introverted parallelism. This is where, in four^ clauses, either (i) the first corresponds to the last and the third to the second, or (2) the first to the third, and the second to the fourth. An instance of (i) may be found in Proverbs xxiii. 15, 16: {I My son, if wise be thy heart [3 My heart shall rejoice, even mine also, I4 And my reins shall exult 2 When thy lips speak words of uprightness. An instance of (2) can be found in the song of Deborah itself, V. 19: 1 The kings came, they fought, 3 Then fought the kings of Canaan 2 At Taanach, hard by the waters of Megiddo, 4 Spoil of silver did they not take. > Or even, as has been thought by Bishop Jebb, eight. But the theory has been carried to an extravagant extent. Thus it has been supposed that in Ps. cxxxv. 15 — 18, the first line corresponds to the eighth, the second to the seventh, the third to the sixth and the fourth to the fifth— a supposition altogether destructive of tlie true parallelism of the passage. 32 INTRODUCTION. {e) Beside this simple correspondence of the first and second members of the sentence there is also a construction in which the two parallel members of the sentence lead up to a kind of conclusion or climax. Of this we have many instances in the song before us. Thus in v. 7 we have (i) the faintheartedness of the rulers, (2) the awakening of a new spirit in Israel by Deborah, (3) a heightening of the effect by the words "mother in Israel ;" v. Z carries on the idea to its climax by first intro- ducing the proclamation of war, and next by referring to the unarmed condition of the people. Thus the description of the leaders in Israel {v. 9) is naturally introduced, and in v. 10 this description is again heightened by successive touches. In vv. 15, 16, we have a more definite repetition at the end of the strophe, of the idea with which it commenced, with an inter- mediate parallel sentence placing the scene in descriptive language clearly before our eyes. V. 30 is a good double instance of this construction. (/) And finally, there are many verses in which the second part of the thought has no correspondence to the first, but the two are connected together by a more or less rhythmical flow of syllables. No instances of this occur in the song before us, but they are very common elsewhere. A beautiful example may be seen in Deut. xxxii. 10, 11. 3. Characteristics of the Song of Deborah. Poems like these, in celebration of some great national victory, are common in the literature of every people in its early stages. Our own literature contains one remarkable specimen, included, like Deborah's song, in the national annals. This is the song of the battle of Brunanburh, which unexpectedly interrupts the prosaic details of the Saxon Chronicled Similar specimens of lyric poetry may be found in Ranke's Servia and Montenegro'^. The poems * See Saxon Chronicle, Reign of Aethelstan, A. d. 937. ^ He gives piesmas, as they are called, relating to modern events, such as the conquest of Venice by Bonaparte, and the taking of Cattaro in 1813. The following passage, taken from a piesnia on a battle fought in i83'2, may be interesting as an illustration. "He may go now, the Pacha Namik-Hamil, and pay his court to the pure Tsar of Stamboul, INTRODUCTION. 33 of the Hebrews were sung on festive occasions to the accom- paniment of cymbals and drum or tambourine^, but were probably, like the Greek and other early epic and lyric poems, also recited in a kind of rude chant without such accompani- ment. The song of Deborah is an admirable specimen of such compositions. Though it falls short of Miriam's song in grandeur and solemnity, it is unrivalled in the vigour and picturesqueness of its descriptive passages-. The description of the Reubenites taking counsel in the comfort of their pastoral retreats and yet doing nothing ; the enumeration of the heavenly forces arrayed against Sisera, the fierce energy of the curse on Meroz, suddenly introduced into the vivid picture of the utter rout of Sisera and his chariots, may be instanced as especially fine passages where all is excellent. But the grandest portion of the poem is its conclusion, a climax to which all the rest leads up, wherein Sisera's death is described, and the disappointment of his mother's vain expectations of his triumph. It may safely be said that this portion has never been surpassed by any poetry whatsoever. 4. Historical value of the song. The song of Deborah is invaluable for the glimpse we obtain of the feelings of the Israelites, the conditions and customs of the country, the rela- tions of the tribes ^ As we read it, we not only seem to see the warriors of Israel assembling for the battle, but we see the who had given him the command of his fine Nizams that he might change calves into lions. Serb falcons, how well you put the Imperial Pachas back into the right road with your carbines, that they should not lose themselves and their men in the deep forests." But the earher poetry is much superior to the later. See Ranlce, Montenep-o, ch. iii. — v. 1 Heb. toph. See Exod. xv. 10. Also note on ch. xi. 34. ' " Deborah's hymn of triumph was worthy of the victory. The solemn religious commencement — the picturesque description of the state of the country — the mustering of the troops from all quarters — the sudden transition to the most contemptuous sarcasm against the tribes that stood aloof — the life, fire and energy of the battle — the bitter pathos of the close — lyric poetry has nothing in any language which can surpass the boldness and animation of this striking production." Milman, History of the Jews, i. 247. 3 See Milman, Hist, of the Jeivs, Vol. I. JUDGES 7. 34 INTRODUCTION. pastoral life of the quiet villages, the simple dignity of the men of influence. We see that patriotic feeling and devotion to Jehovah, though rare, were by no means extinct. We see a picture of a downtrodden people, obliged to forsake the beaten tracks, and to wander through hidden recesses. Though the feeling expressed toward Jael may be exaggerated, yet we can understand the revulsion of joy and gratitude which burst forth when the oppressor was slain. And the song contains the most interesting information about the condition and occu- pations of the tribes, the isolation of Judah, the irresolution of Reuben, the indifference of Gad, the selfish conduct of Dan and Asher, engrossed in commercial and maritime pursuits. Nothing else in the sacred narrative gives us such an insight into the inner life of Israel as this song. CHAPTER V. THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE PERIOD. The chronology of the Book of Judges is involved in some difficulty. Upwards of fifty different ways of explaining it have been suggested^ Many of these are fanciful and capricious, but it must be admitted that sufficient data do not exist for the complete solution of the problem. For first of all the notes of time are indefinite, especially after the time of Gideon. Up to that date they are explicit enough. And we are also told that the period of apostasy which followed him commenced "as soon as he was deadV But from the time of Abimelech onward we have no definite marks of time. The narrative simply says "after him." And as Israel grew more disorganized ^ Bennigsen, cited in Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, p. 276 (English Translation). See also Winer, Realw'drterbuch, 11. 527, 8). ^ ch. viii. 33. INTRODUCTION. 35 the sphere of the Judges' influence became more contracted, until the later Judges became, as is evident, mere local authori- ties. Jair seems to have been the last who possessed any general authority, for we read that, though a Gileadite, he died in the land of Canaan ^, which implies that he had lived there. Thus it becomes almost certain that the period between Jeph- thah and the death of Abdon overlaps the narrative of chapters xiii. — xvi., and that this again overlaps the history in i Sam. i. — vi. Again, the periods of seven, twenty, forty and eighty years given in the Book of Judges have all the appearance of being round numbers, rather than exact dates. Any attempt therefore to construct a series of dates for the whole period must necessarily fail. We have then to examine whether there be any definite marks of time which may give us a general, as contrasted with a consecutive, view of the chronology of the period. And this is given (i) by the statement in i Kings vi. i. that the period between the Exodus and the dedication of the temple was 480 years. It is true that this is not absolutely beyond doubt. The LXX. reads 440^, but this reading was generally abandoned even from very early times 3. A second mark of time has been thought to have been given (2) by St Paul in Acts xiii. 20. But the text in this passage varies very much, and it appears more probable that the date referred to the interval between the call of Abraham and the conquest of Palestine. A third standard has been thought to be fixed (3) by the genealogies in the Book of Chronicles*. But this, again, is a somewhat unsubstantial basis for a chronology. In the genealogy of our Lord, given by St Matthew, there are several omissions. The time, moreover, which is covered by these genealogies is shorter than the history requires, and if adopted, leads to the arbitrary attempt, * See note on ch. x. 5, and cf. xii. 7. * In the Vat. and Alex. Codices. Some editions have altered the text to correspond with the Hebrew. * Thus Aquila and Symmachus adopt the present Hebrew text. It is rejected altogether by Canon Rawlinson in the Speaker's Commentary, 1 Kings vi. i, but apparently on insuflicient grounds. * See Speaker^s Commentary, Judges. Introduction. 36 INTRODUCTION. already mentioned, to remove the date in i Kings vi. from the text. Lastly, we have (4) Jephthah's statement that 300 years'- had elapsed since the overthrow of Sihon. We may therefore give the following table of the period be- tween the Exodus (circ. B.C. 1491) and Jephthah's deliverance : The wandering in the wilderness Conquest of Palestine To the death of Joshua 40 years 7 ., 10 ,, The elders that overlived Joshua 10 ,, Chushan-Rishathaim's oppression 8 ,, Othniel's deliverance — rest 40 „ Moabite oppression Ehud's deliverance — rest 18 „ 80 ,, Jabin's oppression Deborah's deliverance — rest 20 ,, 40 ,. Midianite oppression Gideon's deliverance — rest 7 ,. 40 .. Abimelech 3 ,, Tola 23 „ Jair 22 „ Period to Jephthah 368 If we reckon the period of Samuel's judgeship and Saul's reign to be 40 years, David's reign of 40 years and the three years from Solomon's accession to the dedication of the temple (i Kings vi. 1), this will give a period of only 30 years for the events described in chapters xi. — xvi., of the Book of Judges, and i. — vii. of the first book of Samuel. It must be admitted that this interval is too short '^. It is also a question whether the period of 20 years from the settlement of Palestine to the death of the "elders that outlived Joshua" is long enough. Josephus makes Joshua to survive the conquest of Canaan 25 years. But if we suppose, as we have seen there is good reason for doing, that the periods of rest and oppression are round numbers, quite sufficient margin will be left for the extension of these two periods to a sufficient length to satisfy the requirements of the history. And the 300 years mentioned by Jephthah are also sufficiently near to the truth, for deducting the 40 years during which the Israelites wandered in the wilder- ^ Obviously in round numbers. ^ See however note on ch. xiii. i. INTRODUCTION. 37 ness, we have 328 years from the conquest of Heshbon to the time of Jephthah. And if this period be reduced by shortening somewhat the various periods of rest assigned to the children of Israel we have a very close approximation indeed to accuracy in Jephthah's statement. There is every probability, on the other hand, that the events related in ch. xiii. — xvi. may have occurred in the time of Jephthah and his successors, mentioned in ch. xii. Nor is there anything in the history to prevent the narrative of I Sam. i. — iii. from having occurred in the days of Abdon the Pirathonite, for he lived in Mount Ephraim, and that district seems to have enjoyed comparative quiet in the days of Elkanah and Eli. The battle of Aphek may have occurred immediately after his death. The exploits of Samson probably occurred in the dark days which followed this triumph of the Philistines, and synchronize with the period which immediately preceded Samuel's appeal to Israel related in i Sam. vii. 3. It is not pretended that this is more than an approximation to the actual dates of the events related in the Book of Judges. Any attempt to construct an exact system of chronology is clearly impossible. Yet inasmuch as the date usually fixed for the Exodus, and the date actually ascertained from the Egyptian monuments of the accession of Sheshonk, or Shishak, give a period of about 475 years from the Exodus to the accession of Solomon, it may be safely concluded that the date of the occur- rences in this history may be fixed within about 15 or 20 years, as near an approach to accuracy as can be expected. 38 INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER VI. ANALYSIS. PART I. Introduction. The condition of Israel after the death of Joshua : I. — III. 7. Section i. Israel and the Canaanites. (i) The prosecution of the conquest. Defeat and death of Adoni-bezek i. i — q. (2) Caleb's exploits and their results i. 10 — 15. (3) Movements of the Kenites i. 16. {4) Further expeditions of Judah and Simeon i. 17 — 21. {5) Capture of Bethel i. 22 — 26. (6) Inaction of the remaining tribes i. 27 — 36. Section 2. IsraePs apostasy. (i) The message of Jehovah and the repentance of the people ii. i — 5. (2) The contrast in the days of Joshua ii. 6 — 10. (3) The subsequent condition of Israel (a) They served Baal and Ashtaroth ii. 11 — 13. {b) They were delivered into the hands of their enemies ii. 14, rg. (c) Alternate deliverance and rebellion ....ii. 16 — 19. (d) Israel left exposed to her enemies ii. 20 — 23. (1?) The description of these enemies iii. i — 7. PART II. The Judges. Division I. Othnlel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, iii. 7 — v. Section i. Conflicts between Israel and nations external to Canaan^ (i) Oppression by Chushan-Rishathaim and Delive- rance by Othniel iii. 8 — 11. (2) Servitude under Moab and Deliverance by Ehud iii. 12 — 30. INTRODUCTION. 39 Section 2. Renewed conflict with the inhabitants of Palestine. (i) Shamgar and the Philistines iii. 31. (2) Oppression of Jabin iv. i — 3. (3) Barak offers resistance iv. 4 — 14 (4) Battle of the Brook Kishon, Discomfiture and death of Sisera iv. -\' Section 3. The triutnph song of Deborah. (i) Introduction and prelude to Part I. Part I. — the Gathering v. (2 (3 (4 (5 (6 (7 (8 (9: (10 (ri (12 The glorious acts of Jehovah v. 3 — 5. The condition of Israel before Deborah's inter- vention V. 6 — 8. Glorious results of the patriotism of the people .v. 9 — 11. Prelude to second part of song. Part II. — the battle v. 12. The muster v. 13 — 15a. Contrast between the warriors and the laggards .v. 15^. — 18. The gathering of the foe — his discomfiture v. 19 — 22. The curse of Meroz, the blessing of Jael v. 23, 24. Jael's exploit v. 25 — 28. Sisera's mother and her high expectations v. 28 — 30. Conclusion v. 31. Division II. Gideon and Ms son Ablmelech : vi. — ix. Section i, The overthrow of the freebooters. (I (^ (3 (4 (5 (6 (7 {»: (9 (10 (" (12 The oppression by Midian vi. i — 6. The message of the prophet vi. 7 — 10. The Call of Gideon vi. n — 24. The destructionof the altar of Baal and its results vi. 25 — 32. Preparations for the conflict vi. 33 — 40. The selection of the warriors vii. i — 8. The dream, and Gideon's encouragement thereby vii. 9 — 14. The defeat of Midian vii. 15 — 25. The complaint of Ephraim viii. i — 3. The pursuit viii. 4 — 12. The chastisement of Succoth and Penuel viii. 13 — 17, Death of Zebah and Zalmunna and dispersion of their host viii. tS— 21. 46 INTRODUCTION. Section 2. Gideon^s later years, (i) He refuses the crown viii. 24, 25. (2) He establishes a corrupt form of worship viii. 24 — 27. (3) Last days of Gideon — his family viii. 28 — 32. (4) Renewed apostasy of Israel viii. 33 — 35. Section 3. AbimelecKs disastrous reign. (i) Abimelech's usurpation ix. i — 6. {2) Jotham's parable ix. 7 — 21. (3) Gaal's conspiracy ix. 22 — 33. (4) Battle before Shechem. Defeat of Gaal ix. 34 — 45. (5) Further campaign and death of Abimelech ix. 46 — 57. (6) Judgeship of Tola and Jair x. i — 5. (7) Renewed Apostasy of Israel x. 6 — 9. (8) Repentance of Israel and preparations for resist- ance X. 10 — 18. Division II. Jephthah and his successors : xi., xii. Section i. yephthaKs deliverance. (i) Jephthah's antecedents and election to the leader- ship xi. I — II. (2) Jephthah's negotiations xi. 12 — 28. Section 2. yephthah and his daughter. (i) Jephthah's Vow xi. 29 — 33. (2) The fate of Jephthah's daughter xi. 34 — 40. Section 3. yephthah and the Ephraimites, xii. i — 7. Section 4. yephthaKs successors, xii. 8 — 15. Division III. Samson's exploits and fate. Section i. Satnson^s birth, xiii. i — 25. Section 2. Samson's marriage and its results. (i) Samson's marriage xiv. i — 11. (2) The riddle and its consequences xiv. 12 — 20. (3) Samson's revenge xv. i — 8. (4) Samson delivered to the Philistines xv. 9 — 13. (5) The destraction of 1000 men with the jaw-bone of an ass xv. 14 — 17. (6) The miracle at Lehi xv. 18 — 20. INTRODUCTION. 41 Section 3. Samson's Fall. (i) Samson's exploit at Gaza xvi. i — 3. (2) Samson's infatuation for Delilah and her treachery xvi. 4 — 20. (3) Revenge and Death of Samson xvi. 21 — 31. PART in. Incidents illustrative of the social condition of IsraeL Ch. xvii. — xxi. Division I. Mlcah and the Danltes. Section i. Mica/i's idolatry. (i) Micah's theft and image worship xvii. i — 6. (2) The Levite appointed Micah's priest xvii. 7 — 13. Section 2. The settlement at Laish. (i) The exploring expedition xviii. i— 10. (2) The Danites seize Micah's teraphim xviii. 11 — 21. (3) The complaint of Micah and its result xviii. 22—26. (4) The capture of Laish xviii. 27—31. Division II. The outrage at Giheah and its punishment. Section i. The outrage, xix. i — 30. Section 2 . The war between Israel and Benjamin. (i) The deliberation and decision of Israel xx. i — 10. (2) Israel's action and Benjamin's reply xx. 11 — 17. (3) The conflict xx. 18—48. Section 3. How the tribe of Benjamin was preserved from, extinction^ xxi. I — 25. THE BOOK OF JUDGES. Chap. I. i — 9. TJie prosecution of the Conquest of Canaan. N ow after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the 1 children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall Chap. I. 1—9. The prosecution of the Conquest of Canaan. 1. Noiv...it came to pass] Literally, '* and it came to pass." These words are the usual ones in Hebrew for the continuation of a narrative. So Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges i and 2 Samuel, and 2 Kings begin. Exodus, Deuteronomy (according to the Peshito and the Alexandrian Codex of the LXX.), and i Kings begin with the copulative conjunction only. It is obvious from this commencement, that the book of Judges is marked out " as a link in the chain of books which in unbroken connection relate the history from the creation of the world to the exile of the inhabitants of the southern kingdom" {Bertheaii). Thus we may infer that these books were from the first intended to form the authorized collection of historical books of the Jewish nation. after the death ofyoshnd]. This fixes yet more distinctly the purpose of the author of the book of Judges to continue the history from the point at which the book of Joshua had left it. It will be observed that these words correspond verbally with those that form the com- mencement of the book of Joshua, substituting Moses for Joshua and omitting that title of respect "the servant of the Lord" (or rather "Jehovah" — see note below) which in this special position seemed only suitable to the founder (under God) of Jewish institutions, though the title "servant of Jehovah" is given to Joshua, naturally enough, at the close of the record of his great doings, in Josh. xxiv. 29, and is quoted from thence in this book in ch. ii. 8. asked the Lord] No doubt "after the judgment of Urim" (see Numb. xxvii. 21), as in ch. xx. 18, 23, 27; i Sam x. 22, xxii. 10, and many other places. The Targum says that the MeimWa, or Word of God, was consulted. For the Lord, here and elsewhere read yehovah, or, as is preferable, yahveh, the name by which Israel's God was distinguished from the gods of the nations round about. The name signifies Him of Whom existence can be predicated as an attribute — the self-existent, and it is identical with the third person of the verb to be. 44 JUDGES, I. [vv. 2—4. go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against 2 them? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, 3 I have delivered the land into his hand. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites ; and I likewise will go 4 with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and JVka shall go up] This expression must not be pressed, with some commentators, to mean "go up" literally into the mountainous country which formed the greater part of the inheritance of Judah. It was the ordinary word for an aggressive military movement (see Josh, viii. 3; Judg. XX. -23), though no doubt the expression originated with the fact that fortresses in those early times were usually situated on heights. for tcs] As yet Israel was united as one people, and the tribe or tribes who commenced hostilities would be conferring a considerable benefit on the rest. Jirst] Literally, at the beginning. The LXX. render as the leader, and the Vulgate and will be leader of the war. The Chaldee steers a middle course between the two renderings. But our own translation is preferable. Judah only (with Simeon at Judah's special invitation) was designated to undertake this expedition. 2. And the Lord said] No doubt, as Josephus says {Ant. V. i), the officiating priest was Phinehas. Cf. Josh. xxiv. 33, and Judg. XX. 28. 3. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother] This mode of speaking of the tribes as though they were individuals is common in Scripture. See for instance ch. xi. 27. The sense of unity was soon lost by the nation at large, but its existence as regards the tribes was far more tenacious. The choice by Judah of Simeon for an ally is explained by the fact (see Josh. xix. i, 9) that the inheritance of the comparatively small tribe of Simeon had been taken out of that of Judah. Blunt {Undesigned Coijicidenees, i. 25) supposes the tribe of Simeon to have been involved in the transgression of Zimri (Numb. xxv. 14), and that this accounts for the smallness of their numbers, which is recorded as 59,300 in Numb. i. 23, and as 22,200 in Numb. xxvi. 14. The choice of Simeon, as here recorded, is itself a coincidence, and could hardly have occurred to an inventor. lot] A natural expression, so soon after the tribes had had their possessions divided to them by lot. See Josh. xv. i, xvi. i, xvii. I, &c. 4. the Canaanites] The word, derived from the root signifying to bow down, was originally applied to the low-lying strip of coast between the mountains and the sea. But as the Canaanites or low-landers pros- pered commercially, they became the dominant people of the land, which ultimately derived its name from them. To the Gentile world they were known as Phoenicians, the inventors of letters, the originators of V. 50 JUDGES, I. 45 the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. And they found Adoni-bezek in s Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the commerce, the patrons of the arts. The principal feature which struck the Jews was their gross licentiousness, which was hardly a crime in the eyes of heathen nations. For these abominations (Levit. xviii. 24 — 28; Deut. ix. 4) they were doomed to destruction. the Perizzites] The best authorities seem to have come to the con- clusion that the inhabitants of Palestine were a mixed race, and that — the Hittites excepted, see note on v. 26 — as a rule they obtained their names not from ethnological considerations, but from their geographical position or habits of life. Thus the Hiviteswere the dwellers in villages (Havvoth, see Havoth-jair, Numb, xxxii. 41, Deut. iii. 12, Josh. xiii. 30), engaged in pasture, while the Perizzites were the dwellers in the open country (Perazim or Perazoth, see Deut. iii. 5; i Sam. vi. j8; Esther ix. 19), and were occupied in cultivating the land. See articles on Hivite and Perizzite in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. See also last note and that on v. 34. Also ch. v. 7, 11. and they slew of them] Literally, smote them, ten thousand men. Most likely the extermination of their enemies is implied in the Hebrew text. Our version, which follows the Vulgate here, gives a different impression. The LXX. renders as above. Bezek] This place has not been identified. Keil would make it one of the two cities mentioned in the Onomasticon of Eusebius and Jerome, situate seven hours north of Shechem. But it is most un- likely that Judah and Simeon carried out operations so far from their own border. Mr Conder, in his Bible Handbook, would identify it with Bezkah, near Lydda. This is scarcely more probable. Canon Tristram, in his Bible Places, more wisely leaves it unnoticed. Cassel conjectures with some probability that it was not a town, but a district ; but he assigns no convincing reasons for placing it near the Dead Sea. With the aid of i Sam. xi. 8, and vv. 3 and 8 we may, however, be able to obtain a clearer idea of its whereabouts. It must have been near Gibeah of Saul (i Sam. xi. 4), and Gibeah of Saul (see note on chap. xix. 12) was not far from Jerusalem in a north-easterly direction. It must have been to the north of Judah, for had it been in the south Judah would have proposed to go into Simeon's lot, and not have asked the assistance of Simeon to go up into theirs. Lastly, it was not far from Jerusalem, for Adoni-bczek fled there, and the reduction of Jerusalem was one of the final results of the expedition. 5. Adoni-bezek] With this name compare Adoni-zedek in Josh. x. i. Its meaning, according to Rosenmiiller, is simply lord of Bezek, as Adoni- zedek is lord and Melchizedek king of righteousness. Nothing more is known of this king beyond his confession of cruelty below, which shews him to have been a powerful monarch. The way in which he is men- tioned confirms this. And yet there is nothing in the book of Joshua 46 JUDGES, I. [vv. 6, 7. 6 Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adoni-bezek fled ; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his 7 thumbs and his great toes. And Adoni-bezek said, Three- score and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to hint at his existence, nor do we know for certain where the seat of his power was. But we may gather from v. 7 that his head-quarters were at Jerusalem. It is possible that he may have been the son of Adoni-zedek, who appears (Josh. x. i) to have been the chief monarch in these parts, and possibly, like many other Eastern monarchs, he had been associated with his father in the regal dignity. This seems the more probable, since no king, after the invasion by Joshua, was in a position to inflict the cruelties which are detailed below. The idea that he was king of Jerusalem derives additional probability from the fact that among the cities taken by Joshua Jerusalem is not numbered, in spite of Adoni-zedek having been the leader of the confederation annihilated at Beth-horon. After the overthrow and death of Adoni-zedek, his successor would find a safe retreat in a mountain fastness like Jerusalem. See Josh. x. 23 — 26, xv. 63. sleiv] Literally smote, as above. 6. caught hifu'] Or rather laid hold on liim, took him, as we say, that is, took him prisoner. cut off his thumbs and his great toes] It does not appear that the Israelites were accustomed thus to mutilate their foes. It was no doubt done in this case as an act of retribution on the cruel monarch who had inflicted this barbarous punishment on so many others. This cruel punishment was common among heathen nations. The Athenians liad the thumbs of the defeated Aeginetans cut off that they might not wield the spear, though they handled the oar. Curtius (De rebus gestis Alex. V. 17) tells us how the Persians cut off the hands, feet, and ears, of four thousand Greek captives and thus kept them for a perpetual laughing-stock. 7. Threescore and ten kings] Palestine appears to have been divided into a host of petty states, for every city Joshua took appears to have had its king (see also Josh, xii.), nor do we find any city, save Gibeon and the Philistine cities, which was not under regal government, though Josh. xi. 3 seems to imply that some were so. Many of these kings were no doubt vassals of the more powerful monarchs. gathered their meat under 7?iy table] More literally, gleaned under my table. The word signifies to collect one by one, or slowly, various objects, as stones, flowers, ears of corn when gleaning (Ruth ii. 8, &c.). It here implies the difficulty with which these poor mutilated objects picked up the food their haughty master flung to them on the ground. Athenaeus [Deipnosophist, iv. 152) tells us how the king of the Parthians used so to fling food to a courtier, who had to catch it like a dog. Some authorities, as Grotius reminds us, have similarly described the treatment vv. 8, 9] JUDGES, 1. 47 to Jerusalem, and there he died. Now the children of 8 Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight 9 against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. of the Ottoman Sultan Bajazet by Tamerlane. The story of the iron cage appears to be authentic, though Tamerlane's cruelty has possibly been exaggerated. See Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chap. 65. 8. Nozv the children of Judah had fought^ The natural translation is and the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, i. e. after the capture of Adoni-bezek. Our translators have supposed that the transactions related in this and the following verses preceded the ex- pedition related above. It is often difficult to trace the sequence of events in Hebrew from the lack of a pluperfect tense in that language. It seems probable, from a comparison of this verse with Josh. xv. 63 and 1 Sam. v. 6, 7, that though Judah and Simeon took Jerusalem and set the city on fire, the Jebusites retired into a citadel from which their enemies failed to dislodge them, and ultimately re-occupied the city. See note on z'. 10, 21. Also ch. xix. 10. with the edge of the s7vord] Literally, at the mouth of the sword, no doubt in reference to the devouring nature of war. set the city on frel This expression, literally to send into the fire, occurs for the first time here, and is therefore a sign of the independent authorship of this book. See also ch. xx. 48. 9. mountain'] T-qv 6puvr)v, LXX., the very expression used by St Luke and translated "the hill country of Judaea." A large part of the territory of Judah was mountainous, and the hills round Hebron rose to a height of about 3000 feet. Dean Stanley (Sinai and Palestine, p. 161) describes the physical features of the country, "the rounded hills, the broad valleys, the scanty vegetation, the wells in every valley, the vestiges of terraces, whether for corn or wine," as well as the ruins on the hill-tops, testifying to the former populousness of the territory. the south\ Two words are used in Hebrew to designate the south, the one signifying actual direction, the other having reference to the physical characteristics of the land. The latter (Negeb) is used here. The term signifies dryness or drought, and this (see Achsah's speech in V. 15) was the actual nature of the country. "For a few weeks late in the spring-time a smiling aspect is thrown over the broad downs, when the ground is reddened by the anemone in contrast with the soft white of the daisy and the deep yellow of the tulip and marigold. But this flush of beauty soon passes, and the permanent aspect of the country is not wild indeed, nor hideous, or frightfully desolate, but, as we may say, austerely plain ; a tame, unpleasing aspect, not causing absolute discomfort while one is in it, but left without one lingering reminiscence 48 JUDGES, 1. [v. lo. 10 — 15. Caleb's exploits and their results. And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath- arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. of anything lovely, awful, or sublime." G. S. Drew, Scripture Lands, p. 6. the valley'] low country, margin. The word in the original is Shephelah, and it is applied to the tract of undulating country that ex- tended from the mountains to the coast. Its fertility made it a great con- trast to the Negeb. Cf. for this word Deut. i. 7 ; Josh. x. 40, xii. 8. It is variously translated in the A.V. 10—15. Caleb's exploits and their results. 10. And Jiidah went] This expedition is related in Josh. xiv. 13 — 15, XV. 13 — 19. This passage is clearly a quotation from the book of Joshua. The verbal divergences are infinitesimal, while remarkable expressions, which occur nowhere else, are copied. Josephus, Antiq. V. 1,2, regards this expedition as occurring after Joshua's death. But a consideration of Caleb's age (see Josh. xiv. 10), makes it almost certain that for "went" we should translate had gone, and regard this passage as referring to an earlier campaign. See note on v. 8. Hebron] This city, standing at a height of 2,700 feet above the Mediterranean, a mountain fastness inhabited by tribes of such gigantic height and strength as to be pre-eminent even among the giant tribes of Canaan (Numb. xiii. 28, 33 ; Deut. ix. 2), might well call for the bravest and best of the Israelites to attempt its conquest. It was founded seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numb. xiii. 22), When we first hear of it, Mamre the Amorite dwelt there (Gen. xiii. 18, xiv. 13). Yet the children of Heth, or Hittites, had possession of it a little later (Gen. xxiii.), while here it is in the hands of the Canaanites. As several of the various tribes of Palestine are mentioned in this chapter {pv. 4, 33, 34 — 36), we are precluded from supposing that the names are used loosely as synonyms. The place was a sacred one already to the Israelites, for not only had Abraham pitched his tent there, but he and Sarah were buried there. See beside the passages already quoted. Gen. XXV, 9, 10. It was celebrated in the after history of Israel as the place where David reigned before the capture of Jerusalem. Huge blocks of stone still remain to attest the strength of the "cities walled up to heaven" which the Israelites were enabled to capture, while the site of Abraham's sepulchre has been preserved to us by a chain of tradition the authenticity of which it is impossible to doubt. It was visited by the Prince of Wales and his stiite in 1862, See Stanley, Sermons in the East, p. 141 sqq. It is now called the Haram, or enclosure, and is surrounded by a mosque. Kirjath-arba] Or, the city of Arba. It might also mean the city of four, and the Rabbinical writers explain this by a tradition that the vv. II, 12.] JUDGES, I. 49 And from thence he went against the inhabitants ofn Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. And Caleb said. He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh 12 four patriarchs Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their wives (see Gen. xxiii. 19, xxv. 9, xxxv. 29, xlix. 30, 31) were buried there. Also they say that four men of mark, Abraham, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, dwelt there. But Arba is explained in Josh. xiv. 15 to be "a great man among the Anakims," or as a more literal translation would put it, ^' the greatest man among the Anakim was he." Again in Josh. XV. 13 we are told that he was the father of Anak. For the curious mistranslation of the word man (Adam) in the Vulgate, followed by our Wiclif, in Josh. xiv. 15, see note there. Sheshai, Ahitnan, and Taliiiai\ Cf Josh. xv. 14. Josephus states that after the siege of Hebron many bodies of men of immense stature were found among the slain, and that the bones of some of them had been preserved until his day. 11. Dcbir\ Also called Kirjath-sepher (the city of the book) and Kirjath-sannah (the city of the palm, or the city of the doctrine, cf the word Sunnites among the Mohammedans) Josh. xv. 49. Debir has recently, and with great probability, been identified by Lieutenant Conder with Dhaheriyeh {Quarterly Paper of Palestine Exploration Fund, Jan. 1S75). Other travellers, e.g. Ritter, had previously described it as a place of importance; and Wilson {Lands of the Bible, I. 351) remarks on the fact that the sites of five out of the ten cities mentioned in con- junction with Debir in Josh. xv. are found in the immediate neighbour- hood. Other reasons for the identification are (i) that the main roads of the district appear to have met here, (2) that there are traces of ancient dwellings, and (3) that though in an arid district, there are springs of water (see v. 15) at no great distance. To which we may add (4) that the name (properly D'vir) has not been altogether lost in the modern name. Kirjath-sepher'] See last note. The origin of this name, as of Kirjath- sannah, has been much disputed. But since recent discoveries have proved the Hiltites, who inhabited some portion of Palestine, and who had (see note on last verse) evidently settled in this immediate neighbour- hood, to have been an intelligent, cultivated, and powerful nation, there seems less reason than had previously been supposed for rejecting the theory that this town had been the headquarters of the culture of Palestine. The word D'vir (oracle— see i Kings vi. 5, 19 — 22) may have some connection with the same idea. And Fiirst [Lex. s. v.) says that d'vir in Phoenician signifies a book, 12. And Caleb said] The writer now leaves his general narrative and begins to quote the very words of Josh. xv. He evidently has had it in his mind before, but what the book of Joshua has distinctly assigned to Caleb is here described more generally as the work of the tribe to which he belonged. But this introduction of Caleb, without explanation, proves that the writer was aware of the fact that he con- JUDGES 4 so JUDGES, I. [vv. 13—15. '3 it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: M and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field : and she lighted from off her ass ; and 15 Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou ? And she said unto ducted the expedition against Hebron. Caleb's origin is difficult to trace. He is called the Kenezite, or rather Kcnizzite, in Josh. xiv. 6, 14, from which some have inferred that he was of Gentile origin (see the Bishop of Bath and Wells' article in the Dictiottary of the Bible, and cf. Gen. XV. 19). It is difficult to unravel the perplexed genealogy of I Chron. ii., iv. But we are told (Exod. xii. 38) that "a mixed multi- tude" went up with the Israelites out of Egypt. Among them Kenites (v. 16 and ch. iv. 11) were certainly found, and possibly some of the Kenizzites, who were of kindred race, and the genealogy in I Chron. ii. and iv. is connected both with Kenites and Kenizzites. See I Chron. ii. 55, and iv. 13, 15. Then the appearance of all the tribe of Judah to plead the cause of Joshua's old comrade would suggest that some reason must have existed for their presence in sup- port of his claim, as well as what is said in Josh. xiv. 14, which would seem to imply that this conduct was something especially meritorious on Caleb's part. See also the article on Caleb in Dean Plumptre's Biblical Studies. Also Josh. xv. 13. to him will I give Achsah my daughtei-\ Cf. i Sam. xvii. 25; i Chron. xi. 6. 13. Othniel the son of Kenaz'\ Seech, iii. 9 — ir; also Josh. xv. 17. The Hebrew does not enable us to decide whether Othniel or Kenaz were Caleb's brother. Ewald is inclined to the former view {History of Israel, I. 251, cf. Ii. 286, note). As Caleb was the son of Jephunneh, the latter appears probable, but it is of course possible that the term son of Kenaz is equivalent to Kenizzite in Josh. xiv. 6, 14. In the genealogy of I Chron. ii., iv., the names Caleb and Kenaz appear to have been family names. For the construction, see Numb. x. 29; 2 Sam. xiii. 3, 32, &c. The family of Othniel was of importance in Israel down to the time of David. See i Chron. xxvii. 15, where his family and that of the Zarhites {vv. 11, 13) are mentioned, and cf. Josh. vii. 17. 14. a field'\ So it is in Josh. xv. 18. Here it is the field, i.e. the particular portion of land she ultimately obtained. lighted] The word only occurs here and in the original passage in Josh. XV. and in ch. iv. 21 of the nail sinking (or crashing) down into Sisera's temples. It is impossible to say whether gradual or rapid motion is meant. What ivilt thoi{\ Or, what is the matter with thee. Literally, •what to thee. Achsah's conduct evidently caused surprise to Caleb. Most likely she suddenly flung herself from the ass and sunk on her knees in an imploring attitude. vv. 15, 16.] JUDGES, I. 51 him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land ; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. 16. The movements of the Keniies. And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, ,6 went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the 15. a blessuigl See Gen. xxxiii. 11; i Sam. xxv. 27; 2 Kings V. 15. a south /and] Literally, a land of the dry region {Negeb, see note on V. 9). the upper springs and the nether springs'\ Six miles and a half north of Dhahariyeh are found fourteen springs or pools on different levels, no doubt the upper and lower pools mentioned here. See Lieut. Conder's statement already quoted (note on v. 11). 16. The movements of the Kenites. 16. the Kenite] Cf. Gen. xv. 19; Numb. xxiv. 21; and see ch. iv. 11; I Sam. xv. 6, xxvii. 10, xxx. 29; i Chron. ii. 55. Moses' father in law] Rather, brother in law. See note on ch. iv. II. Cf. Numb. X. 29 — 32, where Hobab, Jethro's son, is called a Midianite, in agreement with the narrative in Exod. ii., iii. We learn from this passage that Hobab responded to Moses' appeal. the city of palm trees] Jericho — see ch. iii. 13; Deut. xxxiv. 3; 1 Chron. xxviii. 15. No trace of the palm-grove now remains, but it has only gradually disappeared. It is said that its last vestiges might have been seen as late as the year 1838. Relics of it are sometimes washed up from the Dead Sea even now. The name Jericho (city of fragrance) was no doubt derived from its situation in the midst of the palms. wilderness of Judah] Where John the Baptist preached (Matt. iii. i). "It is a plateau of white chalk, 2000 feet lower than the watershed, and terminated on the east by cliffs which rise vertically from the Dead Sea shore to a height of about 2000 feet. The scenery is barren, and wild beyond all description. The chalky ridges are scored by innu- merable torrents, and their narrow crests are separated by broad flat valleys. Peaks and knolls of fantastic forms rise suddenly from the swelling downs, and magnificent precipices of ruddy limestone stand up like fortress walls above the sea. Not a tree nor a spring is visible in the waste, and only the desert partridge and the ibex are found ranging the solitude." Conder, Handbook to the Bible, pp. 213, 214. It lay between the Hebron range of mountains and the Dead Sea. 4—2 $2 JUDGES, I. [vv. 17, 18. south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17 — 21. Further prosecution of the expedition of Judah and Simeon. 17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed 18 it: and the name of the city was called Hormah. Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the Arad\ See Josh. xii. 14. Now Tell 'Arad, about twenty miles south of Hebron. " A white crowned hill, with traces of ruins, a day's journey west of the south end of the Dead Sea." Tristram, Bible Flaces, p. 11. 17 — 21. Further prosecution of the expedition of Judah AND Simeon. 17. ZephatK\ Supposed by most explorers to have retained its ancient name, and to be the present Sebaita in the midst of the Negeb. Robinson, however {Biblical Researches, III. 150), prefers Es-Sufah. Called Hormah first, because of the terrible defeat inflicted on the Israelites by the Amalekites (Numb. xiv. 45), and afterward because of the destruction of the Canaanites related in this passage and in Numb. xxi. 3. Hormah (see margin of Numb. xxi. 3) signifies utter destruction. See next note. Also Josh. xii. 14, xix. 4 ; i Sam. xxx. 30 ; 1 Chron. xiv. 10. The name Hormah only is used by Moses. Only here and in 2 Chron. xiv. 10, is the older name used. utterly destroyed it] The word cherem, used of the destruction of Jericho and the other Canaanitish cities, originally means to shut up (whence our word Harem). Hence in the Hiphil or causative voice it comes to mean cause to shut up, thence to cotisecrate, and thence to devote to utter destruction, io place under a ban. From this word Hormah (see last note) is derived. 18. GazcC\ The scene of one of Samson's greatest exploits. See ch. xvi. 3. One of the five lordships of the Philistines, Josh. xiii. 3 ; I Sam. vi. 17, 18. It had apparently not been captured in Joshua's time, see Josh. x. 41, xi. 22. As it appears to have been again in the hands of the Philistines in the time of Samson and Samuel (see passages just cited and ch. iii. 3), the Israelites could not have held it long. The LXX., however, which is followed by Josephus, inserts a "not" here, and continues it throughout the verse. This reading agrees better with what follows. Josh. xi. 22 seems to bear out this reading. See also ch. iii. 3. Gaza is sometimes called Azzah in Scripture (Deut. ii. 23 ; 1 Kings iv. 14; Jer. xxv. 20). It is now called Ghazzeh. with the coast thereof] Literally, and her border. The word coast (French cdte) from the Latin casta, a rib or side, had the same sense of w. 19, 20.] JUDGES, I. 53 coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. And the 19 Lord was with Judah ; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. And they 20 gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled side as the French word now has. The Hebrew word is translated indifferently by coast and border in our version. Askeloti\ More properly Ashkelon, known later as Ascalon, now Askalan. One of the five Philistine lordships (see passages cited above). It lay on the Philistine coast, about midway between Gaza and Ashdod. It is mentioned in later times (see Jer. xxv. 20, xlvii. 5, 7). It was famous in the history of the Crusades as having been besieged and taken by Richard I. "Within the walls and towers now standing Richard held his court." Stanley, Suiai and Palestine, p. 257. Ekron^ This was also one of the five lordships of the Philistines. It soon returned under the hands of the Philistines. See i Sam. v. 10, vi. 17. It lay near what ultimately became the border of Judah, though it probably, like Gath, fell under Israelite dominion in the reigns of David and his immediate successors (i Chron. xviii. i). 19. but cotdd not drive'] Judah is the nominative to the verb here, not, as some objectors to the inspiration of Scripture have supposed, Jehovah. The successes of Judah are ascribed to Him who gave them. But his failures are his own. Had he had faith enough, no chariots of iron would have enabled the inhabitants of the valley to resist him. Cf. Josh. xi. 4 — 6, xvii. 16, 18. It is of course possible (see note on last verse) that Judah may have taken the cities of the 'Emek by a sudden assault, but have been unable to hold them. valley] Here 'Efnek, generally a wide valley enclosed by hills, though sometimes it is used in a sense equivalent to plain. It seems as though it is here intended to signify the Shephelah (see v. 9). chariots of iron] These seem to have caused much dread to the Israelites. They seem even to have appalled the stout heart of Joshua (Josh. xi. 6). What these chariots were is uncertain. Scythe-chariots ("chaarys full of weepnes in manner of sithis," Wiclif) do not appear to have been known to the Egyptians, and Xenophon in his Cyropaedia says that Cyrus introduced them from the Sc)thians. It is therefore possible that they were ordinary war-chariots such as we find described in the Iliad. See, for further information, Dr Cassel's note in Lange's Comtnentary, translated in Clark's Theological Library. Also the Article "Chariot" in the Dictiofiary of the Bible. The LXX. renders here most curiously otl Ti/xci^ SiecTelXaro avrois, leaving the word " chariots" untranslated, no iloubt from the difficulty mentioned above. 20. as Afoses saitf] See Numb. xiv. 24 ; Josh. xiv. 9. Caleb, in the latter passage, mentions circumstances which Moses has not re- corded. The only satisfactory explanation of his words seems to be that the spies separated, and that Hebron was the place visited by Caleb. The text follows the narrative in Joshua. 54 JUDGES, I. [vv. 21—26. !i thence the three sons of Anak. And the children of Ben- jamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusa- lem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. 22 — 26. Capture of Bethel. 22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against 23 Beth-el : and the Lord was with them. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el. (Now the name of the city 24 before tvas Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. 25 And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword ; but they let 26 go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day. the three sons of Anak'] Their names are given in v. 10. 21. did not drive out the yebusites] See v. 8. The only possible solution of the difficulty appears to be that suggested above, v. 8. The tribes of Judah and Simeon assaulted the city and set it on fire, but left the garrison to be dislodged from the citadel by the Benjamites, which they failed to do. In fact it was never thoroughly done. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 16; I Kings ix. 20; Ezra ix. i. unto this day] We cannot absolutely conclude that the book of Judges was written before the time of David from this verse. See last note. 22—26. Capture of Bethel. 22. Beth-el] Now Beitin. This town lies at the head of the ravine running up among the mountains from Jericho to Ai. It was on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin. Here Abraham encamped " having Beth-el on the west and Ai on the east" (Gen. xii. 8). Here was Jacob's vision (Gen. xxviii. 19), whence its name, which, as we are here told, had formerly been Luz (Gen. xxxv. 6, xlviii. 3). It is not re- corded as having been taken when Ai fell (Josh. viii. 28), though its inhabitants were engaged in the battle (Josh. viii. 17). Probably only a few of its men of war were left, and Joshua hastened on to the ceremony at Shechem described in the latter part of the same chapter. 24. spies] Literally, watchers. 26. the land of the Hittites] It is now discovered that the Hittites were a mighty nation ("the contemporary Egyptian inscriptions desig- nate them as ' the great people,' " Brugsch, Hist. Egypt, 11. 2), who v.. 27.] JUDGES, I. 55 27 — 36. The iiiaction of the remaining tribes. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth- 27 shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and were for a long period the successful rivals of the Egyptian and Assyrian empires. The seat of their power was Carchemish, and they attained to a considerable degree of cultivation, as the sculptures and general remains recently discovered incontestibly prove. An interesting dis- covery has been made during the present year (1881), Lieut. Conder has just identified the sacred city of the Hittites. It has been found on the banks of a lake close by the river Orontes, just as it is de- picted on the Karnak temple erected to commemorate its capture by Rameses II. The sculptor "has chiselled," says Brugsch {Hist. Egypt, II. 46), "in deep work on the stone, with a bold execution of the several parts, the procession of the warriors, the battle before Kadesh, the storming of the fortress, the overthrow of the enemy, and the camp life of the Egyptians." 27 — 36. The inaction of the remaining tribes. 27. Betk-sheatt] Later Scythopolis, now Beisan. This city stood in a noble situation on a bold bluff of limestone, surrounded by deep and almost inaccessible ravines — "a sort of Gibraltar on a small scale." See a vivid description of the prospect from the ruined site in Tristram, Land of Israel, pp. 501, 502. It was properly within the boundaries of Issachar, but had been assigned to Manasseh on account of the small- ness of its own territory (Josh. xvii. 11). and her to7vns] Literally, daughters, i.e. a group of smaller towns at no great distance from the capital of the district. See Josh. ix. 1 7, where the daughter cities seem to have been within a radius of about five miles. Taanach^ Sometimes Tanach, now Td^nak or Ta^aiiik. It is described by Bartlett [Egypt and Palestine, 476), as " the hill-spur of Ta'annuk." Generally coupled with Megiddo. These were also towns assigned to Manasseh out of Issachar and Asher. See Josh. xii. 21, xvii. 11; I Kings iv. 12. Taanach became a Levitical city, Josh. xxi. 1^. Dor] See Josh. xi. 2, xvii. 11. Now Dandora or Tantura. This city was once a strong place, and the seat of the trade in Phoenician dye, which was obtained from one or two species of shell-fish (the vnirex trunctdus and the helix iatilhina) and was famous in early times, as innumerable passages from ancient authors shew. Pliny gives a description of the fish from whence it was obtained in his N^atural History, 9, 36. It stands "on a low mound near the sea" (Tristram, Land ojf Israel, p. 105), spoken of as the Napheth Dor (heights of Dor) in Josh. xi. 1. Ibleam] See z Kings ix. 27. 29 3° $6 JUDGES, I. [w. 28—30. her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 23 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among Megiddo] This has generally been identified with Lejjun (the Latin I.egio), but as a place called Mejedda has been found at the foot of Gilboa, and as the majority of places in Palestine retain their ancient names, the latter place is now thought to be the true site. Megiddo is a remarkable place in some respects. Beside being the place where Josiah met his death, it is mentioned under the name of Magedi in the lists of towns captured by Thothmes III., supposed by Brugsch and others to have been long anterior to Moses. It is mentioned also in a book of travels of the reign of Rameses II, also, according to high authority, before the Exodus. See Records of the Past, 11. 106. And the writer of the book of the Revelation selects it, under the name of Armageddon (Har or Mount Megiddo) as the scene of the last great conflict in the world's history (Rev. xvi. 14, 16). would dweir\ i. e. willed to dwell. Cf. German woilen. Not began, as the Septuagint translates (the Chaldee has "left them to dwell"), for this, though grammatically admissible, would be historically false. "Whenever this word occurs, it seems necessary to take it as expressing acquiescence itt offered conditions, ^^ Dr Cassel in loc. See Exod. ii. 2 1 ; V. 35 of this chapter, and ch. xvii. 11, where our version has "was content," i.e. with an offer. Also ch. xix. 6. 28. they put the Canaanites to tribtite\ See the similar passage in Josh. xvii. 13. This was what they were strictly forbidden to do (Exod. xxiii. 31 — 33; Deut. vii. i — 6, &c.) and the cause of all their mis- fortunes. 29. Gezer^ See Josh. x. 33. It became a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 21 ; I Chron. vi. 67), but the Canaanites were allowed to dwell with the Levites (see Josh. xvi. 10). One of the most interesting results of the researches of the Palestine Exploration Fund has been the discovery at Tell-el-Jezer of the boundary stone of the city, with inscriptions in Greek and Hebrew. The fact of Greek being found on it shews that the boundary was placed there at a period subsequent to the Babylonian captivity. The city was captured by the king of Egypt (we are told — I Kings ix. 16 — that it was still inhabited by the Canaanites) and was restored to Solomon when he espoused Pharaoh's daughter. It was an important stronghold in the days of the Maccabees (i Mace. ix. 52 ; 1 Mace. X. 32). It is there called Gazara. 30. Kitron, NahaIoI\ The former, perhaps, the same as Kattath and the latter certainly the same as Nahallal in Josh. xix. 15. See also vv- 3I-33-] JUDGES, I. 57 them, and became tributaries. Neither did Asher drive out 3* the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the 32 inhabitants of the land : for they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth- 33 shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt Josh. xxi. 35, ■whence we learn that Nahalol was a Levitical city. The places have not been identified. The Jerusalem Talmud reads Tzippori for Kitron, and this has been identified with Seffurieh. On what au- thority this reading is based does not appear. The LXX. has Kerpdv. 31. Afc/io] Now St Jean d'Acre, a town more famous in modern than in ancient history. It is situated about ten miles north of Mount Carmel, and was known as Ptolemais in Roman times, having been rebuilt by one of the Ptolemies during their supremacy in Palestine (i Mace. V. 15, 22, X. I, &c. See also Acts xxi. 7). It was taken by Baldwin in the first crusade, A. D. 1104, retaken by Saladin 1187. Richard I. and his allies retook it four years later, and about forty years later still it became the seat of the kingdom of Jerusalem. Edward I. defended it with success, but it finally fell into the hands of the infidels in 1291, when 60,000 Christians were either killed or sold for slaves, and the great Christian order of Knights Templar was almost entirely destroyed. The attack on Acre by Napoleon in 1799, repulsed by Sir Sidney Smith with the aid of a few English sailors, brings its interest for Englishmen down to a comparatively recent period. Zidon] Called Great Zidon in Josh. xi. 8. The city, now called .Saida, retains but little of the commercial importance of the renowned Phoenician city, in Homer's time the home of the arts, the centre of Phoenician civilization. The remains of various ages are to be seen there, from the massive stone-work of the ancient Phoenicians to the remains of Roman temples and Mohammedan mosques. See Kenrick, P/ioenia'a,\). I7sqq.; Robinson, Biblical Researches, III. 415; Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 36 sqq., and almost any work of travel in Palestine. Ahlab] Afterwards Giscala, now el-Jish. a considerable distance from the sea, and N.W. of the Sea of Galilee. Achzib] The Greek Ecdippa, now ez-Zib, about 10 miles north of Accho. Aphik] Most probably the Aphek of Josh. xiii. 4, xix. 30. If so, it was the place where the Syrian Aphrodite was worshipped, and where Thammuz, the Syrian Adonis, was yearly lamented. SeeEzek. viii. 14. The ruins of the temple, so famed for its licentious worship, may still be seen at Afka, on the north-west slopes of Lebanon. They are described by Tristram, Bible Lands, p. 307, as " magnificent ruins," in "a spot of strange wildness and beauty," and as lying beyond Beirut or Beyrout. See also Kenrick, Phoenicia, pp. 310, 311. Kehob] See Josh. xix. 28. Also ch. xviii. 28. 33. Beth-shemesh] The house of the sun, i.e. the place where the 58 JUDGES, I. [vv. 34, 35- among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land : never- theless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath 34 became tributaries unto them. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain : for they would not 35 suffer them to come down to the valley : but the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim : sun was worshipped. See Josh. xix. 38. Not to be confounded with Beth-shemesh, the Levitical city, in the tribe of Judah (see Josh. xv. 10, xxi. 16 ; I Sam. vi. 13 — 20). 34. the A77i07-ites\ The tribe of Dan occupied a small piece of territory taken out of the north-west of the tribe of Judah. It was not sufficient for them (see Josh. xix. 47, and Judg. xviii. i). We find from this passage that the Shephelah here was in the hands of the Amorites. The word Amorite is supposed by Ewald, Fiirst, and Gese- nius to mean highla7ider. Amir in Is. xvii. 9 means the topmost part of a tree. The analogy of the kindred Semitic tongues is in favour of this. Thus Amori means in Syriac a hero, and Emir in Arabic a ruler. See note on ch. iii. 5. If here they had descended from their mountain fastnesses and occupied the Shephelah, we must not forget that Sihon occupied a mountain district (Numb. xxi. 24) ; that Maaleh-akrabbim (see note below) was in the midst of a mountain district. In Gen. xiv. 7 we find them in the mountainous country near En-gedi (cf. 1 Chron. xx. 2), and the mountains of Hebron are inhabited by Mamre the Amorite (Gen. xiii. 18, xiv. 13). forced'^ Literally crushed, arctavit, Vulg. The word is used of Balaam's foot, crushed by the ass against the wall, Numb. xxii. 25. Hence the insufficiency of the Danite territory to contain them. valley] Emek, in the original. See note on v. 19. 35. woidd dwell] See note on v. 27. in mount Heres] Mount Heres (Heb. Har-cheres, literally sun-moun- tain) has been supposed by some to be identical with Ir-shemesh (city of the sun) in Josh. xix. 41. They have gone so far as to identify it with Beth-shemesh (house of the sun), the present Ain-Shems. 13ut this is impossible, as Beth-shemesh was in Judah (Josh. xv. 10), and a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 16). No doubt as these cities were close to the borders of Dan and Judah, there may have been a temple of the sun in one place and a city in the immediate vicinity, and that the dividing line of the two tribes fell between them. That Har-cheres was a moun- tain district so named from its proximity to these places appears very probable. The LXX. translates "potsherd-mount," cheres signifying also a potsherd. See also Is. xix. 18. Aijalon, Shaalbim] The former is now Yalo. Called also Ajalon, Josh. x. 12. This was also a Levitical city (Josh. xxi. 24). Shaalbim meets us in Josh. xix. 42 as Shaalabbin, where, however, the difference is almost entirely in the Masoretic pointing, and in the later form of the Hebrew plural. The LXX. renders "in which" (i.e. in Mount Heres) " are the bears and the foxes." Ajalon most likely means deer- vv. 36; I.] JUDGES, I. II. 59 yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. And the coast of the Amorites 36 was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward. Chap. II, i — 5. The message of Jehovah and the repentance of the people. And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to 2 Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and (not bear) ground, and Shaalbim yi);c-city, ox Jackal-c\\.y. See note on ch. XV. 4. the house of yoseph'\ The most powerful of the tribes, who seem here to have come to the assistance of their Danite brethren. 36. The coast of the A/Horites'] See note on v. 18. This must have been a distinct kingdom from that of Sihon, separated from it by the kingdoms of Moab and Ammon. The historian clearly refers here to the Amorite border before the invasion. goingup to Akrabbiui\ Called "Maaleh-acrabbim" in Josh. xv. 3, and " the ascent of Akrabbim " in Numb, xxxiv. 4. Akrabbim signifies scorpions (Wiclif translates "the stiynge up of Scorpioun"), and the ascent in question has been identified by some with the Wady-es- Suweirah, where, as De Saulcy tells us, scorpions may still be found under almost every pebble (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 113). But nothing is positively established beyond the certainty that it was one of the numerous mountain passes at the south-western extremity of the Dead Sea. the roch] Supposed by many expositors to be the city of Petra, which also signifies " the rock." Wiclif translates by '" Petra," following the Vulgate. From Numb, xxxiv. we learn, apparently, that Maaleh- akrabbim was at the north end of the desert of Zin, and that the boundary of the Israelites ran southward along that desert unto its southern extremity at Kadesh. Now Petra, which lies at the foot of Mount Hor, is close by the desert of Zin, and there seems therefore no reason to doubt that "the rock" is Petra (see 2 Kings xiv. 7, where Selah is "the rock"), and that the Amorite border crossed the great depression called the Ghor, which extended from the southern extremity of the Dead Sea to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. The word "upward," which has been held by some commentators to mean "northward," must be taken in its literal meaning, "upward" from the Ghor into the mountain district. See also Numb, xxxiv. 7, 8. Ch. II. 1—5. The message of Jehovah and the repentance OF the people. 1. an angel] Such is the almost universal use of the word in Holy Scripture. Hag. i. 13 is an exception, and some commentators would 6o JUDGES, II. [v. 2. have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers ; and I said, I will never break my covenant with I you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of incorrectly include Mai. iii. i among the exceptions. See also ch. xi. ii, where it means messejiger. It is used apparently of a priest in Eccl. v. 6, as God's mouth-piece, cf. Mal.ii. 7; and of Israel (Is. xlii. 19) as one sent to proclaim God's truth, but faithless to his trust. The only ground for doubt- ing its meaning here is that the messenger is said to have come from Gilgal, which is inexplicable in the case of an angel. Keil's explanation that the " Captain of the Lord's host" appeared to Joshua at Gilgal (Josh. V. 13) is unsatisfactory for two reasons, (i) that he did «o/' appear to Joshua at Gilgal but in the immediate vicinity of Jericho, as the Hebrew text clearly implies, and (2) that he must in that case have been regarded in the sacred writer's mind as having abode there ever since, which for many reasons is hardly probable, and especially since the taber- nacle was (Josh, xviii. i) set up at Shiloh. We are thus reduced to a balance of probabilities, whether it were more likely that the word should have been used here in an unusual sense, or that the angel of the Lord could have been said to " come up from Gilgal." The further statement of Keil that no prophet ever so thoroughly identifies himself with his message as this, that he always begins with "thus saith Jeho- vah" (cf. ch. vi. 8), does not seem to be exactly accurate. Isaiah makes very little use of this formula, and many of the utterances of the other prophets do not commence with it. The Targum regards the messenger as a prophet, while Kimchi and Drusius tell us the majority of the Rabbis suppose the speaker to have been Phinehas. Jrom Gilgall or the Gilgal. It appears impossible to doubt that two places at least must have been the camping place of the Israelites in Joshua's time, the first the modern Jiljulieh, close by Jericho ; the second, now Jiljilia, near Bethel. See note on Josh. ix. 6. From the double meaning of a circular spot and that of rolling (see Josh. v. 9), it came to be the name given to the early Israelite encampments. It is impossible to say which of these two places is meant here. to Bochim'\ Of Bochim, which (see margin oiv. 5) signifies weepers, nothing more is known. / madeyoti to go\ The use of the Hebrew imperfect here has been a difficulty to commentators. The LXX. and Vulgate solve it by trans- lating it by the ordinary past tense. Possibly the tense, which refers ordinarily to unfinished action, here implies that God's intention in bringing them out of Egypt was to settle them securely in Canaan, and that this intention had been frustrated by their disobedience, while the use of the perfect in "and I have said" implies that God's word, once uttered, was irrevocable. and 1 said^ Gen. xvii. 7. 2. no league] See Exod. xxiii. 31; Deut. vii. 2, 3; Josh. ix. 7, xxiii. 12. Literally, covenant. vv. 3—6.] JUDGES, II. 6i this land ; you shall throw down their altars : but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I 3 also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of 4 the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lift up their voice, and wept. And they s called the name of that place Bochim : and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. 6 — 10. The Condition of Israel U7ider Joshua. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of 6 Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess throw down their altars] A quotation from Exod. xxxiv. 13; Deut. vii. 5, xii. 3. Better, to break down. The LXX. adds "break to pieces their images," from Exod. xxxiv., and translates the word here used by "dig down." See ch. ix. 45. why have ye done this .?] Or, what is this that ye have done? 3. as thorns] These words are added by our translators, with some of the Rabbis, from Num. xxxiii. 55 ; Josh, xxiii. 13. But the text does not require it, and the LXX. supplies no such word. But the LXX. read tzar for tzad here, the Hebrew letters answering to r and d being very much alike. In that case the proper translation would be " as adversaries" instead of "in your sides." This is also the reading of the Chaldee paraphrase and the Vulgate. 5. they sacrificed there unto the Lord] Some have contended that Bochim must have been some particular spot at Shiloh. But though the ordinary ritual of the Law could only be performed at Shiloh, it does not appear that special sacrifices on special occasions could not be offered elsewhere. See i Sam. xiii. 13, 14, where Samuel does not appear to have blamed Saul for offering a sacrifice at that particular place, but for having taken upon him the priest's, or more strictly, in this case, the Prophet-Levite's office. Cf. also ch. xi. 11, note. 6 — 10. The Condition of Israel under Joshua. 6. And when yoshua had let'] The absence of a pluperfect tense in Hebrew has led to some discussion whether this verse is to be regarded as referring to events before or after those recorded in the last five verses. But the statement oi v. 10 disposes of the difficulty, and proves that what has been stated above took place some time after Joshua's death. This section is clearly a quotation from the book of Joshua, and is intended (i) to connect the following history with that in the book of Joshua, and (2) to mark the contrast between Israel in his days, and Israel in after years. 62 JUDGES, II. [vv. 7— II. 7 the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that 8 he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant 9 of the Lord, died, ieing an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath- heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. \ 10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet not the works which he had done for Israel. II — 23. Israel's trafisgression after Joshua! s death. 11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of 7. outlived\ Translated owr/iz'^a^ in Josh. xxiv. 31. Lit., as marg. prolonged their days after. great] This word is not found in the parallel passage in Joshua. It is not unimportant to discover why. The answer is that in the book of Joshua, written possibly even before the apostasy of Israel recorded in ch. iii., there is no thought of such a rebellion against God as this book records ; but here, where the author is proceeding to relate the backslidings of Israel, the word is designedly introduced to mark his sense of the grievousness of their sin. 9. Tim7iath-]ieres\ Called Timnath-serah in Josh. xxiv. 30. The LXX. has Timnath-serah here. But the reading Timnath-heres (Tim- nath of the sun), is an early one. From it the Rabbinical tradition has arisen that he at whose word the sun stood still, had a representation of the sun upon his sepulchre, and hence the name. But it is probable that the letters were transposed by an early copyist. Timnath-serah has been identified with the modern Tibneh, among the mountains of Ephraim, where there are some remarkable rock-hewn tombs. But Jewish tradition, fixes the site at Kefr Haris, and Jewish tradition, which has preserved Abraham's sepulchre and Jacob's well, has beeri__ thought by the majority to be a safe guide here. Of the hill Gaash nothing is known, save its mention in 1 Sam. xxiii. 30, and i Chron. xi. 32. H— 23. Israel's transgression after Joshua's death. 11. evil] The original is stronger, the evil, i.e., either the evil which brought upon them the troubles related in this book, or rather by way of emphasis, "that which was evil," as it is often rendered in the A. V. V. 12.] JUDGES, II. 63 th^ Lord, and served Baalim: and they forsook the Lord 12 God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed them- Baaliitil Literally, lords. Either (i) as a pliirnlis excellentiae, like Elohim, or (2) with Drusius, a general name for all the Baals of Syria who were worshipped under various names (perhaps as Lenormant and Eertheau suggest, from being "secondary divinities, emanating from the substance of the deity and mere personifications of his attributes") such as Baal-gad, Baal-hermon, Dagon of the Philistines, Melkarth of Tyre, Moloch and Milcom of the Ammonites, Chemosh of Moab and the like (ch. x. 6, i Kings xi. 5, 7). The number of the places to which the word Baal was prefixed shews the universality of the worship in Palestine before Joshua. Various opinions have been held concern- ing the attributes of Baal. Keil says (i) that he was "a sun-god, and as such the vehicle and source of physical life and of the generative and productive powers of nature." The learned Movers {Die Phoiiizicr, I. 190) regards him (2) as having united in himself the characteristics of the sun-god. Mars and Saturn, i.e. "the engendering, preserving, and destructive principles." The early Assyrian worship separates the worship of Bel from that of Samas the sun-god (see Rawlinson, Ancient Alonarchics, ii.). And such words as Beth-shemesh, Ir-shemesh, Kir- heres and perhaps Timnath-heres (but see last note) imply that the sun was worshipped separately in Palestine. But, however this may be, one thing is certain, that the worship of Baal was a grossly licentious wor- ship, fatal to the morals of all who took part in it, and therefore rightly an abomination in the eyes of the Jews. 12. and (hey forsooJi\ Cf. Deut. xxxi. 16, 17. "The securitie of any people is the cause of their corruption ; standing waters soone grow noysome. Whiles they were exercised with warre, how scrupulous were they of the least intimation of idolatry? the newes of a bare altar beyond Jordan (Josh, xxii.) drew them together for a revenge, now they are at peace with their enemies they are at variance with God : It is both hard and happy not to be the worse with liberty ; The sedentary life is most subject to diseases." Bp. Hall, Contemplations, (Ed. 1617), So also Juvenal, Sat. vi. 292 : "Nunc patimur longae pacis mala. Saevior armis Luxuria incubuit victumque ulciscitur orbem." And Tennyson, Maud, vi. 5 : "It is better to fight for the good than to rail at the ill." The Lord God of their fathers^ "The Lord" in this passage is Jehovah in the original, thus contrasting the name of the God of Israel with the name of the Phcunician deity. Render, Jehovah, the God of their fathers. 64 JUDGES, II. [vv. 13—15. 13 selves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. 14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he dehvered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their 15 enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and provoked the Lord to anger'\ We must never lose sight of the fact that this was no mere contention for forms of worship, but that the most frightful moral contamination clung to the worship of Phoenicia and Syria. Lenormant {Ancient History of the East, II. 223) refers to its gloomy and repulsive character, issuing as it did in the cruel practice of human sacrifices. See also Levit. xviii. 24 — 28. 13. Ashtarothl This goddess, the Assyrian Ishtar, the Syrian Astarte, the Greek aster, and our star (though Canon Rawlinson denies the connection of the Semitic and Aryan roots here) seems to have combined the conception of the Greek Hera, Artemis and Aphrodite, and was worshipped botli as the moon-goddess and as Venus. She was usually represented with a crescent, which might have denoted either, since the phases of Venus (Sayce, Babylonian Literature, pp. 50 — 56) were known to Chaldean astronomers. Numbers of altars have been discovered, especially lately, among the Hittite remains which are now so frequently brought to light. One is in the Fitz- william museum at Cambridge, with a male figure, representing Baal, on one side, and a female figure with a crescent, representing Ashtaroth, on the other. Her worship was that of " the second nature-godhead which was honoured as the female principle in conjunction with Baal the male principle" (Bertheau). Under all three characters of Baal (see note above) he was allied with a female principle, the Astarte of Syria, who herself appears in various forms, as has been already stated. This conjunction of male and female deities was also a characteristic of the ancient Chaldean and Assyrian worship. See Rawlinson, Aftcienl Monarchies. The worship of Astarte, originally pure, gradually as- sumed the grossest possible character, and one of its chief seats was Aphek or Aphik (ch. i. 31). The tablets of Rameses II. recording his wars with the Hittites, mention Astert as one of their deities. 14. spoilers'] This word, which occurs first in this passage, is a mark of independent authorship. See Introduction. Also 2 Kings xvii. 20. sold them] This term represents the absolute giving up into the hands of their enemies. It is no doubt derived from the idea of selling a slave. The converse process is redemption. The expression is frequently used in this book, and occurs elsewhere in Deut. xxxii. 30 ; I Sam. xii. 9. Cf. also i Kings xxi. 20 ; 2 Kings xvii. 17. 15. as the Lord had said] In Levit. xxvi. and Deut. xxviii., xxix. vv. i6— 18.] JUDGES, II. 65 as the Lord had sworn unto them : and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which 16 delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they 17 went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fa- thers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so. And when the Lord raised them up 18 judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the %vere greatly distressed^ Lit. ivere in great straits, as in 2 Sam. xxiv. 14, cf. Geii. xxxii. 7 ; i Sam. xxx. 6. The word in the original signifies to be narrow, hence to be pent up, or pressed down. 16. Judges'] Shophetim, from a word related to shebet, or shevet, a staff ox rod (the English shaft), hence a tribe. Some think the word is derived from the idea of setting upright, like the German richten (whence Richter, judges). Some, though with less probability, derive it from the staff of office borne by the judge (cf. Horn., Iliad, I. 234 ; XVIII. 505). The Carthaginian term stiffetes is kindred to the Hebrew shophet. For this and for their office, see Introduction. 17. And yet] Lit. and also. The meaning is that they would not listen even to the judge who had delivered them. So the LXX. and Vulgate. went a whoring] This expression must not be understood only of the spiritual sin of leaving the God to whom they had been espoused (see Jer. ii. 2 ; Ezek. xvi. ), but literally also. See Exod. xxxiv. 15, 16 as well as notes on Baalim and Ashtaroth and the narrative in Numb. xxv. bozved themselves] Or prostraUd themselves, probably touching the ground with the forehead, as Eastern nations do still at their devotions. The word is most frequently found in connection with another verb, "and they bowed the head and worshipped," the word translated " worshipped " being the one used here. With this whole passage compare Ps. cvi. 34 — 45. obeying] Lit., to hearken to. but they did not so] There is no bid in the original. The words "tiiey did not so" or "thus," are in close connection with what pre- cedes; "they turned in haste from the way in which their fathers walked, to hearken unto the commandments of the Lord : they did not thus." 18. the Lord was zvith the judge] Nothing great was done, accord- ing to the writers of the Old Testament, but by God's help (see Deut. viii. 17; Ps. xliv. 3). Even the artistic skill of Bezaleel and Aholiab, who prepared the "cunning work" for the tabernacle, was the result of God's spirit dwelling in them (Ex. xxviii. 3, xxxi. 3, xxxv. 31). This is as true now as it ever was, in spite of man's frequent misuse of God's gilts. JUDGES e 66 JUDGES, 11. [vv. 19—23. judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. X9 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, f/ia^ they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them ; they ceased not from their own doings, nor 20 from their stubborn way. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel ; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their 21 fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice ; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the 22 nations which Joshua left when he died : that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. 23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them it repotted the Lord\ This is one of the many instances of condescen- sion to the imperfection of human speech which are to be found in the Scriptures. See Gen. vi. 6 ; Jonah iii. 10, &c. Strictly speaking, God never repents. His nature is unchangeable (Numb, xxiii. 19 ; i Sam. XV. 29; James i. 17). But his attitude to man is relatively changed when man turns to him, as is the case here. Therefore the change of relations between God and the sinner when the latter forsakes his sin, is not inaptly described by the figure in the text. vexed them'] This is one of the phrases which are almost peculiar to the book of Judges, and which occurs for the first time here. It seems to have the notion of thrusting violently or stamping upon. 19. when the Judge was dead] " How powerfull the presence of one good man is in a Church or State, is best found in his losse." Bp. Hall. ceased not] Lit. caused not to fall, or, as marg., let nothing fall, stubborn] Lit. hai-d. It is the expression translated j//^- necked in Exod. xxxii. 9, xxxiii. 3; Deut. ix. 6, 13. 20. people. Rather, nation. See the translation in v. 23. It is the less familiar of the two prose words for people in Hebrew. It is the term used for the Gentiles " the nations." Another word ('«;«) is used when the "people of the Lord" are spoken of. 21. henceforth] Ox, any more. Heb. I will not add, drive out] See Josh, xxiii. 13. left when he died] See ch. iii. i — 3, and Josh. xiii. i — 6. 23. left] Heb. caused to remain, or rest. It was never God's intention to deliver these nations into the hand of Israel at once. See Deut. vii. 22. But these nations were used by God as a test of Israel's steadfastness in resisting the seductive temptations to which a residence in the midst of Canaanitish worship exposed them. w. 1-3.] JUDGES, III. (>^ out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. Chap. III. i — 7. The influence of the heathen nations remaining in Canaan. Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to 3 prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generations of 2 the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof: namely, 3 five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Ch. III. 1 — 7. The influence of the heathen nations REMAINING IN CaNAAN. 1. leff] See last note. as viaity of Israel as had not known"] See ch. ii. lO. 2. v:ight knoiv\ This construction is elliptical. The translation is " that the children of Israel might know — to teach them (i. e. that they might be taught) — war, at least those who before had not known them," i. e. wars. The Vulgale gives the sense well, "ut postea discerent filii eorum certare cum hostibus et habere consuetudinem praeliandi." Ber- theau, however, translates "that the Lord might know the children of Israel to teach them war." This verse is not contradictory to ch. ii. 1^, 23. War was a necessity to the children of Israel if they were to retain their possession of Palestine in the face of the three great military monarchies, the Egyptian, the Assyrian and the Hittite, which bordered on them. As they must necessarily be able to retain their possessions by the sword, it might be very reasonably considered that one valuable result of the presence of the Canaanite and other tribes in Palestine was to train the Israelites in warlike exercises. at the /east] This is the same word as that translated "only" above, thereof] i.e., as the Hebrew shews, the wars of Canaan. 3. fve lords] The Hebrew word seren, here used, is applied exclusively to the Philistines. Its precise meaning is doubtful (the LXX. renders it satrapies), but it shews that at this early period the Philistines, like the Gibeonites (Josh. x. 2), were not under a kingly government, as they were in the days of Saul and David (i Sam. xxi. 10). The five lordshij^s of the Philistines were Gath, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashke- lon and Ekron. See Josh. xiii. 3 ; i Sam. vi. 17. Philistines] This people was of Egyptian origin (Gen. x. 14; Deut. ii. 23; I Chron. i. 12). They were closely related to the Caphtorim, who were, as Ewald and Hitzig believe, Cretans. Winer {Realworter' bitch, s. V.) supposes these last to have come over at an early period and dispossessed the Canaanitish aborigines, the Avim or Avvim. These writers (see also Kilter's Geoi^raphy of Palestine, III. 278), believe the 5—2 68 JUDGES, III. [v. 4. Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath. 4 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whe- ther they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Cherethites and Pelethites who, with the Gittites, formed David's body-guard (2 Sam. xv. 18) to have been Cretans and Philistines. If this be the case, we have an additional illustration of the kinship of these two peoples. And that it is not altogether improbable we may infer from i Sam. xxx. 14; Ezek. xxv. 16; Zeph. ii. 4, 5, as well as from the fact that Ittai, a Gittite, or native of Gath, was one of David's trustiest soldiers (2 Sam. xv. 19, 21). So also was Uriah the Hittite, 2 Sam. xi. 3. For a more detailed account of the Philistines see the Commentary on i Samuel in this series, Appendix, Note IV. Hivites\ Or rather Hivvites, inhabitants of villages. See note on Perizzites, ch. i. 4. This tribe were to be found in the extreme north (cf also Josh. xi. 3) at Gibeon (Josh. xi. 19), and at Shechem in the days of Jacob (Gen. xxxiv. 2). in mount Lebanon^ The range of mountains in the extreme north of Palestine, famed to this day for their renowned cedar-groves. from mount Baal-her7non'\ The LXX. read "mount Hermon," but see I Chron. v. 23. Lenormant supposes Hermon to have received this name as one of the places where Baal was worshipped. See notes on ch. ii. 11, xx. 33. Hermonl Called Sirion and Shenir (Deut. iii. 9 ; i Chron. v. 23 ; Ps. xxix. 6; Cant. iv. 8); also Sion — not to be confounded with the more famous Zion, which is differently spelt — in Deut. iv. 48. This magnificent mountain, the highest in Palestine, and visible from nearly every part of the Holy Land (see Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 609, Thomson, Land and the Book, p. 2, Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 395), forms the southern extremity of the Anti-Lebanon range, which runs parallel to the Lebanon range in a north-easterly direction. It rises to a height of 9,200 feet and is covered with perpetual snow. the entering in of Hamath^ See Numb, xxxiv. 8; Josh. xiii. 5. This was the border of Israel at the time of its highest prosperity ( i Kings viii. 65 ; 2 Kings xiv. 25). The expression refers to the northern extre- mity of the great depression between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon range known as the Buk'eia, or Coele Syria, spoken of by Van de Velde as "an entrance formed by nature itself." See also Robinson, Researches in Palestine, Appendix II., and Later Biblical Researches, sec. 12. Perhaps the most accurate explanation of the meaning of the phrase would be "up to the mouth of the valley which opens out upon Hamath," which stood, not in the valley, but on the Orontes, some fifty miles north of its entrance. vv. 5— 7. J JUDGES, III. 69 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, $ Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebu- sites : and they took their daughters to be their wives, and 6 gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, ^ and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. 6. Canaanites'] The inference from these words is that these were not genealogical, but geographical appellations. The inhabitants of Canaan seem to have been a congeries of various races, who adopted a common Semitic language, and were attracted to the country (i) by the commercial facilities afforded by its sea-coast, {2) by the fertility of its lowland districts, and (3) by the strength of its moun- tain fastnesses. Such a people (see Rawlinson, Historical Illustrations of the O. T., p. 27), the ancient Babylonians seem also to have been, though the phenomena presented by their language are not precisely identical. Peaceful in their habits, and enervated by luxury, the Canaanites desired only to dwell safely in the pursuit of agriculture and commerce. The word Canaanite signifies loivlander, Amorite kigh- lander, Perizzite dweller in the open country., Hivite du'dler in villages, Jebusite probably thresher. The Hittites alone seem to have preserved their national designation, as emigrants from an important Turanian kingdom which existed outside the limits of Palestine. See note on ch. i. 4. Also Movers Die F/ibnizier, 11. 1.3. Brugsch, Hist. Egypt, u, 3. 6. And they took their daughters'] The sacred writers are very care- ful to point out the evil of marriages with unbelievers. See Gen. xxiv. 3, xxvi. 35, xxvii. 46; Exod. xxxiv. 16; Deut. vii. 3, 4; i Kings xvi. 31; 2 Chron. xviii. i (with which compare xix. 2, xxi. 6, xxii. 10, 12). 7. the groves] So the LXX. and Vulgate. \ieh. Asheroth. This is not the same word as Ashtaroth. It begins with Aleph not 'Ain. They were usually wooden pillars, as is shewn by the fact that they were often cut down and burned. See 2 Kings xxiii. 6, 15. Also Deut. xii. 3. The stone pillars of Baal were on the contrary said to be "broken down." See Exod. xxxiv. 13 ; Deut. vii. 5, &c. Some, as Bertheau and Heng- stenberg, have held that the Asherah was a wooden image or symbol of Astarte. But the learned historian of Phoenicia, Movers [Phonizier, I. 560) holds Asherah to have been a totally different goddess to Ashtaroth and remarks that Scripture itself distinguishes between them. Gese- nius supposes, from the connection of the word with the Hebrew Asher, happiness, that she was the goddess of fortune. Movers, however, imagines that the name was derived from the idea of standing upright, and refers to the Artemis Orthosia of Herodotus, iv. 87. The narrative of ch. vi. 25 — 30 shews that " grove " cannot be the correct translation. It would have been impossible for Gideon unaided to have cut doivn a grove in a single night, or, having attempted to do so, to have eluded discovery. 70 JUDGES, III. [vv. 8— lo. 8 — II. The oppressioti by Chushati-rishathaim. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served 9 Chushan-rishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a de- liverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even o Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, 8—11. The oppression by Chushan-rishathaim. 8. sold the»i] See note on ch. ii. 14. Chushan-rishathaim'] Literally Cush (or Chushan, Hab. iii. 7) of double wickedness. The Targum translates "Chushan the wicked, king of Syria on Euphrates" and the Syriac and Arabic versions give a similar rendering. But the use of the dual in the case of an abstract noun is unknown in Hebrew. Rishathaim must therefore be a proper name. See next note. It has been conjectured (Rawlinson, Ancient Monarchies, li. 61) that this monarch is identical with Asshur-ris-ilim the "powerful king, subduer of rebellious countries" as he is called in Assyrian inscriptions. But there are two objections to this identifi- cation; (i) that, as Hitzig observes, the name is clearly Tui-anian and (2) that Chtishan-Rishathaini flourished about B.C. 1400, i.e. about the period of the fall of the early Turanian monarchy which (Gen. x. 6 — 10, cf. Rawlinson, Anc. Moti., ch. 3, Sayce, Babyl. Lit., p. 6, and Lenormant, Chaldean Magic, ch. 27) existed before the rise of the Semitic kingdom whose seat (Gen. x. 11, 22) was Nineveh; whereas Asshur-ris-ilim is supposed to have reigned about 1150 B.C. Mesopotamia'] Heb. Aratn-}taharai??i, i.e. Syria of the two rivers, that is, the district between the Tigris and the Euphrates. 9. a deliverer] Or, as marg. saviour, LXX. crurrjp. This passage must have been recalled to the mind of every Hellenistic Jew by Acts xiii. 23. Othniel] Supposing Othniel to have been twenty-five years old when he took Kirjath-sepher (see note on ch. i. 8), if we count twenty years from that time to the invasion of Chushan-rishathaim, and the eight years mentioned in this verse, Othniel would by this time have been but fifty-three. And supposing him to have lived through the whole of the subsequent forty years (v. 11) he would not have been more than ninety-three at his death. 10. And the spirit of the Lord] So ch. vi. 34, xi. 29, xiii. 25, xiv. 6, 19. The Targum renders "the Spirit of prophecy from before the Lord." Joshua is described in Numb, xxvii. 18 as "a man in whom was the Spirit." See note above, ch. ii. 18: "This gift, like every other, has faith as its foundation. Yet human weakness is not thereby excluded." Hengstenberg. It is remarkable that the historian does not ascribe the conduct of Ehud and Jael lo His inspiration, though the deliverance by Ehud is of course so ascribed. See notes below. vv. II- 15.] JUDGES, I!!. ^\ and went out to war : and the Lord delivered Chushan- rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand ; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land " had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12 — 30. The servitude under Moab, and deliverance by Ehud. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of 12 the Lord : and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children 13 of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel 14 served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when is and he judged Israel^ The functions of the judge seem to be de- scribed here in accordance with the idea of righting what was wrong in any way (cf. the German richter). Some think that what is meant is that Othniel wrought out a moral reformation before he went out to war. But this does not seem to be borne out by the other passages in this book where the expression is used. and the Lord delivered^ Josephus states that Othniel (whom he calls Kenaz) accomplished this deliverance by collecting a band of resolute men and surprising the king's guard. 12 — 30. The servitude under Moab, and deliverance by Ehud. 13. the children of Amnion^ These, as they originally were very near akin (Gen. xix. 37, 3S), and their territories lay close together, would naturally have been closely allied in policy and war. See also ch. xi. 13 — 16, 25, 27, and notes. Amalck\ Amalek is mentioned in conjunction with Ammon in Ps. Ixxxiii. 7. They were specially regarded as enemies to Israel (see Exod. xvii. 16). Tlieir territory lay in the Sinaitic peninsula, while that of the Moabites lay to the northward of it, east of the Dead Sea, and the Ammonites lay further north still. After Saul's great cam- paign, which almost exterminated them (i Sam. xv.), and which he prosecuted (i Sam. xv. 7) to the borders of Egypt, we hear very little of them in history. They appear once, still warring against Israel, in the later reigns (i Chron. iv. 43). the city of palm trees] See ch. i. 16. Though Jericho was destroyed, Eglon might have constructed a fortification among the ruins. 16. But when the children of Israel cried\ Or, and the chiKiren of Israel cried. 72 JUDGES, III. [vv. 16—19. the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded : and by him the children of Israel sent 16 a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length ; and 17 he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab : and 18 Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the 19 present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that the Lord raised^ " The same hand that raised up Eglon against Israel (z/. 12) raised up also Ehud for Israel, against Eglon." Bp Hall. delivere>-\ As above, v. 9, "God stirred up and strengthened Ehud for the delivery of Israel. But the choice of means was left to himself." Hengstenberg. See also note on v. 10. lefthanded^ Hth. shut as to his right hand. Seech, xx. 16. The LXX renders by double-handed, and the Vulgate, qui utraqiie manii pro dex- tera iitebatiir. But this goes beyond the original, which clearly implies that the right hand was to a certain extent disabled by the exclusive use of the left. Blunt {Undesigned Coincidences, 11. 4), suggests that Ehud was actually one of the six hundred Benjamites of whom we read in ch. XX. 47 (cf. v. 16). The event, according to Lightfoot and others, occurred about thirteen years before this. "What a strange choice doth God make of an executioner ! A man shut of his right hand ! It is the ordinary wont of the Almighty to make choice of the unlikeliest means." Bp. Hall. a present^ Heb. viinchah, the word used of the meat offerings in Levit. ii. i, &c. It seems to have been (i) an acknowledgment of dependence and obligation, (2) a token of good will. See Gen. xxxii. i8; 1 Sam. viii. 2, 6, for a similar use of the word. In the last passage it is translated gifts. 16. a dagger\ The Hebrew has sword. So the LXX and Vulgate. edges^ Lit. mouths. See note on ch. i. 8. a cubit'] So the Syriac and Arabic. The LXX and Vulgate have spatt. The word is not the usual one for cubit, but one which only occurs here. It means apparently something cut off, hence a small rod or staff. raiment] The word denotes wide flowing garments. 17. fat] The LXX renders by a word equivalent to qmx fine man. See Acts vii. 20, Heb. xi. 23 (Greek). 19. quarries] The LXX, Vulgate and our margin have graven images or idols. The Targum renders as our version. The Syriac leaves the word untranslated, while the Arabic substitutes Palestine for Pesilim. The word is rendered "graven images" in Deut. vii. 25, cf. Is. xxi. 9; Jer. viii. 19. It is never used elsewhere of quarries. But it is derived from a word signifying to hew stones. See Exod. vv. 20, 21.] JUDGES, III. 73 were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king : who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him ; and 20 he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth 21 his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and xxxiv. I, 4; Deut. x. r, 3, &c. where this word is used of the making the two tables of stone on which the Law was written. Gilgal\ This must have been the first encampment of the children of Israel, inasmuch as that (Josh. iv. 19, v. 10, 13) was close by Jeri- cho. Keil's objection that it must have been the other Gilgal, near Bethel, because it lay in Ehud's way to Mount Ephraim {vv. 26, 27) is of no weight, since fugitives often strive to baffle their pursuers by taking a circuitous route. Kiep silence] The word in the original is has, equivalent to our hush. 20. a stiinmer parlour] So also Wiclif. Lit., Ike upper room of cooling. Luther translates by summer arbour. It "corresponds in every respect to what the Turks call a kcushk (kiosk). It consists of a small room built by itself on the roof of the house, having many win- dows to catch the breeze. There is a kiosk similar to that of King Eglon standing a few rods from the palace of Cheragan on the edge of the Bosphorus, which was a favourite resort of the late Sultan." Van Lennep, Bible Ctistoms, 443, 4. There was fret[uently a door of com- munication with the outside, whence persons having secret audience might be admitted and dismissed. The expression is only found here. Though this chamber was no doubt also a hall of private audience, no idea of the kind is suggested by the word, as it is liy our translation, where the word parlour (from parler, to speak) originally signified audience-chamber. a message from God] Lit., a word of God. It is observable that the name of Jehovah is not used, as it usually is on occasions of this kind. Eglon would have paid but little attention to a communica- tion from the deity whose worship]>crs he had overthrown. Cf 1 Kings xviii. 33 — 35. But on receiving what he supposed to be a Divine com- munication, he arose reverently from his seat. It has been objected that Ehud could not be supposed to have been the deliverer of a mes- sage from Chemosh, the Moabite deity (1 Kings xi. 7). But there was a general belief in a Divine being, apart from the particular name and attributes under which he was worshipjjed in any particular country. The Talmud (Sanhedrin, 50 a) supposing the message to have been from Jehovah, draws the inference that if a heathen rises up to receive a message from God, much more should an Israelite do so. Even Ewald admits that this history bears upon the face of its details the mark of genuineness. 74 JUDGES, III. ' [vv. 22—25. 22 thrust it into his belly : and the haft also went in after the blade ; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly ; and the dirt came out. 23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the 24 doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came ; and when they saw that behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, as Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And 21. thrust'\ Rather struck or smote, as in ch. iv. ■21. 22. blade] This word is unusual in this sense, and occurs first here. It signifies flame in ch. xiii. 20 ; and is applied to the blade of the sword here on account of its flashing. a)id the dirt came out] A great number of translations have been suggested here on account of the fact that one of the words here used occurs nowhere else. On the whole the translation in the margin appears preferable to any other. 23. through the porch] This word only occurs here. It signifies the outer staircase or its entrance (see note on summer parlour, v. 20) through which those admitted to a private audience were dismissed. This accounts for Ehud's departure having been unnoticed. The word is derived from the banisters (or, more properly, balusters, from the Italian balaustro), which were upon the staircase. The original signifies in the direction of, or, by the way of the staircase, as is implied by the fact that Ehud is said to have shut the door after him, which he could not have done after he had passed "through the porch." upon him] The best authorities are divided on the point whether "him " refers to Eglon or Ehud. The former is preferable, because we learn from the next verse that it was the inner door through which Ehud entered, and not the outer one, through which he went away, that he secured. locked them] There is no "them" in the original, which occurs first here. The word signifies to fasten, and comes from the same root as the word signifying shoe or sandal, because it was fastened on the feet. The LXX. renders wedged it up, but that locked is the correct trans- lation appears from v. 25. 24. doors] Many of the doors in the East are still double doors, and as it is evident from this place that those of Eglon's summer chamber were. The word translated door comes from a root signifying to hang, whence we learn that the doors of the Hebrews were swung on hinges, such as may still be seen in the ruins of the cities of Bashan. "The outer door was a slab or stone four and a half feet high, four wide, and eight inches thick. It hung upon pivots, formed of projecting parts of the slab working in sockets on the lintel and threshold, and though so massive, I was able to open it with ease." Porter, Giant Cities of Bashan^ p. 26. covereth his feet] An euphemistic terra for performing the offices of vv. 26—28.] JUDGES, III. 75 they tarried till they were ashamed : and behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them : and behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and a6 passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. And 27 it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. And as he said unto them. Follow after me : for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan nature. See i Sam. xxiv. 3. The style of dress in the East explains it. See a note in Gesenius, Lexicon, s. v. shatan. 26. till they were askamed'\ The whole passage shews (i) that Eglon was a monarch who enjoyed to the full the state usually connected in later periods with the regal dignity, and {2) that the customary de- cencies of civilization were by no means unknown, at least among the higher classes, in the times, and among the peoples, with whom this history deals. a key\ Lit. the opener. a6. tarried] The word is not the same as in the last verse. There it signifies to wait : here it implies a certain amount of reproach, they delayed. Cf. Gen. xix. 16, xliii. 10. quarries] See note, v. 19. Seirath] Or, Seirah. It signifies woody (literally, hairy) district, and was a common name of a woody, mountain country. Compare Seir, the home of Esau, and another mount Seir on the northern border of Judah, near Chesalon (Josh. xv. 10). Beyond the fact that it was among the mountains of Ephraim, we do not know where this place is. 27. fro7n the mount] Or from the mountain district, to whose fast- nesses the children of Israel had retreated to escape the oppression of Eglon. The description is given with "local minuteness" (Ewald, Hist. Israel, ii. 277). In those days of cruel warfare and oppression, the home of liberty was always in the mountains. As the narrative of Xenophon shews, the mountain peoples in the Persian Empire were practically indejiendent of the central power. So in the Middle Ages, the Swiss mountaineers defied alike the power of Austria and Burgundy. And among ourselves the history of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are proofs that even a powerful government had very little real authority in the inaccessible recesses of the mountains. It is only the rapid ad- vance of modern discovery which has enabled us to penetrate these regions, and to place the invaders of a mountain district upon a footing of something more like equality with its defenders. 28. the fords of Jordan] Sec Josh. ii. 7, and cf. Numb, xxxiii. 48, 4y, and Josh. ii. i. There is still a ford near Riha, the site of tlie 76 JUDGES, III. [vv. 29—31. 39 toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew ^Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour ; and there escaped not a man. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. 31. The deliverayice by Shamgar. 31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew ancient Jericho. It is about an hour's journey in a north-easterly direction from the northern extremity of the Dead Sea (Bartlett, From Egypt to Palestine, p. 451). For the fords mentioned in ch. vii. 24, and ch. xii. 5, see notes there. toward MoaU\ Lit. to Moab. Some prefer to render fro7n the Moabites. But this puts a strained construction on the words. Nor is there any need of it, for it is obvious Ehud's object was to cut off the retreat of the Moabites from Jericho by taking possession of the ford in their homeward route. 29. And they slew] Lit. and they smote. lusty] hit. /at. It is not the same word as that used of Eglon, v. 17. That gives rather the idea of gross feeding; this either (i) like the Greek Xiwapos, having the meaning of oily, shiny, and hence of a clear com- plexion, of robust health, or (2) like our stotit, which originally referring to men of portly frame, is sometimes used as equivalent to strong. The word only occurs here in this sense ; but a kindred word is found in the same sense in Ps. Ixxviii. 31, where it is clearly parallel to "chosen men." 39. was subdued] Lit. was bowed. It is the word from which Canaan is derived. foui'score years] The spirit of the Moabites must therefore have been effectually broken by this triumph of Israel, though their loss in battle does not seem to have been great. Probably the reason why Ehud resorted to assassination was that he was aware of the probability of a disputed succession in Moab, after the death of Eglon. The LXX. adds "and Ehud judged them till he died," and this, though not expressly asserted in the narrative, apjaears to be implied by ch. iv. r. And in spite of Ehud's crime, as it appears to us who live under a clearer light, his influence over the Israelites was clearly a salutary one. 31. The deliverance by Shamgar. 31. And after him] Not after his death (see ch. iv. i) but after he had smitten the Moabites. No doubt a dangerous invasion of the Philistines was repelled by Shamgar, who thereby obtained the right to be numbered among the deliverers of Israel. But it is nowhere said that he judged Israel. From this the conclusion seems irresistible that this exploit was performed during the life-time of Ehud. See last note. " From the passage in the song of Deborah (ch. v. 6) his resistance to the V. 2.] JUDGES, IV. 77 ^the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad : and he also deUvered Israel. Chap. IV. i — 24. The oppression of Jabm, and the victory of Barak. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of 4 the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them 2 into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor ; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt enemies of Israel was not very effective. The highways were impassable till the days of Deborah herself." Milman, ///j/. Jetus, I. 245. Sham- gar was no doubt of the tribe of Judah or Dan, and his exploits, like those of Samson, purely local. with an ox goad'Y This word is found nowhere else in the Bible. It is akin to the name of the letter La?ned, which in its original form somewhat resembled this instrument. The goad is a formidable weapon. It is sometimes ten feet long, and has a sharp point. We could now see that the feat of Shamgar was not so very wonderful as some have been accustomed to think." Porter, Giant Cities of Bashati, p. 201. Ch. IV. 1 — 24. The oppression of Jabin, and the victory OF Barak. 2. sold them. See note on ch. ii. 14. yabiiiX This seems to have been a common name among the kings of Hazor. See Josh. xi. i. It signifies itttelligcnt. "They had been Lords alone of the promised Land, if their commiseration had not over- swayed their justice ; and now their enemies are too cruell to them (in the just revenge of God) because they were too mercifull." Bp. Hall. Hazorl The meaning of this word is fort or castle. The word in Hebrew seems to mean anything enclosed, but in the kindred Semitic languages the root has the meaning of to luall rotaid, to besiege. A similar meaning attaches to our name Chester, with which compare (j\o\xcester, l.ciccster, and the like. Its situation seems to have defied explorsrs, although, as Josephus and the book of Joshua agree, it must be found near lake Merom, the modern Huleh (Josh. xi. i — 5). Almost every fresh traveller seems to have fixed on a different site. Thus Robinson discusses the claims of Hazireh, Tell Hazur, and el Hazury —the latter suggested by Ritter, and rejects them all, fixing upon Khuraibeh {Biblic. Res. 11. 366). Tristram {Bible Maces, p. 276) thinks that Capt. Wilson has "convincingly argued" that Hazor is Tell Harah, on an isolated hill, two miles south-east of Kedesh (see note on v. 6). That it must have been near Kedesh is evident from Josh. xix. 36, 37, it being a feature in these lists that the order of the names is de- termined by geographical position. Lieut. Conder decides for Tell 78 JUDGES, IV. [vv. 3,4. 3 in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord : for he had nine hundred chariots of iron ; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children 4 of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapi- Hadireh. The name Hazor or Hazar was a very common one (see Numb, xxxiv. 4, 9 ; Josh. xv. 23, 25, 27, 28, xix. 5, 36, 37), just as the termination cester is among ourselves. Hazor must have been rebuilt during the time (more than 150 years) which had elapsed after its destruction by Joshua. Siserd\ The famous Rabbi Akiba, who perished in the rebellion of Bar-Cochab in the reign of Hadrian, is said by Deans Stanley and Milman to have been descended from Sisera by a Jewish mother. See Milm., Hist, yews, in. 426^, Stanley, Lectures on the yewisk Church. Harosheth of the Gentiles^ Or of the nations (cf. Gen. xiv. i ; Josh, xii. 23). This expression has usually been taken to mean a collection of peoples of various nationalities fused into one state, like the kingdom of Mercia in early English history. But recent researches (see Sayce, Babylonian Literature, p. 23), have established the fact that a people called Gtitiutn existed under their Turgal or great chief (the LXX. reads Thargalm Gen. xiv. 1). Whether these people had a settlement in the Gilgal of Josh. xii. 23 (which must not be confounded with the places of that name already mentioned) cannot be ascertained. Harosheth is unknown, but Cassel and Bertheau imagine it to have been derived from some metal work industry [charash signifying a workman, especially an engraver). Recent investigation has shewn that in times much earlier than these, not only the Assyrians, but the Hittites, had much skill in this craft. 3. chariots of iron'] See Josh. xvii. 16, and note on ch. i. 19. mightily] Lit. with force. See i Sam. ii. 16. 4. Deborah, a prophetess] Like Miriam, Exod. xv. 20, Huldah, 2 Kings xxii. 14; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22 ; and Noadiah, Neh. vi. 14. "She in some respects resembled Miriam, insomuch that she was a prophetess and sang the triumphant song of victory — but she greatly differed, in that she was a judge, which Miriam was not ; and again Miriam only took the lead in thanksgiving, whereas Deborah was herself the inspired leader and chief... From Huldah she entirely differed in another respect that Huldah was more of a priestly character and dwelling in the sacred college of the temple. Huldah the wife of Shallum spoke of repent- ance and humiliation before God ; Deborah of glory and victory before 1 Jost, however, whom he cites {Geschichte der Israeliten, II. 206) does not quote the Pirke Aboth with reference to R. Akiba, nor does he relate the tra- dition about Sisera. I am indebted to the Rev. Dr Schiller-Szinessy, Reader in Rabbinical Literature to the University, for the origin of this story It appears first in the Liber Jochassin, a Lexicon of History and Biography compiled in 1504, but doubtfully (compare pp. 37 and 75). The error originated in a passage twice repeated in the Babylonian Talmud (Sanhtdrin, 96 b, and Giititt, 57 b) to the effect that Sisera's descendants had taught the law in Jerusalem, and those of Human in B'ni B'rak. This last place was where R. Akiba also taught. vv. 5,6.] JUDGES, IV. 79 doth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under 5 the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim : and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of 6 Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath men." I. Williams, Female Characters of Holy Scripture. Strictly the Hebrew word, like the Latin vates and the Greek irpo(priTr]s (see I Cor. xiv.), signifies any one who speaks under a Divine influence (see also Exod. vii. i, where it appears to mean anyone who is the mouthpiece of inspiration). We are not told, for instance, that Miriam foretold future events, but she evidently acted as the inspired leader of the women in the great choral ode of Exod. xv., as Deborah did in the similar one recorded in the next chapter. Deborah, however, pos- sessed the power of prescience. See v. 9. The name signifies a dee. Is. vii. 18. The masculine plural is found in ch. xiv. 8. The Chaldee paraphrast, who frequently introduces traditional matter, and who has largely added to Deborah's song (see notes on next chapter), tells us here how Deborah was a person of consideration, possessing palm-trees in Jericho, parks {]it. parat/ises) in Ramah, and productive olives in the valley (Bik'ath), a house of irrigation in Bethel, and white dust (was this the fertile soil produced by terracing the rock, or potter's earth, as Lightfoot, Centuria Chorographica., ch. 11 ?) in the king's mount. Lapidoth^ The woi'd signifies lamps, or torches. See note, ch. vii. 16. As in French and German, so in Hebrew the word woman is also used for wife. Some have therefore rendered a xvoman of a fiery spirit, and the Rabbis have supposed that Barak (lightning) was her husband. With Barak we may compare Barcas, the cognomen of the Carthaginian Hamilcar, remembering that the Carthaginian and He- brew were cognate languages. Judged] No doubt she made use of her inspired authority in deciding disputes. See note on ch. ii. 16. "Such a remarkable woman as this has a lesson to individual women in the Christian Church... Inspiration is not now confined to one, but it is poured forth on all in the Christian Church ; and there is no heroic action, great and good, but which women may be equal to from a like inspiration of faith." I. Williams, Female Characters of Holy Scripture. 5. Ramah] Now Er Ram, "upon a round hill five miles east of Gibcon." Tristram, Bible Places, p. 116. He adds "a little to the north of it, in the deep hot valley 'between Ramah and Bethel,' was the palm tree of Deborah, where Rebekah's nurse was buried," Gen. xxxv. 8. No doubt the name was the cause of the selection of the place by this second Deborah. Beth-el] See note on ch. i. 22. 6. Kedesh-naphtali] Now Kedes, about five miles north-west of Lake Huleh. "It partakes of the general character of the cities of this region — standing on rocky spurs or ridges, above green peaceful basins." Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 382. " It is full of interest- 8o JUDGES, IV. [v. 6. not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw towai d mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of ing ruins. There are fine old tombs, double sarcophagi, placed, not in cases, but on pedestals of marble masonry, remains also of many ancient buildings, but especially of one very large building of which the eastern front and part of the other walls is still perfect." Tristram, Bible Places, p. 276. This building however appears to have been a synagogue of late date. We hear of Kedesh as Cades in the time of the Maccabees (i Mace. xi. 63 — 73). draw toward] The word in the Hebrew is here used in a sense some- what unusual (but see ch. xx. 37). It has been variously explained. The LXX. and other versions escape the difficulty ; the former by omitting the passage altogether, the others by a paraphrase. As it stands in our version, it means, (i) j?iake thy way gradually (see ch. XX. 37), to Mount Tabor. But the preposition that follows is not unto, but in. Therefore (2) it has been supposed that like Exod. xix. 13; Josh. vi. 5, it means make a lofig drawn sotmd vfiih. the trumpet. The objection to this is that in that case " with the trumpet " would have been added. Then (3) it has been suggested that it means ^^ draw totvards thee companies of troops one by one." But the objec- tion to this is that in "drawing" in Mount Tabor Barak is to take 10,000 men with him. The Chaldee renders (4) "spread out in Mount Tabor." The best explanation would seem to be (5) that Barak was to lead his troops gradually along in the region of Mount Tabor, until Jehovah had led Sisera (the word is the same in each case) unto the brook Kishon. Render, draw out upon Mount Tabor. Barak was to protect his scanty band in the mountain district until the moment had arrived to swoop down upon his enemy upon the plain. The word "draw," connected with "take" is applied to the lamb in Exod. xii. 21, probably as referring to the leading the lamb gently out of the flock. The same word is used of sowing seed in Amos ix. 13 (cf. Ps. cxxvi. 6), no doubt as referring to the gradual progress of the sower along the furrows. mount Tabor] This cone-shaped mountain is remarkable rather from its situation than its height. It is about 1700 feet above the level of the sea, but rising as it does in the midst of the great plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon (see note on ch. vi. 33), it is a conspicuous object from all sides. It was long supposed to have been the scene of the Trans- figuration. But Ritter has disposed of this idea by shewing that from the time of Antiochus the Great (218 B.C.) down to the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, it was a fortress. Josephus, moreover, repaired this fortress {De Bell. Jiid. i. 13). Ritter also detects the period when the tradition arose. Cyril of Jerusalem and Jerome (A. D. 332 — 422) men- tion it. Eusebius, who died about A. D. 340, knows nothing of it. See also Robinson, Bibl. Bes., III. 350 — 360. children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulnn] It is evident that already a great want of concert had begun to shew itself among the vv. 7— 9-1 JUDGES, IV. 8i Zebulun ? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude ; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go : but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee : notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour ; for children of Israel. In ch. v. 14 — 18 we find that though some of the tribes gave their assistance, complaints were made of the inactivity of others who were dwelling near the scene of action. From Josh. xix. I 2, 22, 34, we find that Zebulun, Issachar and Naphtali were the three tribes bordering on Tabor. From ch. v. 15 we find that the chief men of Issachar were present at the battle. As in the case of the English people before the battle of Hastings, though from different causes, the wars of Israel during the time of the judges would appear to have had merely a local interest ; the national feeling, which in the former case had never really existed, in the latter had grown cold. Porter, Giant cities of Bashan, p. -260, thinks that as the chief strength of Israel was in the hills, the position of Naphtali, cut off from intercourse with the other tribes by the great "valley of Jezreel," led, with this single ex- ception, to timidity and irresolution. See also ch. i. 33. 7. the river Kishon} Properly the winter torrent, or its bed {xeifiafipoos LXX. ; cf. the brook Kedron, St John xviii. i). The bed in many cases was dry in the summer, but a rushing stream poured down it in the winter. The Kishon, which took its rise near Mounts Tabor and Gilboa, flows in a northwesterly direction through the plain of Jezreel and empties itself into the Mediterranean at the foot of Mount Carmel. Cf i Kings xviii. 40 ; Ps. Ixxxiii. 9. f/tuiiitude] The original is very expressive of the mixed host which constituted Sisera's army. The word suggests the /mm or tumult made by so vast a host. 8. And Barak said] The character of Barak, though pious, does not seem to have been heroic. Like Gideon, and in a sense Samson, he is an illustration of the words in Heb. xi. 34: "Out of weakness were made strong." (See Vaughan, Heroes of Faith, 'Led. yi'V.) He was possibly tinged with a little of the same superstition which displays itself in the taking the ark with Israel into the battlefield (i Sam. iv. 3 — 5). He could not be satisfied with a mission from God by the mouth of a divinely accredited messenger. He needed some visible presence to assure him of the invisible strength on which he had to depend. Therefore, though God's favour was not altogether with- drawn from him, he yet lacked the high honour to which other of Israel's heroes attained. See however Exod. iv. 10 — 14. The LXX. adds here "because I know not the day in which the Lord will prosper His angel with me." 9. for thine honour} " Thy advantage shall not be unto the way JUDGES 6 82 JUDGES, IV. [vv. 10—14- the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And 10 Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet : and Deborah went " up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the " plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount 13 Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, aien nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of 14 Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the which thou goest." LXX. "On this occasion the victory will not be reputed to thee." Vulg. shall sell] See note on ch. ii. 14. 10. at his feet] So most commentators. See Exod. xi. 8. But some prefer on foot. See v. 15. We may either translate (r) as A. V., or (2) aftd there went up at his feet (or 07t foot) ten thousand men, or (3) and he went up on foot, ten thousand 7nen, i.e. his whole force amounted to 10,000 infantry, a contrast being intended between his small and scantily equipped force and the vast host of Sisera with his dreaded chariots of iron. The latter is the preferable rendering. 11. the father in law] Here, brother-in-law. See Numb. x. 29. It means any near connection by marriage. The same word occurs in Arabic in the same senses. had sevei-ed himself] See ch. i. 16. plain of Zaanaitn] Rather, the oak in Zaanaim. The Keri has Zaanannim as in Josh. xix. 33. The proper translation there is from the oak in Zaanannitn. The LXX., Targum, and Jerusalem Talmud, however, translate the oak of Bitzanaim (or spoilers, according to the LXX.), taking the Hebrew b' (in) as part of the name. 12. to mount Tabor] This may be the meaning of the original, but it literally means had ascended Mount Tabor, and the probability is (see note on v. 6) that Barak, for security's sake, had gone up into the mountain district, where Sisera would be unable to follow him with his chariots. Cf. "went down" in v. 14. 13. gathered together] The word is the same as that employed in V. 10, where it is rendered called. It seems (as margin) to mean to assemble by proclamation. 14. Aftd Deborah said] We may almost trace the decadence of Israel in this history. No high-priest, with the sacred Urim and Thummim stands before God's altar to ask His will, as in Joshua's days, or even those of Phinehas. See cli. xx. The sacred fire is no \'v. 15—18.] JUDGES, IV. 83 day in which the Lord hath deUvered Sisera into thine hand : is not the Lord gone out before thee ? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all /ii's chariots, 15 and all //is host, with the edge of the sword before Barak ; so that Sisera lighted down off /n's chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after t6 the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword ; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the 17 tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite : for f/iere was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, 18 and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear longer to be found in official quarters ; it descends wherever an heart can be found capable of receiving it. 15. discomfited^ This word gives scarcely an adequate idea of the sudden terror and confusion into which Sisera's host fell at the unex- pected onslaught of Barak. The word is the same as that used in Exod. xiv. 24, and Josh. x. 10, and is cognate with the word trans- lated multitude in v. 7. The English word, derived from the Mediaeval Latin disconfigerc to unfasten, unloose, means to part asunder, as a victorious general does his routed foes. Josephus states that a hail- storm came on, which unstrung the bows and slings of the Canaanites, and benumbed them with cold. This was the last stand made by the Canaanites against Israelite supremacy. 071 hisfeef] See v. 10, where the Hebrew is the same as here. 16. not a man] Hebrew, as margin not unto one. 17. yael] The reason for Sisera betaking himself to Jael's tenl is suggested by Bertheau, in his commentary. It was because the manners of the east, then as now, did not allow strange men to enter a woman's tent. Hence, if permitted, in his urgent need, to enter, he was safe from Barak's pursuit. In that of Heber, who was on friendly terms with Jabin, he might not have been secure. But he evidently thinks {v. 20) that the extremity of his need might give rise to a suspicion that he might have sought shelter in a woman's abode. He therefore instructs Jael what answer to give. 18. Turn in, my lord] The disgraceful treachery of Jael has been thought to be palliated by the sacred historian, and it has been sup- posed that Christians were bound to defend it. No such necessity is laid upon us. The act was utterly indefensible, and was rendered more completely so because it is an Eastern custom, and no doubt was so in the days of Jael — a custom which scarcely tlie most treacherous and unprincipled Arab ever fails to observe — that any one who has par- taken food under a man's roof is safe from molestation, at least as long 84 JUDGES, IV. [vv. 19—21. not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she 19 covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and 20 covered him. Again he said unto her. Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here ? that thou 21 shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the as that roof shelters him. See note on ch. v. 24. And compare the scene in ch. xxviii. of Sir W. Scott's Talisman, where Saladin is made to say " Had he murdered my father, and afterwards partaken of my food and my bowl, not a hair of his head could have been injured by me." A similar story is told in Gibbon's Decline and Fall, ch. lix. a mantle'] Rather, tlie rug. This word occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. Its meaning is not certain. The Greek versions render by hide, and a kindred word is found in Syriac and also Arabic with that meaning. Gesenius renders by ^nattrass, and as there is a kindred Syriac word signifying bed, it was doubtless the rug stretched on the ground on which Jael slept, it being the Oriental custom to sleep on mats or rugs stretched on the ground. See Tristram, Land of Israel, P- 39°- 19. a bottlc\ Rather, the bottle. It was no doubt made of skins, as the ancient bottles frequently were. See Ps. cxix. 83, also Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, Art. Bottle, and of Greek and Roman Anti- quities, Art. Viniim. They were used for wine (Josh. ix. 4, 13; i Sam. xvi. 20), and are still to be seen used for that purpose in Italy and Greece. The word means either (r) that which gives forth fluid, or (2) that which is shaken, the operation of churning being frequently carried on by shaking the cream in a bottle. milk] Sour milk, according to Josephus, who hints that Jael in- tended to display her unfriendliness by this act. But this is most improbable, since Sisera's suspicions were clearly not aroused. Rabbi Tanchum supposes the milk to have been fermented, and Sisera to have been intoxicated by the draught. This is possible, for to this day the Arabs drink a sort of fermented milk, known by the name of Koumiss, which has intoxicating properties. But it is not necessary to account for Sisera's unconsciousness, which the history clearly attributes to weariness. The milk may have been in a bottle either (i) because it was fermented, or (2) in preparation for churning. But it is called curds in ch. v. 25. See note there. 21. a nail of the tent] Rather, the tent pin or peg, i.e. the nail or' peg with which the tent was fastened. This may have been of iron, as the expression is used of a nail driven into a wall (Is. xxii. 23, 25), or of some hard wood, since Ezekiel (ch. xv. 3) especially excepts the vine from the species of wood used for this purpose. See also note on ch. xvi. 14. ', took] Rather, as margin, put. w. 22— 24; i.j JUDGES, V. 85 tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground : for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out 22 to meet him, and said unto him. Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his tem- ples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Ca- 23 naan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the 24 children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. Ch. V. I — 31. The triumph song of Deborah. Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on 5 that (lay, saying, a hamnier'\ Lit. the hammer (Makab, see below) ; no doubt that which was used for driving the tent peg into the ground. Jael, "her attitude, her weapon, her deed, are fixed in the national mind... the Hammer of her country's enemies." Stanley, Jewish Church, I. 326. He cites the names of Judas Maccabeus, and Charles Martel. fastenedit\ The word is only used here, and in the narrative of Achsah, ch. i. 14. In the latter passage it is used intransitively. Here it is impossible to say whether it is so or no. It may either be translated (i) "she struck it into the ground" (there is, however, no "it" in the original), or (•2) "it sank into the ground." The LXX. renders, "it passed through." Whether the verb is to be understood of gradual or rapid motion it is impossible to say. But it cannot be rendered, as in the A. V. and some of the ancient versions, " fastened." fast asleep] A cognate word is used in Gen. ii. 21 of the deep sleep which fell upon Adam at the creation of Eve. See also Dan. viii. 18, X. 9. So he died] Rather, and he died. 23. subdued] Lit. bowed, as in ch. iii. 30. 24. prospered, and prevailed] Lit. went to go and tvas hard. See for hai'd, ch. ii. 19. The meaning is went on continually being hard, as in Gen. viii. 3, of the abatement of the waters of the flood. Ch. V. 1 — 31. The triumph song of Deborah. 1. Then sang Deborah] This song is, as Bertheau remarks, "the fresh and powerful expression of the joyous excitement" into which Israel had been thrown by the recent victory, a victory, he adds, which gained additional significance from the down-troddcu condition of Israel 86 JUDGES, V. [vv. 2, 3. Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, When the people willingly offered themselves. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord ; I will %\xi^ praise to the Lord God of Israel. previously. He shews that it divides itself naturally into three divisions, of nine verses each, exclusive of v. 2, which constitutes the opening, of V. 12, which forms an introduction to the second portion, in the form of an address to the heroes of the day, and J'. 31, which forms the con- clusion. Each of these divisions of nine verses may be subdivided into three divisions of three verses each. Such a numerical coincidence can hardly, he says, be accidental. But, as Keil observes, the " three leading sections are divided into three somewhat uneqtial strophes." 2. Praise ye the Lord'\ This forms the introductory stanza, calling upon Israel to praise God for the victory granted to their patriotic readiness. These words come last in the original, where they are more emphatic. for the avenging of Israel Lit. in the breaking forth of the breakers in Israel. Render, for that the leaders took the lead. So the Alexandrian MS. of the LXX. and some of the best modern interpreters, such as Bertheau and Gesenius. From the idea of breaking forth comes that of beginning, and hence comes the idea of leading. See Deut. xxxii. 42, where the LXX. and the modern commentators would render "from the head of the leaders of the enemy." The parallelism is better preserved in this rendering than in any other. The alacrity of the leaders corresponds to the reciprocal willingness of the people. Other interpretations are (i) "that the strong (literally the word is supposed to be hairy) in Israel shewed themselves strong," (2) " that the hair wildly waved in Israel," (3) that of the Syriac "in the vengeance with which Israel was avenged," (4) the Vatican MS. of the LXX. has "the revelation was revealed in Israel," i.e. by reason of the willingness of the people, there was a revelation of their true mind. willingly offered themselves'] As we say, they volunteered. 3. Hear, O ye kings'] This and the two following verses celebrate the glorious deeds of Jehovah, who has once more shewn favour to his people. princes'] The word is an uncommon one, and occurs first here. It means any persons of great consideration. Jonathan adds in the Targum " not by your own valour, and not by your own might did ye prevail and go up against the house of Israel." See note on v. 5. the Lord] It is to be remembered (see note, ch. i. i) that the original is yehovah. The literal translation is / to fehovah, I (emphatic) zvill sing, I will sing praise to y ehovah, God of Israel. sing praise] The meaning of the original is to sing to an instrument. Cf. Exod. XV. 2. The word is onomatopceetic, and denotes the buzz of the chords of a stringed instrument. w. 4—6.] JUDGES, V. 87 Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, The clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, Eveti that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, 4. out of Scir\ Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 1. The idea is clearly, as Dr Cassel interprets, that from the time when the forty years' sojourn in the desert came to an end, and Israel compassed Edom in that final march (Numb. XX. 22, xxi. 4) which never ended until they possessed the promised land, the history of Israel as a nation commenced. The great processional Psalm, Ps. Ixviii., embodies this passage, as this is moulded upon the opening strain of the song of Moses in Deut. xxxiii. niarchedst\ This is the best equivalent of the original, which signifies slow and dignified movement. the earth trembled] "The superior grandeur of Scriptural over the noblest Hellenic conceptions is scarcely anywhere more clearly apparent. The earthquake, with Hesiod and others, is symbolic of conflict between the powers above and the powers below, between Zeus and Typhon. ' Great Olympus trembled beneath the immortal feet Of the Ruler rising up, and hollow groaned the earth The earth resounded and the heavens around, and the floods of ocean.' " Hesiod. Theogon. v. 840, &c. To the prophetic sjiirit of Deborah the earthquake becomes a powerful symbol, but it is the symbol of tlie creature's humility and awe on account of the sacred nearness of God." Dr Cassel. 5. melted] Or (as maigin) flcnved. This is a possible rendering, but many modern translators (following the LXX.), prefer shook, the translation of a verb similar in its inflexion to that rendered melted. The 68th Psalm, in quoting this passage, leaves out the allusion to the mountains, and it is uncertain whether we are to supply shook or dropped vj\i\\ "this Sinai." Rut the former is more probable. Jona- than here, paraphrasing the 68t]i Psalm, represents Tabor, Hermon and Carmel as each advancing their claims to be tlie dwelling-place of God's majesty, and the decision as being made in favour of Sinai. Like Hannah's song (see ist Samuel in this series, Appendix III.), the song of Deborah is largely interpolated in the Targum. that Sinai] Rather this Sinai, i. e. the Sinai which hung over them as they commenced their march. Cf. "this Lebanon" (Josh. i. 4) so called because it was visilile. 6. In the days of Shavigar] Here a new subject is introduced — the 88 JUDGES, V. [vv. 7, 8. In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, And the travellers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, Until that I Deborah arose. That I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods ; Then was war in the gates : down-trodden condition of Israel before the battle. It is continued till the end of v. 8. Shamgar's was probably only a local deliverance. in the days of Jael\ Some have supposed, since Jael was one of Israel's deliverers, that another Jael is here meant. But no doubt the explanation of the mention of her name here is that though personally at peace with Jabin, her sympathies were with the oppressed Israelites, and that she had witnessed their wrongs with a fierce indignation which culminated in the murder of Sisera. Thus she may have come to be regarded by Israel as Charlotte Corday is regarded by many. highwaysl The word highway means originally a road raised above the surrounding country. The Hebrew here, however, has not this meaning, for which another word is used. See v. 20, note. The expression which occurs here signifies the ordinary roads by which travellers went zvere unoccupied. This may be translated "the cara- vans ceased." travellers^ Lit. those who walked beaten paths. Thus our transla- tion gives the sense exactly. The expression occurs here for the first time. bytvays'\ Lit. winding or twisted roads. This expression occurs only here anc^ in Ps. cxxv. 5. The A. V. has given the true meaning. 7. The inhabitants of the villages ceased^ The word translated cease here is the same as that rendered were unoccupied in the last verse. The verb has no nominative, and some words like those supplied in our version must be added. The word translated villages, Perazon, is con- nected with Ferizzite (see ch. i. 4, note) and means habitations in the open cotifitry. But some copies of the LXX. render the mighty Dien, the rulers (fortes, Vulg.), and this is preferred by some expositors, the root meaning to spread out and thence to separate, the word Pharisee being derived from a kindred root. Luther renders by peasants. The ancient and modern versions in truth give every variety of rendering. Thus the French (Protestant) Version has " les chefs manquaient." And this is the case throughout the poem. For a word of similar derivation in the sense of open country, see Ezek. xxxviii. 11, Zech. ii. 4 (8, Heb.), and Esther ix. 19. Habak. iii. 14 is disputed. 8. They chose fuiu gods'] i. e. Israel. Seech, ii. ir, 13. The rest of the verse states the result of this evil choice. The Vulgate, Syriac and others render God chose nezv things, or wars. See Appendix L The A. V. is preferable, since the "war in the gates" is clearly connected with the distress of Israel. vv. 9-II.] JUDGES, V. 89 Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel ? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, 9 That offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. Speak, ye that ride on white asses, 10 Ye that sit in judgment, And walk by the way. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the " places of drawing water, ■was there a shield^ This cannot mean that the Israelites had no weapons (as in 1 Sam. xiii. ^i), for if so, the battle of Mount Tabor could not have been fought. It means that such was their condition of servitude, that they dared not display them. spear^ Three kinds of spear are mentioned in the O. T. The first, the chidon, was a long slender lance. The second, the hanith, was a javelin which could be thrown (i Sam. xviii. 11, xx. 33). The third, the romach, which is mentioned here, appears to have been a heavier weapon. 9. My heart] Here we return to the idea of v. 1, the willingness of the leaders in Israel, the whole section concluding with a picture of enfranchised Israel returning continual thanks for their deliverance. goz'ernors'] This word is derived from hok, a statute prescribed by authority. 10. Speak] Or, sing, as in Ps. cxlv. 5. while asses] The Vulgate has w/Av/Z^j, "sleek," "glossy." The LXX. render by noonday, and Luther by beautifitl. Jahn {ArchaeoIo,^ia Biblica) suggests that the asses might have been painted, and states that this was an Eastern custom. The horse was at present little used by the Israelites, though in the days of the kings they became common. A breed peculiar to the East, of asses either white or spotted with white (white tinted with red according to Gesenius and Bertheau), was the mark, in those days, of persons of distinction. The word occurs here only. in judgment] Rather, with most modern interpreters (the ancients rendering as A. V.), on mats or carpets (literally anything stretching out), the later Aramaic plural in -in being substituted here for the more ordinary one in -i/n. See note on ch. iii. 16, on the word raiment. 11. T/uy that are dcliva-cd] These words are added to fill up a blank which must be supplied in some way or other. Luther renders, "there cry the sharpshooters." Others would fill up by rises the song of praise, i.e. from the voice of the archers. The LXX. renders " the voice of those who stay behind in the midst of the drawers of water." The Vulgate has " ubi collisi sunt currus." The Chaldee here again largely inter- polates the original. Wiclif's translation, following the Vulgate, is striking " where the chaaris ben hurtlid." We may either translate (1) 90 JUDGES, V. [vv. 12, 13. There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, Even the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Israel : Then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates. Awake, awake, Deborah : Awake, awake, utter a song : Arise, Barak, And lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles afuofig the people: "Far from the noise of archers, between the drawers of water,'' or (2) "Because of the noise of the archers... there they rehearse," or (3), "re- iia-nedixom the noise of the archers," &c. noise\ Lit. voice. archers] Some prefer those who divide, i. e. the spoil. But the text is more vivid. The archers return from the battle, and relate the events of the day to their more peaceful brethren, who have remained at home to discharge their pastoral duties. shall they rehearse] Or, perhaps, they rehearse. rightcotts acts] Heb., as margin, righteotisnesses. villages] See note on v. 7. Here the translation rule or guidance would suit the grammar of the passage best. But the grammar of poetical Hebrew is often obscure. And the translation the righteous- nesses of his open count)-)', i. e. the righteous acts of God to those scattered about in it, is at least admissible. The LXX. renders "righteous men were strong in Israel," in spite of the fact that the word rendered "righteous men " is feminine, and has been rendered thus in the earlier part of the verse. The Chaldee renders here as in v. 7, "cities of villages," i.e. un walled cities, as Buxtorf renders. shall the people of the Loi'd go downl Rather, they went down. So LXX., Vulg., Luther. 12. Awake] Here we commence a new division of the song. The attention of the hearer is re-awakened by this lively appeal to Deborah and Barak. captivity] The abstract for the concrete, captivity for those led into captivity. This is one of the expressions from this song made use of in Ps. Ixviii. See notes on vv. 4, 5. 13. Then he made] The next three verses contain a description of Barak's followers. The rendering of the A. V. takes the verb as transi- tive, from a root meaning to ncle. But it may be intransitive, from a root meaning to go down; — then came doT.vn a remnant to the inighly ones — the people. This makes better sense, and is supported by the Alexandrian codex of the LXX, as well as the Targum. Keil's expla- nation seems quite satisfactoiy, that mighty men came down to the tight, yet they were but a remnant, compared to what had been. But V. 14.] JUDGES, V. 91 The Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. Out of Ephraim ivas there a root of them against 14 Amalek ; After thee, Benjamin, among thy people ; Out of Machir came down governors, the fact that the word rendered mighty 07ics is not in the construct state, and therefore the noun following cannot be in dependence on ■ it, has caused Dr Cassel to alter the Masoretic pointing, and to render "down rushed a remnant against the robust; the people of Jehovah rushed down with me against the powerful." The objec- tion to this rendering is that it translates /' (to), against in the first member, and -with in the second member, of the parallelism. There is no objection beyond the Masoretic pointing to the rendering Then came dcnvn a remnant to the mighty; the people of Jehovah came down to me with (or against) the valiant. mighty'X The original idea in the word thus translated is that of strength. See Gen. vi. 4. 14. Out of Ephraiin was there a root of them against Amalek} Literally, From Ephrai?n their root in Amalek, i.e. From Ephraim came those whose root is in Amalek. The meaning is that a de- tachment came from that part of Ephraim in which the Amalekites formerly dwelt. See ch. xii. 15. The word root refers to the firm footing Ephraim had acquired in Amalek's former dwelling. Bertheau refers to Ps. Ixxx. 9, and Is. xxvii. 6 for this sense. And we know from Josh. xvii. 15 — 18, that the mountain country was the region of which the Ephraimites first took possession. Jonathan refers here to Joshua as an Ephraimite and Saul as a Benjamite, and to both as having warred against Amalek. The LXX. has " Ephraim rooted them out in Amalek," and Wiclif, following the Vulgate, translates hath doone hem a zvey into Amalek. after thee, Be7ijanii7i, among thy people} As this is punctuated in the A.V. no intelligible meaning can be obtained from it. But regard it as an address to Ephraim, and all becomes clear. "After thee came Benja- min, among thy people," Benjamin being the next tribe to Ephraim in a southerly direction, and being much intermingled with Ephraim. See note on ch. i. 22. Also Ps. Ixviii. 27. No doubt some of the most warlike Benjamites responded to Barak's summons, though the number was evidently very few. We should not fail to remark how this fits in with the history in ch. xx., xxi. AIachir\ Machir was apparently the only son of Manasseh, cf. i Chron. vii. 14, 15, with Numb. xxvi. 29 — 33 ; Josh. xiii. 31, and xvii. I, 2. Whether these Manassites came from (jilead or from the western side of Jordan, cannot be decided, but though some commentators take the former view, a comparison of the song with the map makes the latter infinitely more probable. And it is, moreover, confirmed by the distinct statement olv. 17. governors} See note on v. 9. 92 JUDGES, V. [vv. 15, 16. And out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah ; Even Issachar, a7id also Barak : He was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. . Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, handle the pen of the writer] Or, those zvho handle the rod of the scribe, or the tnarshaPs staff. The word drazu is the same as that discussed in ch. iv. 6, 7. The word translated pen is the same as that rendered tribe elsewhere (see note on ch. ii. 16). The scribe — see 2 Kings xxv. 19 — was probably a military officer, who compared with his list the men who came in answer to the summons, and then marshalled them in procession before the general with his rod of office in his hand. This is the drift of the Vulgate paraphrase. Other interpretations are (i) "skilful with the accountant's pencil" (Cassel); (2) "who lead on at the head of long extending processions" (Bertheau); (3) "sind Regierer geworden durch die Schreibfeder" (Luther). 15. the princes of Issachar] " Dukis of Ysachar," Wiclif. The original is more indefinite, prittces in Issachar. This gives more point to the triumphant outburst in v. 18. On Zebulun and Naphtali rested the brunt of the battle. The Masorites read " ;;y princes," but they are not supported by any of the ancient versions. even Issachar, and also Barak] Lit. as Issachar ; so Barak, i.e. Barak was there as well as, or on an equality with — as regards martial renown— the princes of Issachar. he was sent on foot into the valley] Lit., itt the valley was he sent on his feet. Perhaps, into the valley were they sent at his feet. For valley, see ch. i. 34. It was evidently the valley (Emek) of Jezreel. ¥ or on his feet ace ch. iv. 10, 17. Bertheau thinks that an irrepressible enthusiasm is here hinted at in the verb. But there seems no reason to suppose so. > Bor the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart] The word translated for is literally iit. The word translated divisions (Peleg, see Gen. x. 25) is undoubtedly derived from a root signifying to divide; but whether mental divisions (" diviso contra se Ruben," Vulg. — the Chaldee specifies the discussions as taking place between the ad- vocates of Barak and of Sisera), or territorial divisions (as LXX.) is not so clear. Other interpretations are (i) brooks (Keil, Cassel); (f) fa7)ti- lies (Bertheau). The word is translated brooks in Ps. i. 3. The meaning is that beside the brooks of Reuben great resolutions were made, the word translated thoughts being akin to that rendered governors in vv. 9, 14. The LXX. renders it by exactnesses. 16. Why abodest thou] These resolutions were formed, but not acted upon. So the last portion of v. 1 5, with this and the succeeding verse, w. 17, 18.] JUDGES, V. 93 To hear the bleatings of the flocks ? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart, Gilead abode beyond Jordan : 17 And why did Dan remain in ships ? Asher continued on the sea shore, And abode in his breaches. Zebulun and NaphtaH were a people that jeoparded their is hves unto the death In the high places of the field. refer to those who did not come to the help of Israel, concluding in V. 18 with the praise of Zebulun and Naphtali. The pastoral character of the tribe of Reuben is mentioned in Numb, xxxii. i. Hence the appositeness of the allusion. sheep/olds\ The dual form shews that these folds were divided into two parts. The LXX. leaves the word untranslated. bleatings oJ~\ Rather, pipings for {sibilos, Vulg.). The word is akin to the Greek and Latin syrinx, the instrument with which the shepherd called his flock, or played while he watched it. See Art. Syrinx in Smith's Dictionary of Antiquities. For'\ The Hebrew this time is at. scarchitigs'] The repetition of the phrase in this altered form has a touch of sarcasm in it. Great were the resolves of Reuben, hut they did not pass into action. They were searchings of heart, discussions of plans and no more. The word does not mean what searchings of heart does among ourselves, namely, a careful examination of the life and conscience, but simply discussing of plans, endeavours to find out the best course of action. 17. remain] Lit. sojourn. continued] Rather, dwelt. breaches] Rather, creeks. The word only occurs here. It means the places where the sea breaks in upon the land. It is kindred with Perez {^ Sam. vi. 8) and Pharez (Gen. xxxviii. i(^). The tribe of Asher was upon the coast, and Joppa most probably belonged to Dan. See Josh. xix. 46. F"or some reason or other Judah and Simeon are not named. It can hardly he that the jealousy of the pre-eminence of Judah had reached the pitcli which it afterwards did (2 Sam. xix. 43). Possibly Judah and Simeon, being border tribes, had to fight for life and freedom against the Philistines, Moabites and Edomites, and might well therefore be excused the conflict with the northern oppressor. See Introduction, Ch. II. 18. jeoparded] The literal translation is as the margin, caused to reproach (as the LXX.), evidently with the idea involved in our phrase "contempt of life." The word jeoparded is derived either homjeu perdu or jeu parti, game lost, ox game equally divided. The latter approaches most nearly to the sense of hazard or danger ; and Chaucer spells it 94 JUDGES, V. [vv. 19—22. The kings came and fought, Then fought the kings of Canaan In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo ; They took no gain of money. •> They fought from heaven ; The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, That ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, The pransings of their mighty ones. jiipartie, which seems to decide the point. Here, as in the -worA people, o lias replaced the French u in the spelling of the word. The parallelism of the original is lost in the A.V. It runs thus: " Zebulun is a people who despised their lives unto death ; and Naphtali upon the heights of the field." 19. The kings came"] Rather, Mugs came. Here we enter upon a new subject, the gathering together of the enemy and their defeat. It ends with v. 22. gain of tnofiey] Lit. spoil of silver. 20. cotvses'] Lit. highways ; the Hebrew wofd signifying a raised path, like the paved portion of the roads in Belgium. See note on v. 6. 21. swept'] The word only occurs here, and seems to come from the same root as our words grip, gripe. ancient river] Either (i) that brook (see note on ch. iv. 7) that has flowed on for ages, or (2) that brook renowned from old (the Targum translates "the brook along which banners were borne and the prowess of Israel celebrated of old"). For the first meaning compare For men may come and men may go, But I flow on for ever. Tennyson, The Brook. The word here is not the usual word for ages of time, but is a form altogether peculiar of a word signifying before. thou hast trodden down] So LXX. and Vulg. There can be little doubt that the verb must be rendered imperatively, and in this case the noun must be taken adverbially, and the whole rendered Marcli on, my soul, In strength. 22. Then were the horsehoofs broken] Rather, then stamped the horsehoofs. The word occurs first here, and is used of any sudden blow, as of a horse's hoof striking the ground or of a hammer on an anvil (Is. xli. 7). See also v. 26, where the same word is used. pransings] The Hebrew word only occurs here and in Nahum iii. 2. vv. 23—25.] JUDGES, V. 95 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, 33 Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; Because they came not to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the ^4 Kenite be, Blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave Jmn milk ; =5 She brought forth butter in a lordly dish. 23. Meroz\ Here begins a fresli division, which extends to the end of 57. 27. A strong contrast is drawn between the lukewarmness of the inhabitants of Meroz and the warm zeal which Jael displayed for the cause of Israel. Striking as is the whole song, this and the following section far surpass the rest in dramatic power. Of Meroz, though some attempts have been made to identify it, nothing certain is known. the angel of the Lord\ The Rabbis interpreted this of the Angel of the Covenant. Cf. Exod. xiv. 19, xxiiL 20; Mai. iii. i. See Schottgen, Hor. Hebr. 91. i]ie niigJity\ Or, the valiant. See note on v. 13. The word is not the same as that rendered "mighty ones" in the last verse. 24. Blessed above women^ This blessing is clearly opposed to the curse on Meroz. We need not suppose that because Deborah sang this song under the influence of inspiration, we are therefore to accept her judgment upon a point of morals. She sang according to her point of view, which was a purely national and exclusive one, under a dispensation national and exclusive in its character, which, when it had done its work, was to be replaced by a better. To her, accustomed, like her fellow-countrymen, to view all events from an Israelitish stand- point, and under the exaltation of the recent victory, Jael's conduct naturally appeared eminently glorious and heroic. in the tent] i.e. leading a nomad existence. 25. butter] So the LXX. and Vulg. But the narrative in ch. iv., as well as the first part of this verse, would lead us to prefer, with some commentators, cream, or with Gesenius, less probably, euj-dled milk. Of a meal with Aghyle Aga in 1862, Dean Stanley says {Lect. on Jewish Ch. I. 325), "the sour milk (Lebban) was in a large pewter vessel like a small barrel, a cup floated in it to skim and drink the con- tents. The sweet milk (Halili) was in a smaller pewter vessel, round like a pan, to be drunk by raising it to the lips." in a lordly dish] Lit. in a bowl of mighty ones. See note on v. 13. The word here rendered bowl only occurs again in ch. vi. 38. It was probably (see Van Lennep, Bible Customs, 475) the "shallow drinking cup, usually of brass," still used in the East. The Chaldee and LXX. tender />hial, i.e. not a bottle, but a shallow bowl. 96 JUDGES, V. [vv. 26— 28. She put her hand to the nail, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer ; And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, When she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down : At her feet he bowed, he fell : Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, And cried through the lattice, 26. hammer] The word only occurs here, but it is derived from the verb freely translated "with the hammer" here. See next note. A different word, no doubt less poetic, is used in eh. iv. 21. with the hammer] Lit. she hammered. See note on v. 22. smote off] Rather, smote through. This word also is only found here. It is very similar in sound to that which follows, which is probably the reason for its use, alliteration lieing a marked feature of this song. when she had pierced and stricken through] Rather, and she crashed and struck through. his temples] The original signifies the thinnest part of the skull. This word only occurs here and in the Song of Solomon. 27. there he fell down dead] This poetical description is highly coloured, but it expresses in the liveliest terms the triumphant feeling of patriotic Israelites at the death of the chief captain of their mighty oppressor. The word rendered dead is not the usual expression, but a word which occurs only here in this sense. It is the passive participle of a verb connected with the word Shaddai (Almighty), and signifies therefore death through being overpowered by an enemy. It must also be remembered (see ch. iv. 9, ix. 54), that to die by a woman's hand was the greatest disgrace that could befal a man. 28. The mother of Sisera] The literal translation of this passage is. Through the window she looked and cried aloud The mother of Sisera (cried) through the lattice. The words translated cried aloud, and lattice, are not found save in this passage. And the word translated looked, means to bend forward eagerly in looking, which gives a vividness to the picture difficult to convey in an English translation. lattice] The LXX. has network. The Hebrew word means an opening through which cool air is admitted. See note on sum/ner parlour, in ch. iii. 20. "These flat roofs or terraces are sometimes inclosed with a low parapet of masonry, or a higher one of lattice work, supported by wooden frames, which screen the women of the household from the inquisitive gaze of the neighbourhood." Van Lennep, Bible Cttstoms, 433. vv. 29, 30.] JUDGES, V. 97 Why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? Her wise ladies answered /ler, 29 Yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not sped ? have they no^ divided the prey ; 30 To every man a damsel or two ; To Sisera a prey of divers colours, A prey of divers colours of needlework, Of divers colours of needlework on both sides. Meet for the necks of t/iem that take the spoil ? so long in coming] Our version here just hits off the tone of dis- appointed expectation conveyed by the Hebrew word. ■wheels] Rather, paces, a more poetic word. It means literally steps ("the feet of the foure whelid cartys of hym," Wiclif). The Chaldee paraphrases by introducing couriers with despatches — a much later idea. See i Sam. iv. i-z; 2 Sam. i. 2, xviii. 19 — 23, where tidings are still borne by word of mouth. 29. ladies] Rather, princesses. The word here is Sarah, the sig- nification of which is well known. See Gen. xvii. 15. Wiclif has here (after the Vulgate) " oon wiser than other wyfis of hym." she rettirned ansiuer to herself] Lit. she (emphatic) returned her words to her. Some have thought that this means that she refused to be quieted by the suggestions of her ladies, but kept repeating her question. But the usual interpretation is more probable. 30. Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey] Rather, are they not finding, dividing the spoil? that is first searching the bodies of the slain, and then apportioning their booty by lot. a damsel or two] Lit., a damsel, two damsels. The word damsel (Shakspere and Spenser write damosel) derived from the late Latin dominicella, the diminutive of domina, lady, does not give the some- what contemptuous force of the original, which plainly implies that Sisera's captives, like those of the early Greek heroes, were destined to share the bed of their conquerors. The whole plot of the Iliad, as is well known, turns upon this custom. divers colours] Lit., dipped, or dyed stuffs. The word is not found elsewhere. divers colours of needleioork] Lit. , dyed stuffs — embroidery. divers colours of tieedlework on both sides] Lit., dyed stuff, double embroidery, the word embroidery being in the dual number and the embroidery being in various colours and, as is very often the case, with gold and silver threads upon the coloured ground, just as much Eastern work is now, from Turkey to llindostan. Van Lennep tells a story of a lady from the West who adopted the Eastern style of dress while in the East, and who, when she discarded it, found enough silver threads in her clothing to make a sugar-basin when melted down. meet for the necks of them that take the spoil] The Hebrew is to or JUDGES "J 98 JUDGES, V, VI. [vv. 31; 1,2. So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord : But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. Chap. VI. i — 6. The Oppression by Midian. 6 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord : and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian 2 seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel : mid because of the Midianites the children of Israel for the necks of the spoil. It must either (i) be translated as the A. V. (and the Targum) or (2) for (i.e. made for) the necks of the spoiled, or (3) on the necks of the spoil. A fourth interpretation, which would read (Sisera's) spouse, is entirely arbitrary. Many versions escape the diffi- culty by a paraphrase. Thus Wiclif following the Vulgate, has " for the neck." The revised version made after his death has "for our neck." If we take the second translation given above, the garments in question were stripped from the bodies of the slain, which are thus poetically regarded as spoil. If the third, it relates to the richly embroidered garments of the captives. Spoil was one of the great objects of pride to the conqueror, as a perpetual witness of his manly courage. 31. the suti when he goeth forth in his mighty Or, as the going forth of the sun in his might (" as the sunne in his risynge shyneth, so glit- teren thei," Wiclif). Thus the song ends with a noble image, a fitting conclusion to the series of vivid pictures which have gone before. Ch. VI. 1—6. The Oppression by Midian. 1. Midian'] This tribe was descended from a descendant of Abra- ham by Keturah (Gen. xxv. 1). The territory of Midian proper was on the east side of the /Elanitic Gulf at the northern extremity of the Red Sea. It must, however, have extended beyond Edom to the confines of Moab (Numb. xxii. 4, 7, xxxi. i ; cf. also Exod. iii. i, where Horeb seems to have been at no very unreasonable distance). Here, however, roving bands of Midianites, Amalekites and other nomad tribes, seem to have infested the lanrd of Israel, much as the Bedouin and other tribes do at present. See also v. 4. Dr Cassel (see also Conder, Tetit Work in Palestine, 11. 272) thinks that Bedouin or Bedawin is the same word as Midian, b (or v, as it is often pro- nounced in Hebrew) and m, both labials, being interchanged. A similar interchange takes place in Welsh, where f (pronounced v) and m are used in the different inflections of the same word. vv. 3-5.] JUDGES, VI. 99 made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, 3 that the Midianites came up. and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them ; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the in- 4 crease of the earth, till thou come imto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For s 2. dens\ The Hebrew word only occurs here. It means cither (i) light holes (see Fiirst's Lexicon), or (2) motintain ravines scooped out by the action of water (it is derived from the word signifying river in Hebrew), or (3) grottoes or caves. The ancient versions translate less definitely, "hiding places in mountains." How they can be said to have "made" them is not at first sight clear; but it is pro- bable that they excavated the rocks for purposes of habitation. The rock dwellings at Petra must have been of a similar kind, and Wetstein mentions dwellings consisting of shafts driven into the earth on the mountain side, and at the depth of about twenty-five fathoms streets ran off, laterally, about six to eight paces wide. Some- thing of this kind is implied by the article, which specifies some par- ticular kind of abode which the Israelites made. cavcs'\ This also has the article in the original, and must refer to the caves, of which there are an immense number in Palestine, which are partly natural, partly artificial. Of these the most famous now existing are in the Mons Quarantania, near Jericho, which have been described liy Robinson, Canon Tristram and many other recent explorers. strong holds'] This is not f?til)tzar, the usual word for a fortified city, but vi'tzadah. It moans rather originally a place of lying in wait, and hence a place of retreat. Cf. i Sam. xxiii. 14, 19, xxiv. i, (xxiii. 29 in the A. V.), i Chron. xi. 7, where the same word is used. 3. the children of the east\ Nomad tribes of various kinds who were ready to join the Midianites and Amalekites in an expedition giving promise of plunder. There appears to have been no design of conquest in these invasions. They were more like the incursions of the Picts and Scots into Britain during the latter part of the Roman dominion, or the raids for "lifting" cattle which were common from the High- lands of Scotland into the lowlands at a much later period. 4. increase] Rather, produce. //// thou come unto Gaza] The Midianites {v. 33) appear to have crossed the Jordan by the fords near Bcthshean, to have made their way to the fertile plain on the sea coast, and then to have gone forward, plundering as they went, to Gaza, the extreme limit of the Israelite territory (r Kings iv. 24). Sucli incursions of the Picts and Scots into Southern Britain once (a. n. 368), laid London in ruins, and led to the famous request for Saxon assistance, so fatal to those who made it. sheep] Margin, goat. The word means any individual member of a flock, whether sheep or goat. loo JUDGES, VI. [vv. 5—9. they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number : and they entered into the 6 land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished be- cause of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord. 7 — 10. The message of the prophet. 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried 8 unto the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the 9 house of bondage ; and I delivered you out of the hand 5. For they came up] The Hebrew is here unusually emphatic : for they (emphatic) and their cattle came up, and their tents. as grasshoppers for multitude'] Lit. according to the abundance of locusts for multitude. The constant rendering of the word signi- fying locust by grasshopper in our version leads nowhere to such a misconception as here, where it is not merely the multitude, but the devastation which resulted from it that is implied. The Hebrew word signifying locust is derived from the idea of multitude. camels] As the word translated cattle originally means simply pos- sessions, it is probable that the cattle referred to above were their camels. without number] Rather, innumerable, i.e. so numerous that they could not be counted. 6. impoverished] The Hebrew word is a forcible one. It means to hang helplessly down. Hence it came to mean to be poor, or oppressed, from the utter helplessness of such persons. 7 — 10. The message of the prophet. 8. sent a prophet] The word translated prophet means originally one who speaks by a Divine impulse, in strong and vehement words. See above, ch. iv. 4. It is remarkable that the existence of a class of men whose duty it is to convict men of moral declension is peculiar to revealed religion. Other religions had their priests, Judaism and Christianity alone had their prophets. If Mohammed has instituted anything analogous in his system, it must be remembered that Judaism and Christianity were the sources from which the greater part of his inspirations were drawn. the house of bondage] Rather, of servants. The ^ebed was often, but not always, a slave, though it must be confessed that the idea of iude- w. lo, II.] JUDGES, VI. loi of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land ; and I said unto you, I am the Lord your God ; lo fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but ye have not obeyed my voice. II — 24. The Call of Gideo7i. And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an n pendence and voluntary contract which in our days we attach to the idea of the word, has little place in the despotic notions now, as ever, prevalent in the East. The prophet, as is natural in one who desires to bring Israel back to its observance, quotes the very words of the law (Exod. XX. 2), save that he says "brought thee ?//," instead of "brought thee out" 9. oppressed^ The LXX renders by the precise Greek equivalent OXl^u}, to squeeze or press, the noun derived from which is rendered usually by tribulations in the A. V. The remainder of the verse shews that the inhabitants of Palestine are here referred to. Hence oppression, in the strict sense, cannot here be meant. 10. A}/iorites'\ There is a remarkable undesigned coincidence here. The expression "gods of the Amorites" is unusual. But the prophet is referring to the words of Joshua in his solemn appeal to the people re- corded in Josh. xxiv. (see especially ver. 15, 18). The book of Joshua, according to the most probable theory, which assigns it to some period in the life-time of Phinehas, the High Priest, had long become one of the sacred books of the Jews, and as such its contents were of course familiar to the prophets of Jehovah. 11 — 24. The Call of Gideon. 11. an angel of the Lord'\ In human form, as was usual. See Gen. xviii. 2, cf. also ch. xiii. 3; Josh. v. 13. These appearances {Theophanies, as they have been termed) have been variously explained in the Christian Church. They were supposed in the earliest times to have been the Son of God Himself, the Angel of the Covenant (Exod. xxiii. 20, 23, xxxiii. 2; cf. 14). The prevalence of the Arian heresy caused this idea to be Abandoned by the later fathers, from a fear that it might derogate from a belief in the true Divinity of Jesus Christ. Modern divines, however, have revived the theory. It was also a favourite doctrine of the Rabbis, who taught that the expressions "Angel of the Lord," "glory of the Lord," " Shechina," were synonymous, and that they were all names of the Messiah. All three, it may be observed, occur in the Chaldee Paraphrase of this history^. See Schottgen, Hor. Hebr. I. 25, iv. 464. ' The rendering by the Chaldee Paraphrast of these two verses is: 12 And an angel of Jehovah revealed himself to Gideon, and he said to him, The IVord (^ieim'ra) of Jehovah is come to thy aid, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, 1 pray thee, Rabboni, if the Shechiiia/i of Jehovah be for our help, why hath all this befallen us? I02 JUDGES, VI. [vv. 12, 13. oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite : and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine- 12 press, to hide // from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him. The Lord is 13 with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said Fuller's information will be found in Hengstenberg's Christology, Liddon's Bampton Lectures (Lect. 11.), and in Keil and Delitzsch's Coninientary on Genesis, Vol. i. pp. 184 — 191. On this occasion Jehovah, or His Angel, appeared in the guise of a traveller, with a staff {v. 21) in his hand. an oak] Literally, the terebinth, the Pistacia Terebinthus of Linnaeus, the Arabic biitm. So the majority of authorities. It is a very common tree still in Palestine — a hardy, long-lived and spreading tree, likely to become a well-known landmark. See Robinson, Biblical Researches, 11. 222 (3rd ed.). See also Josh. xxiv. 26; of. Gen. xxxv. 4. Ophrah^ Various suggestions have been made for the situation of this Ophrah (which must not be confounded with Ophrah in Benjamin — Josh, xviii. 23; i Sam. xiii. 17). It was the village or farm belonging to Joash. Abi-ezrite^ From i Chron. vii. 18, we learn that Abiezer was the son of Hammoleketh, the sister of Gilead. He is called Jeezer (Heb. I'ezer) in Numb. xxvi. 30, but Abi-ezer in Josh. xvii. 1. It is however probable that in Numb. xxvi. 30, the letter Beth has dropped out, and the LXX Achiezer makes this almost certain, they having read Caph for Beth (D for 3). Therefore Joash was a Manassite, and his land within the borders of that tribe. Gideot] Literally, hewer, Gideon, from his name, was a man of might (ver. 12, 14), but from the insignificance of his family in a tribe not accustomed, like Ephraim, to take the lead (see v. 15, ch. viii. 2), he displays great reluctance to undertake the onerous charge the angel has put upon him, and can only be encouraged to do so by the most un- equivocal signs of the support of Jehovah. See v. 36 — 40. threshed\ Probably not witli a flail, but with a stick. The word is used of beating fruit off a tree. Dent. xxiv. 20; Is. xxvii. 12. Threshing was usually performed by oxen (Deut. xxv. 4; i Cor. ix. 9; I Tim. V. 18) upon floors (see 2 .Sam xxiv. 16; i Chron. xxi. 15) pre- pared for the purpose. The ground was first beaten hard, then smoothed with a stone roller. Only poor people (Ruth ii. 17) knocked out their scanty store of grain with a stick. This (see also next note) shews the straits to which Israel was reduced by the incursions of these bands of marauders. wine-press} Literally, trough, in wliich the grapes were trodden, from which the pressed juice flowed into the vat below. It was probably an apartment hollowed out of the rock, and therefore suitable for pur- poses of concealment. to hide it] Lit., to cause to flee, i. e. to conceal either the wheat, or the fact of its being threshed, from the observation of the Midianites, w. 14, 15-1 JUDGES, VI. 103 unto him, O my lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked 14 upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites : have not I sent thee ? And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith is shall I save Israel ? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, 13. 0 r\ The Hebrew interjection seems to mean with leave, and is an expression of great humility, which accords well with the whole character of Gideon, as here depicted. He united much vigour and physical strength with much self-distrust and timidity. See ch. viii. 23, and cf. ch. viii. 1, 8, with ch. xii. i — 6. ■why then is all this befallen us .?] In spile of the repeated warnings of the prophets, Gideon does not appear to connect the misfortunes of Israel with their sins. Perhaps in his retirement and insignificance, he had no opportunity of becoming acquainted with the true state of the case. In spite of the regulation which scattered Levites throughout the tribes to keep alive the knowledge of God's Law, there was in Gideon's time a very wide-spread ignorance of its precepts. For under a foreign oppressor's yoke the due observance of the law was impossible. And even when deliverance came, it did not necessarily involve a complete religious reformation. Jorsakeii] Lit., beaten us down, hence rejected us. The LXX (Codex Alex.) renders by the same word which in Rom. xi. 2, is rendered cast aivay. hands'] The original is stronger, palm, implying the grasp in which the Midianites held them. 14. And the Lord looked upon hi»i\ Rather, Jehovall turned to him, the angel here as elsewhere (Josh. vi. 2 ; cf. Gen. xxxii. 30), being spoken of as Jehovah Himself. See also ch. xiii. 22. in this thy might] The physical strength which obtained for him his name (see note above), which is implied in the Angel's first words. Nor need he rest upon this strength alone, but a lietter ground of confidence was to be found in the assurance "the Lord is with thee." hand] See note on "hands," v. 13. 16. O my Lord] See note on v. 13. The LXX. translates as A. V. But the Masoretic pointing here (aal, and his name a perjietual memorial of the fact. Hence he is called Jerubhcshclh (that is, "the Disgrace shall contend") in 2 Sam. xi. 21, when in the pious io8 JUDGES, VI. [vv. 33—35. ^^ — 40. Preparations for the conflict. The double sign from God. 33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, 34 and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet ; and 35 Abi-ezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh ; who also was gathered after him : reign of David Baal was regarded in his true light. Cf. Jer. xi. 13; Hos. ix. 10. 33 — 40. Preparations for the conflict. The double sign FROM God. 33. went over\ Or, crossed, i.e. the fords of Jordan near Beth-shean, where the river is fordable in many places. See Conder, Handbook to the Bible, p. 216. pitched\ The usual word in Heljrew for the encampment of an army. the valley ofyezreel\ The word for valley here is 'Emek (see note on oh. i. 19). The valley of Jezreel, or Esdraelon as it is more generally called (see Judith iii. 9, iv. 6), runs up from the Carmel ridge to the foot of Mount Tabor, where it trifurcates, the northern branch passing between Tabor and Little Hermon, and the southern below Mount Gilboa, while the chief and central portion runs into the Jordan valley by Beth-shean. This last was no doubt the route of the Israelites. The plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel (now Zerhi) has been described as the "battle-field of Palestine," and a recent traveller (Dr Bartlett, From Egypt to Palestine, p. 478) remarks on the singular group of memories connected with the spot, Barak and Deborah, Sisera, Gideon, Saul and Jonathan, Ahab and Jezebel, Jehu, Josiah, Holofernes and Judith, Vespasian and Josephus, Saladin and the Knights Templar, Bonaparte and Kleber. He might have added two others to the various list, the famous Egyptian conquerors Thothmes III. and Rameses II., better known as Sesostris, who invaded Syria by this route. See Records of the Past, Vols. XI. and iv., Brugsch, Hist. Egypt, I. 320 sqq., 11. 45 sqq. 34. the spirit of the Lord\ See ch. iii. 10. ca?Jie npon'] Rather, clothed, as margin and all the ancient versions except the Arabic. was gathered^ See note on ch. iv. 13. So also in the next verse. Abi-ezer] His own particular mishpachah or sept of the tribe. This was more than his "father's house" (see note on v. 15), i.e. the in- habitants of Ophrah and the neighbourhood. The Abiezrites inhabited a tract of territory of which Ophrah was an insignificant portion (cf, w. 15, 24). 35. who alsd\ Rather, and he, too. The word "messengers (the vv. 36—39.] JUDGES, VI. 109 and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali ; and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by 36 mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece of 37 wool in the floor ; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wit save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And 3S it was so : for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not 39 thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this word, as in Greek, is the same which is also translated angel) is em- phatic. (0 meet tlieni\ Most probably the sense is that the remaining tribes who were summoned went up to meet those who were already in the field, to "effect a junction with them," as military historians say. The Midianites were a mere disorganized rabble, as the event shews. A skilful general, like Napoleon, endeavoured to prevent such com- binations. Thus the battle of Quatre-bras was fought while the English were assembling at their rendezvous, in order to prevent their "going up to meet" the Prussians, who were already in the field. A glance at the map will shew that the junction in this case might easily have been pre- vented, since Asher, Zabulon and Naphtali were on the north, and the territory of the Manassites on the south, of the plain of Jezreel, and the huge hosts of the marauders lay in reckless confidence (ch. vii. 14) between them. 36. If thou wilt save Israel] See notes on vv. 11, 15, "He that hath might enough to deliver Israel, hath not might enough to keep himself from doubting." Bp. Hall. 37. will put] Or, put, i.e. at that moment. fleece\ This form of the Hebrew word occurs here only. It means what is shorn. floor] i.e. threshing floor, an area prepared for the purpose either under cover (apparently in Ruth ch. iii.) or in the field. See note on ch. vi. II. 38. thrust] Or, squeezed. So the ancient versions. The word is used in Job xxxix. 15; Is. lix. 5, of crushing an egg. This, as well as the word translated wringed, is one of the words which does not occur in previous books. bowl] See note on ch. v. 75. 39. Let not thine anger be hot against me] The severity of the Mosaic Law has been much exaggerated. The truth was proclaimed from the first that God was "merciful and gracious, longsuficring, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exod. xxxiv. 6, cf. also 7). Nothing could be more tender than the way in which God bore with the weak faith of Gideon, as of Moses before him (Exod. iv. 10 — 17). Upon the no JUDGES, VI. VII. [w. 40; 1,2. once : let me prove, I pray thee, but tJiis once with the fleece ; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all 40 the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night : for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. Ch. VII. I — 8. The selection of the warriors. 7 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that tvere with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod : so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying. Mine obstinate guilty, His wrath must needs fall. But wherever there was a spark of faith, He is ever revealed as dealing tenderly with it, that it may have time to grow into a flame. Ch. VII. 1—8. The selection of the warriors. 1. beside] XJX.^npon. Some would render "on an eminence above," but the A. V. is 10 be preferred. ivell of Ilarod] Or, fountain. It is not known where this is. But the place is mentioned once again in 2 Sam. xxiii. 25. hosi] Rather, camp. valley'] The valley, or 'Emek, of Jezreel. See note on i. 19; alsovi. 33. We may observe the undesigned coincidence here. Gideon was of the tribe of Manasseh,and though (ch. vi. 35) he had called the northern tribes to his help, yet the place of junction would doubtless be in Manasseh. And the valley of Jezreel, where the Midianites (ch. vi. 33) were encamped, lay to the north of the tribe of Manasseh. Such minute accuracy is only possible in an historian who was relating facts, with full and accurate information before him. Nothing is known of the hill of Moreh, beyond the fact that it could not be the place mentioned in Gen. xii. 6 and Deut. xi. 30. Robinson, however (Bibl. Res. in. 117), describes a hill Mutsellim, its name having the same signification as that of Moreh (i.e. overseer, teacher), which commands a wide view of the valley of Jezreel. Others have suggested Little Hermon. 2. too many] "And now whiles the Israelites thinke, We are too few; God say es, The people are too many.'''' Bp. Hall. lest Israel vaunt themselves] Cf. Deut. viii. 17, ix. 4, 5; Ps. cxv. i; Is. x. 13. Not only did the sacred literature of Israel throughout attribute all deliverances to Jehovah, but many of them were so clearly beyond the reach of human skill or foresight, that no other explanation was possible. The accuracy of the surprising facts narrated in this chapter is vouched for by the trustworthiness of the minor details. vv. 3— 5] JUDGES, VII. in own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim 3 in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the Lord said unto 4 Gideon, The people are yet too many ; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, Ihat of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee ; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water : and the s Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by 3. Whosoever is fearful and afraid'] This was commandecHn Deut. XX. 8. depart early] The word only occurs here. Derived from bird, it signifies bird-like motions. Here it seems to mean to go by a circuitous path, as men in fear would naturally do. Some of the ancient versions and the Cod. Al. of the LXX. refer it to Gideon. from mount Gilead] As Gilead (ch. v. 17) was beyond Jordan, the mention of Gilead involves a difficulty, one solution of which is that by a copyist's blunder Gilead has been substituted for Gilboa, which (i. Sam. xxix. i, 11; cf. xxxi. i) could not have been far off. The Hebrew letters of Gilead and Gillioa are much alike. But the LXX. has Gilead, so that the error must have arisen very early ; and, as Joshua xvii. 3 shews, some of Gilead's descendants dwelt on the western side of Jordan. There might therefore have been a Mount Gilead in western Manasseh. And there returned of the people] This does not say much for the martial spirit of Israel at this time. "Who can but bless himselfe, to find of two and thirty thousand Israelites, two and twenty thousand cowards." Bp. Hall. 4. try] The word, which occurs first here, signifies to test by fire, as the refiner tests silver. See Ps. xii. 7, Ixvi. 10; Mai. iii. 2, 3. 6. lappeth] Or, lieketh, the word, which is infrequent, and occurs here for the first time, being almost exactly the same as our word liek. Some commentators have found (i) reasons for this choice in the idol worship of Canaan. Josephus (2) thinks that those who lapped lay down at their ease on the bank, and thus shewed their courage, in con- trast with the rest, who drank hurriedly from the stream itself. But (3) it seems most probable that Gideon was directed to choose those who lapped as being men inured to warfare, who drank standing to guard against surprise by the enemy. It is remarkable that Gideon, who needed such unmistakable signs that God was with him, should so readily have yielded to so hazardous an arrangement as this. But we see 112 JUDGES, VII. [vv. 6— II. himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his 6 knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men : but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees 7 to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand : and let all the other people 8 go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets : and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men : and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 9 — 14. The dream, and Gideon'' s encouragement thereby. 9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him. Arise, get thee down unto the host ; for I have >o delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, II go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host : and {v. 10) that his faith required some further encouragement. "Nothing is more absurd than the notion that such traits were invented by a later historian." Ewald. 7. Bj/ the three hundred men] Cf. i Sam. xiv. 6; 2 Chron. xiv. II. 8. victuals] The Hebrew word originally signifies provision obtained by hunting, thus intimating a time in the past history of the nation when (Gen. xxvii. 3) much of their food was obtained in this way. See also note on ch. xvii. 10. The LXX., Targum and many modern commentators would translate here, "They took the people's provision in their hands," i.e. of the 9,700 who had returned, as some think. But this would have been an intolerable load for warriors who required above all things to be unencumbered. If we adopt this translation we must understand that the rest of the people gave them sufficient pro- vision for their needs. But the translation does violence to the present Heb. text. 9 — 14. The dream, and Gideon's encouragement thereby. 9. Arise, get thee doiun] This was a command to go and smite the host. But knowing Gideon's distrustful disposition, Jehovah bids him, if he fears to embark upon so great a venture without further encourage- ment, take an attendant and go down to listen to the conversation of the host. "He that hath might enough to deliver Israel, yet hath not might enough to keepe himselfe from doubting. The strongest faith will ever have some touch of infidelitie." Bp. Hall. 10. servant] The ong\na.\ has jvung man. vv. 12—14.] JUDGES, VII. 113 thou shalt hear what they say; and aftenvard shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the Midianites 12 and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude ; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there 13 was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing 14 11. armed men] The meaning of this word has been much disputed. It occurs only here and in Exod. xiii. 18; Josh. i. 14, iv. 12. As it is related to the Hebrew word for five, it probably means in battle array, which usually is in five divisions, the van, the centre, the two wings, and the rear. There is an Arabic word almost precisely similar, with this signification. In spite of the disorder reigning in the camp of the Midianites, they probably had not abandoned the five-fold arrangement, or even if they had done so, warriors in the field might still retain this appellation, derived from what ought to be their order, just as soldiers are so named from their pay, though they have often failed to receive it, and cavalry from their horses, even when they are dismounted. 12. lay alongl Literally, were falling, referring to the disorder in which they were scattered about. Compare the account of the Nor- wegian host before the battle of Stamford Bridge. grassho/'pers] See note on ch. vi. 5. 13. cake] The word, which only occurs here, signifies a circular cake. Such cakes are now (Van Lennep, Bible Customs, 88) "baked in an oven consisting of a hole in the ground three feet deep," or sometimes (see I Kings xix. 6) laid upon coals (or heated stones) and baked. So Buxtorf explains the Targum rendering here, though others (as Miinster) regard it as referring to the holes pricked in it, as in the modern Jewish Passover cake. barley bread] Alluding to the insignificance of Gideon and his family, or perhaps of his whole troop. Barley then, as it is still, was distinguished from "fine flour." "To heare himselfe but a Barly-cake, troubled him not. It matters not how base wee be thought, so we be victorious." Bp. Hall. a tent] Rather, the tent, no doubt of the commander. lay along] As above, fell. 14. Aftd his fellow answered] Lit., his neighbour. The only ex- planation that can be given of this answer is that Gideon's expedition was known to the Midianites, but that in their overweening confidence JUDGES 8 114 JUDGES, VII. [vv. 15—18. else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel : for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. 15 — 25. The defeat of Midian. 15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said. Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. 16 And he divided the three hundred men i7ito three com- panies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with 17 empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them. Look on me, and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as 18 I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, they disregarded it. The present speaker, more thoughtful than his fellows, foreboded evil from an attack which other men despised. "The children of the East," says Bertheau, "were celebrated for their skill in divination, as the story of Balaam shews." 15—25. The defeat of Midian. 15. the interpretation thereof\ Lit., its breaking. A similar ex- pression is still used in the Midland Counties of England for an event which calls to mind a previous dream. host^ Rather, camp. Arise'] This unexpected and remarkable confirmation of the visions and signs which had previously occurred removed all Gideon's remain- ing fears. 16. companies'] Lit., heads. lamps] Or, as tlie margin, torches. The word, however, in the Hebrew is almost identical with our word lamp, as with the Latin and Greek lampas. The pitchers were used to conceal the lamps, until by the noise of their breaking and the sudden appearance of the light, the Midianites should be thrown into confusion. The article in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible tells us that this mode of concealing the light of a lamp is still practised in Egypt. See also Van Lennep, Bible Lands, 480. 17. Look on me] Lit., see from me, i.e. take pattern from me. "Now when we would looke that Gideon should give charge of whet- ting their swords and sharpening their speares and fitting their armour, he only gives order for empty pitchers, and lights and trumpets." Bp. vv. 19—21.] JUDGES, VII. 115 and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were 19 with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the be- ginning of the middle watch ; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies 20 blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his 21 place round about the camp : and all the host ran, and cried, 18. The sword of the Lord and of Gidcon'\ As the type of our ver- sion shews, the words "the sword of" are not in the original. Nor need they be supplied. With the LXX., Syriac and Vulgate we may render For Jehovah and for Gideon. But see v. 20. 19. ///(? middle watch] The Rabbis disputed whether there were three or four watches. Rabbi Nathan (on Mishna i. i) held that there were three, because the middle watch is here spoken of. But other Rabbis contended that there were four, because Ps. cxi.K. 62 and 148 represent the Psalmist as rising at midnight, and yet before the watches of the night, whence they concluded that there was more than one after midnight. Therefore Surenhuys denies that in the mention of the "fourth watch of the night" (Matt. xiv. 25; Mark vi. 48) the Evangelists were reckoning according to the Roman custom. The only other watch mentioned in Scripture is the last, or morning watch. See Exod. xiv. 24; I Sam. xi. 11. Gesenius thinks he finds an allusion to the first watch in Lam. ii. 19, but the phrase is the same as here, "the beginning of the watches," and the plural forbids us to translate "the first watch." and brake the pitchers] The Hebrew construction, which here is a little unusual, implies the contempoianeous breaking of the pitchers, "indem sie zerbrachen:" Bertheau. Keil gives several instances of such stratagems from ancient and modern history. Hannibal extri- cated himself in a similar manner, when surrounded by Fabius. See Plutarch, Fabius Ma.xiinns, 6. 6. Niebuhr relates how in the last century an Arab chief escaped from a fortress in which he was besieged by a vastly superior force, through the employment of the same means as we here find employed by Gideon. 20. compatiies] Lit., heads, as above. The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon] We may either suppose that the word "sword" has dropped out of the text in the former place, or that in the excitement of the moment the three hundred men improved upon the war-cry prescribed to them. Literally rendered the words are Sword ! for Jehovah and for Gideon ! Jost remarks how seldom the Israelites, a comparatively uncivilized people inhabiting the moun- tains, ventured on a regular engagement with their enemies. Their greatest victories were surprises. See Introduction. 8 — 2 ii6 JUDGES, VII. [vv. 22— 24. 23 and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host : and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount 21. cricd'\ The word signifies a loud cry of exultation or alarm. and fled^ These sudden panics are usual among undisciplined hosts. Cf. I Sam. xiv. 16, 20; 2 Kings vii. 6, 7; 2 Chron. xx. 23. 22. Beth-shittah in Zererath\ Rather, Beth-shittah in the direction of Zererath. The Syriac and Arabic read Tzederah (probably Tzere- dah, r and d being much alike in Hebrew and Syriac) here. In 2 Chron. iv. 17 we have Zeredathah, and most modern commentators prefer this reading in the present passage. But they have overlooked the fact that the LXX. (Al. Cod.) has Zererah here, for it translates "and gathered together" as from tzarar to bind or fold together. If Zeredathah be the correct reading here, a comparison of the last cited passage with i Kings vii. 46 shews that it was the same as Zarthan, josh. iii. 16, &c. and perhaps with Zeredah in i Kings xi. 26 (where the Vat. Codex of the LXX. reads Zarira). If this be the place meant, near Kurn Sartabeh, it was the narrowest part of the Jordan. But from I Kings iv. 1 2 we read that there was another Zartan or Zarthan between Beth-shean and Jezreel, and not far from Abel-meholah. Now as there were fords of Jordan near Beth-shean, we must look for this Zererah or Zarthan in that direction. Beth-shittah signifies the house of the acacia, not the false acacia which grows in our gardens, but the acacia Seyal, a tree with a golden tuft of blossom, which from the hard- ness of its wood was much employed in the more costly work of the tabernacle (Exod. xxv. — xxxvii). border] lAt., lip. The word is usually employed to denote the bank or shore of a river or sea. Abel-meholah] See i Kings iv. 12, xix. 16. We learn from the latter place that it was the birth-place of Elisha. The name signifies the da7tcing 7neadow, probably from heathen rites carried on there in early times. Canon Tristram supposes it to be "the rich meadow land which extends about four miles south of Beth-shean, moist and luxu- riant." unto Tabbath"] Lit., uj)07t Tabbath, i.e. which borders on Tabbath. If this interpretation be correct, Tabbath can hardly be " a bold terrace on the east of Jordan" (Tristram, Bible Places, p. 229). 23. gathered themselves together] Lit., 7vere cried together, as in ch. i%'. 13. The tribes here mentioned, as well as Issachar and Zebulun (cf. ch. vi. 35), bordered on the valley of Jezreel. But it is strange that issachar is not once mentioned in this narrative. vv. 25;i.] JUDGES, VII. VIII. 117 Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. And 's they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. Ch. VIII. I — 3. Ephraim^s complaint and Gideon^s reply. And the men of Ephraim said unto him. Why hast ° 24. the waters unto Beth-barah and yordan'\ The original shews that we must distinguish between the "waters unto Beth-barah" and "the Jordan." The Ephraimites were invited to take all the fords (i.e. of the intervening ivadics) unto Beth-barah, and to take the Jordan fords near Beth-shean also. Beth-barah therefore cannot be the Beth- abara beyond Jordan of St Jolin i. 28, if that be the correct reading there, which is doubtful. gathered themselves toi^ctha^ IVere cried together, as above, sum- moned, that is, by proclamation. 26. Oreb and Zee/>] The name Oreb signifies raven, and Zeeb wolf. Compare our own early English Wiilfno. and J^A\\i\wulf. The places which took their names from the capture of these princes are not mentioned again, save that Isaiah refers to the former in ch. x. 26, Cf. Ps. Ixxxiii. 9, II. on the other side j^ordau] Lit., from across the yordan. As the Ephraimites occupied the fords, they must have taken Oreb and Zeeb on the western side of Jordan. While they were being gathered toge- ther, others of the flying enemy had clearly made their way beyond Jordan, pursued by Gideon, and the expostulations of the men of Ephraim related in the next chapter must have taken place before the heads of Oreb and Zeeb were brought to him. Chap. VIII. 1 — 3. Ephraim's complaint and Gideon's REPLY. 1. the men of Ephraim'\ Ephraim was apparently the leading tribe in central Israel. The political and the religious capital of the country were alike there. See Joshua xviii. i, xxi. 2, xxii. 9, 12, xxiv. i, 25. Ephraim was not originally the most numerous of the tribes (cf. Numb, i. and xxvi.), but its central position rendered it more secure from inva- sion, and no doubt by this time it had become preponderant in num- bers. Hence the lone of arrogance assumed here. Similar conduct is reported of Ephraim in ch. xii. i. The supremacy, however, passed eventually to Judah. The fact must not, however, be ascribed entirely Ii8 JUDGES, VIII. [vv. 2— 4. thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites ? And they did chide 2 with him sharply. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you ? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? 3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb : and what was I able to do in comparison of you ? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. 4 — 12. The pursuit. 4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pur- to the natural character of the people, but to the mountain region they inhabited, as well as to the qualities of the soil, which (see Ewald, Hist. Israel, Vol. 11. sec. 3, b), being less productive than the rest of Canaan, was calculated to develop a hardy and energetic race. Accord- ingly, this tribe appears usually to have suffered little from the desolating incursions which did so much mischief in other parts of the country. The only exception to this which we meet with is in ch. x. 9. See also note, ch. v. 17. sharply] Lit. , as margin, strongly. 2. What have I done 7tow in comparison of you?] There was suffi- cient justice in this remark to appease the anger of Ephraim. Gideon's three hundred men could not have done much towards the slaughter of the Midianites, though he could claim the credit of having dispersed them. The opportune seizing of the fords by Ephraim had been the means of securing the persons of two of the chief leaders of the Midian- itish hordes. the vintage of Abi-ezer] See note on ch. vi. 11, 15. Gideon, in conformity with his cautious and yielding character, represents his whole part in the matter as a small thing beside any one of the im- portant successes gained by Ephraim at the fords, and modestly hints at the insignificance of his person and family by the side of the com- parative greatness of Ephraim. We may compare the different be- haviour of Jephthah under similar circumstances, ch. xii. 2 — 6. 3. their anger was abated] Literally, their spirit (so margin) was slackened. "His good words are as victorious as his sword; his pacification of friends better than the execution of his enemies." Bp. Hall. 4 — 12. The pursuit. 4. the three hundred men] The same three hundred with which he had won the victory. faint, yet pursuing] Whatever Gideon's lack of moral courage, he was brave and energetic in the field. The attempt to continue vv. 5— 8.] JUDGES, VIII. 119 suing them. And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, 5 I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me ; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zal- munna, kings of Midian. And the princes of Succoth said, 6 Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army ? And Gideon ^ said. Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. And he went % up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise : and the pursuit of this vast host with three hundred men in an exhausted condition was at once an act of bravery and a work of faith. 5. Succoth'] See Gen. xxxiii. 17; i Kings vii. 46; 1 Chron. iv. 17. It was in the territory of Gad on the other side Jordan, a little north of the brook Jabbok. The Midianitish host was therefore flying south- ward. The word (Gen. xxxiii. 17) signifies booths. loaves] Literally, circles. The word is not that translated cake in ch. vii. 13. It is applied to the country north of the Dead Sea, where the cities of the plain were situated. The usual form of the loaf in Palestine is still round. Van Lennep, Bible Customs, p. 88. 6. And the princes of Succoth said] We may trace the progress of national disintegration and degradation by comparing this answer with the narrative in Josh. xxii. We may also see here the depressing effect of the Midianitish and other invasions upon the courage of the Israelites. It had an equally prejudicial eftect upon their faith, for no doubt it was the apparent absurdity of three hundred men attempting to pursue so vast an host that induced the princes of Succoth to take such a tone. hands] Literally, the palm, perhaps, as Bertheau suggests, with reference to the strong grasp they had laid upon the Israelites. It was the remembrance of this, and the comparison of their vast host with Gideon's little troop, that caused them to fear incurring the wrath of Zebah and Zalmunna by giving provisions to their foolhardy pur- suers. Our version follows the LXX. here, which makes no distinction between the word translated palm and that transLited hands in this verse. Other versions, as Luther's (and Wiclif, "the palmes of the hoondes ben in thine hoond ") preserve the distinction. 7. tear] Or, as margin, thresh. The word is akin to our thresh and dash, and signifies to strike with violence. briers] This word, which only occurs in this chapter, is one which the LXX. does not attempt to translate. The Jewish tradition supposes it to be a kind of thorny plant, and this is borne out by the context. The suggestion of Gesenius, that it means a kind of threshing ma- chine whose rollers were set with jagged iron teeth, is quite inad- missible. 8. Penuel] And this where the vision of God (Gen. xxxii. 24— jo) JUDGES, VIII. [vv. 9-14. the men of" Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had 9 answered him. And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this •o tower. Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of ail the hosts of the children of the east : for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that di^ew 11 sword. And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the 12 hosts: for the host was secure. And when Zebah and Zal- munna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. 13 — 1 7. The chastisement of Succoth and Penuel. 13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before 14 the sun was up, and caught a young man of the men of had appeared to their forefather Jacob ! This conduct seems to have been altogether without the limits of Gideon's forbearance. The con- duct of Ephraim, however arrogant, was at least dictated by a regard for the honour of the nation. The conduct of the men of Succoth and Penuel was cowardly and moreover unfeeling, as the conduct of cowards generally is, to say nothing of its utter inconsistency with the claim of Israel to be God's covenant people. 10. Karkor'] This has been supposed by Eusebius and Jerome to be Carcar, about a day's journey from Petra, and therefore not far from the Dead Sea. The place, with Nobah and Jogbehah, has not been identified. The identification of Eusebius and Jerome falls in with the direction of the Midianites' flight, but the distance, as Gesenius remarks in his Thesaurus, seems too great. The remark that "the host was secure," however, implies that they had fled rapidly and far, and that Gideon, by making a detour to the east, had fallen on them quite unexpectedly. The word translated host in this and the suc- ceeding verse is literally cattip or army. The word translated army in V. 6 is that so familiar to us in the words Lord of hosts, host of heaven, and the like. 12. discomfited] Literally, terrified. See ch. iv. 15, note. By his sudden descent he communicated another panic to the already thoroughly demoralized army. But he was contented with the seizure of the leaders and the dispersion of their followers, and therefore pursued his victory no farther. 13 — 17. The chastisement of Succoth and Penuel, 13. before the sun was tip] So the Chaldee version, though some w. 15 i8.1 JUDGES, VIII. 121 Succoth, and inquired of liim: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even three- score and seventeen men. And he came unto the men of is Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying. Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men i/iat are weary ? And he took the elders of 16 the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. And he beat down 17 the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 18—21. The death of Zebah and Zalmunna. Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of 18 men tvere they whom ye slew at Tabor ? And they answered, of the Rabbis render before the sun 't.ucnt do-vn. Lit. from the going up of the sun, or of Hcrcs. The word Heres is not the usual one for sun (see note on ch. i. 35, ii. 9 — though we find it in ch. xiv. 18), and here it may be a proper name, though the presence of the article is somewhat against this. On the other hand the word nta'alch is not elsewhere used except of an ascent, a path up a mountain. See Numl). xxxiv. 4; Josh. XV. 3, and ch. i. 36. And it is sometimes (as in 2 Sam. xv. 30, and 1 Chron. xx. 16) followed by the article before the name of the mountain. Heres is the name of a mountain in ch. i. 35, though clearly not this mountain. On the whole it seems more probable that this is a proper name. The LXX., Syriac and Arabic so render it. Dr Cassel remarks that as we iiave the splendour of the daivn (Zareth-shahar) as the name of a town on the same side of Jordan (Josh. xiii. 19) we need not be surprised at an ascent of the sun as the name of a mountain. 14. descril>ed] Literally, wrote. No doubt he gave Gideon a written list of their names. 15. upbniid'l This word properly is the exact equivalent of the Hebrew, to load with reproach. So Bacon, speaking of envy of those wlio have been more successful than ourselves, says "it doth upbraid unto them their own fortunes, and pointeth at them." hands] Lit., palm, as above, v. 6. 16. taught] Taught them a lesson, as we should say. Lit. /nade to know. 17. and shiv the nun of the city] See note on v. 8, for an ex- planation of the unusual severity of Gideon here. 18 — 21. The death of Zebah and Zalmunna. 18. ye sleio at Tabor] This refers to an incident not recorded. We may hence learn how very many details are passed over in the sacred narrative which, could we recover them, would solve difficulties now inexplicable. The murder at Tabor was either (i) the seizure and JUDGES, VIII. [vv. 19— 22. As thou art, so were they ; each one resembled the children 19 of a king. And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved 20 them alive, I would not slay you. And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not 21 his sword : for he feared, because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks. 22 — 32. Gideon's conduct after the victory, and his death. 22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over execution of Gideon's brothers by the Midianites as soon as Gideon's determination to attack them was made known. Or possibly (2) we may have here the key to Gideon's action. His brethren had been cruelly murdered by tlie Midianites, and he himself forced into con- cealment. He longed for revenge, but dared not take it, until the vision and its attendant signs gave him courage to do so. Or again (3) Gideon's brothers may have been seized and slain when on their way to the rendezvous. It may be remarked in support of (2) or (3) that Zebah and Zalmunna do not appear to have been aware of the relationship to Gideon of the men who had been put to death, but to have been suddenly struck, when Gideon put the question, by their resemblance to him, resembled^ Lit. according to the form, as margin. a king\ Lit. the king ; but the article is no doubt generic here. 19. / 'would not slay youl The gentleness of Gideon is displayed once more in this incident. There appears to have been no hesitation about the slaughter of Oreb and Zeeb ; nor was tenderness to the van- quished enioined in the Mosaic code. It was reserved for Jesus Christ to teach men the duties of pity and humanity to the world at large. 20. unto Jether his firstborn\ Possibly to add disgrace to their death from its taking place by the hand of a boy. The incident of the boy's refusal is at once natural and unlikely to have been an after invention. 21. Thai Zebah and Zalnmnna said] These chiefs, whatever their crimes may have been, at least died with a manly dignity. ornaments] Cf. Numb. xxxi. 48 — 54. From the word for moon in Syriac and Arabic we learn that these were crescent-shaped ornaments. They are still used among the Arabs, and are often worn on the fore- head. A full account of similar articles of dress will be found in Lane's Modern Egypt, Pt. II. App. A. The use of the crescent as the symbol of the Ottoman power is still more widely known among us. It was the ancient Byzantine emblem, and is no doubt connected with the worship of the horned Astarte (Ashtaroth Karnaim) or Venus. vv. 23, 24-] JUDGES, Vlll. 123 us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also : for thou hast dehvered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon '3 said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you : the Lord shall rule over you. And 24 Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For 24 — 32. Gideon's conduct after the victory, and his death. 22. Rule thou over its\ Though the word king is not used, yet the power offered was virtually kingly, since it was to be hereditary. This offer throws light upon the origin of kingly power. In early times, when men had to fight for existence, valour and conduct were frequently hereditary, for these qualities were then seldom corrupted by flattery or luxury. Thus the Israelites, in the first excitement of their extraordinary deliverance from the most terrible visitation they had yet experienced (it seems to have closely resembled the incursions of the Danes in our own history), were disposed to throw themselves at the feet of their deliverer. And though he steadfastly resisted their solicitations, yet the renown of his name extended to his family, as we learn from the history of Abimelech in the next chapter. 23. And Gideon said unto them'] Justice has hardly been done to this almost unique spectacle of self-abnegation. We may look almost in vain for historical parallels to it. Moses and Joshua might have made themselves kings, but they were never invited to do so. Cin- cinnatus returned quietly to his farm when his dictatorship ended, but it was never offered to him as an hereditary dignity. Ctesar's refusal of the crown was dictated by policy rather than principle. The same may be said of Oliver Cromwell. To Washington the opportunity of founding a dynasty was never given. Gideon had no prudential reasons for declining, for the country {v. 28) is said to have remained undis- turbed under his rule for forty years. The possibility of the establish- ment of kingly power had been foreseen and provided for by Moses (Deut. xvii. 14 — 20). But Gideon, with noble disinterestedness, refused to alter the constitution of his country, and to run the risk of causing heart-burnings and ultimate divisions among his country- men. A republic it had been from the first, under the guidance of an Unseen Monarch. That fidelity to Him would secure success, peace and prosperity, Israel had just had a convincing proof. There- fore he declined to put himself in the place of the Great King Who had so lately shewn His will and power to protect His people. Gideon's conduct here displays not only disinterestedness, but faith of a high order. That his faith (v. 27) was not perfect is only another way of saying that he, like every one else, was not free from the weaknesses incident to humanity. 24. earrings] or perhaps M^^j^-rings, which are worn now in Africa. See Art. Ornaments in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. But the former is more probable, and is the rendering of the ancient versions. 124 JUDGES, VIII. [vv. 25, 26. they had golden earrings, because they were IshmaeHtes.) 25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear- 26 rings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold ; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that because they were Ishfnaelites] The reason here given for the possession of the rings by the children of the East does not seem very clear at first sight. But we learn from Gen. xxxvii. 25, 28, xxxix. i, that the nomad tribes of Arabia, the "children of the east," were called indifferently Ishmaelites and Midianites, both (Gen. xxv. 1, 4, 6, 12 — 15) being descendants of Abraham; and that they were also the traders of the East, who went down into Egypt with tlieir spices and balsams, and received instead gold and silver. The precious metals, however, were also found in Arabia (cf. Gen. iii. 1 1, x. 29, and xxv. 18). See Burton, Gold Mines of Hfidian, ch. ix., Land of Midian, ch. iv. 25. a garment] The /lyke or outer garment, which was a kind of shawl or blanket. The original has the article, which implies that this was the usual way of measuring out the more valuable spoil. 26. a thousand and seven hundred] The shekel weighed about 253 grains, or rather more than twice the weight of an English sovereign. See Art. by Mr Madden, in Variorum Teacher'' s Bihle. Thus the value of these rings, without including the other ornaments, was about ;i^3400 of our money — a large amount. The Bedaween of the present day are less luxurious, though we read that "the ornaments are bracelets, collars, ear and nose-rings of gold, silver, or silver-gilt." Burton, Pil- grimage to Mecca, p. 376. ornamejits] Rather, ///i? ornaments. See no'e on v. 21. collars'] Rather the drops. They were precisely the same as many of the pendants to modern ear-rings, and though possibly often set with pearls, need not have consisted of them at all. Gesenius compares the word to the Greek -] Apparently they crossed from the hill-tops in Shechem as they grew bolder by impunity. put their confidence] Rather, put confidence. 134 JUDGES, IX. [vv. 28—31. and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did as eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer ? serve the men of Hamor the father of 29 Shechem : for why should we serve him ? And would to God this people were under my hand ; then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine 30 army, and come out. And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was 31 kindled. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, 27. madenierryl Rather, made songs of rejoicing. Heb. hilloolim ; compare Hallelujah and the Hallel oi the later Hebrews; also our own halloo. It would seem by a comparison of Levit. xix. 23, 24, where the same word occurs, that the feast which Moses had ordained was now kept in honour, not of Jehovah, but of Baal-berith. See next note. All nations, however, have been accustomed to keep festival at vintage- time. Compare the festivals of Bacchus among the Romans and Dionysus among the Greeks, when the utmost licence was permitted; also Is. xvi. 10; Jer. xxv. 30. their god'\ An incidental, but very significant allusion to the com- pleteness with which the worship of Jehovah had been abandoned by the lords of Shechem. 28. officer^ Lit. overseer, or inspector. serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem'\ See Gen. xxxiii. 19, andxxxiv. This passage is difficult. If we translate (l) as our version does, following the Masoretic text, we must understand the meaning to be "we might as well serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem," i. e. the Canaanites, who, as we have seen, were the vassals of the lords of Shechem. But (2) the LXX. translates Is he not the son of y er-ubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer his seri>ant, with the men of Hamor the father of Shechem? Or (3) we may translate, with the Chaldee, Do not the son of yerubbaal and Zebul his officer serve the men of Hamor? These two last translations recognize the tact that we is emphatic, a point which our translators have missed. The second translation gives the best sense, on the whole. The Vulgate and Luther render by a para- phrase. 29. would to God\ lAt.who will give, \.e. 7vould that. God's Name is not introduced. 30. ruler\ The word is the same as in v. 22, where see note. 31. privily] Some commentators prefer the marginal reading "in Tormah." But had this been the true rendering we should have had "to," not "in," Tormah. The Alexandrian MS. of the LXX. renders " fi€Td du)pu)v," but this is clearly a mistake, perhaps, however, for fiera, 56\ov, which is the translation of some ancient versions. w. 32—38.] JUDGES, IX. 13S saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem ; and behold, they fortify the city against thee. Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that 32 is with thee, and lie in wait in the field : and it shall be, ^//ai 33 in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city : and behold, 7a/ie/i he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 34 — 45. GaaVs defeat. And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with 34 him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood 35 iti the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that tvere with him, from lying in wait. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, 36 there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the moun- tains as if they were men. And Gaal spake again and said, 37 See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meo- nenim. Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy 38 mouth, wherewith thou saidst. Who is Abimelech, that we fortify] Rather, are stirring up. Hence the necessity for prompt measures, such as Zebul goes on to recommend. 33. set ttpoii] Lit. spread out upon, spoken of the deploying into battle array of troops cooped up in ambush. See v. 44 and ch. xx. 37. 34 — 45. Gaal's defeat. 34. companies'] See ch. vii. 16, note. 36. entering] Lit. door. 36. Thou seest the shadow] Zebul's object is to lull the suspicions of the fool-hardy Gaal until it is too late to close the gates of the city and offer effectual resistance. 37. Middle] The LXX. and Vulgate render navel, as margin. But Gesenius and the Targum render elevated portion. plain of Mioneniin] The word translated plain is properly oak. Meoncnim is the participle of a verb signifying to use occult arts. Hence the proper translation is the oak of the sorcerers. 38. Then said Zebul] The near approach of Abimelech's troops enabled Zebul to throw off the mask, for lie knew that Gaal would have difficulty enough in collecting his adherents to meet Abimelech, without wasting time in strife with himself. 136 JUDGES, IX. [vv. 39—45. should serve him ? is not this the people that thou hast de- 39 spised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abime- 40 lech. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown a?td wounded, even unto the ^^ entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah : and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should 42 not dwell in Shechem. And it came to pass on the mor- row, that the people went out into the field; and they told 43 Abimelech. And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and behold, the people 7iiere come forth out of the city ; 44 and he rose up against them, and smote them. And Abi- melech, and the company that 7vas with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city : and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in 45 the fields, and slew them. And Abimelech fought against 40. chased'] Rather, pursued. The action was rather a rout than a battle. Gaal's hastily gathered band was no match for Abimelech's more disciphned army, so Gaal's men took to flight at the very com- mencement of the action. and matiy were overthroxvn and ivoiinded, even tinto the entering of the gate] Rather, and there fell many wounded, up to tlie door of the gate. That is, Abimelech pursued them as far as the gate. Possibly he may have feared to trust his men in the narrow streets of an Oriental city, fearing the fate which eventually befel him. He left the city in Zebul's hands, and witlidrew for the night, intending to take further vengeance on the morrow. 41. dwelt at Aruinah] Rather, abode, i.e. for tliat night. Arumah is not again mentioned, but from what follows it must have been just outs'de the city. and Zebid thrust out] Zebu! was enabled to expel Gaal and the men who had fought on his side, but the temper of the city was nevertheless such that it would not have been wise for Abimelech to enter. 42. mto the field] They went out to their ordinary work, evidently presuming that with the expulsion of Gaal's adherents all was at an end. But Abimelech's revenge was not so easily satiated. 43. were come] Rather, were coming. The meaning appears to be that as soon as the people began to go about their daily business in the fields, Abimelech posted his ambush. He then watched, and as more and more of the population came out, commenced the attack. 44. rushed fonvard] See note on v. 33, where the word is trans- lated "set upon." In the latter part of this verse it is translated "ran upon." vv. 46— 49-1 JUDGES, IX. 137 the city all that day ; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it 7ciith salt. 46 — 57. Abhnelech V ftcrther campaign and death. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard ^^ ///«/, they entered into a hold of the house of the god Berith. And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of"*^ the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And "^^ Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that w^r^ with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid // on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him. What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down 49 every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them ; so that all 45. s(nved it with sa/t] Not, as some commentators have thought, in Older to make it unfruitful, for the operation must have been carried on upon a somewhat large scale to have brought about such a result, but to indicate that it should be desolate for ever, like the well-known salt desert beside the Dead Sea. But the difference between Abimelech's pseudo prophecy here and Josliua's denunciation against Jericho (Josh. vi. 26) is very remarkable at the present time. Shechem is still a tolerably flourishing town. Jericho is a collection of dirty huts. 46—57. Abimelech's further campaign and death. 46. t/ie men of the tower of Shechem^ Lit. the lords of the to'ver of Shechem. Probably the dwellers in the keep, or rather citadel, ap- parently some of the chief among the lords. hold] The meaning of this word, which only occurs here and in I Sam. xiii. 6 (where it is translated high places), signifies something lofty in height, whether artificial, as here, or natural, as in the other passage cited. There it no doubt signifies the topmost portions of almost inaccessible rocks. Here it means the upper chambers of a lofty tower. 47. were gathered together'] Not, in this case, with a hostile purpose, as in the A. V., ch. iv. 13, vi. 33 (where the words are not the same as here), but for refuge. 48. Zalmon] Cf. Ps. Ixviii. 15. This is supposed to be Jebel Suleiman, south of Gerizim. an axe] Lit. the axes, i. e. for himself and others, he being supposed to do what they did, because he commanded it. This is an example of what is called cottstructto praegnans in grammar. 49. hold] See above, v. 46. 138 JUDGES, IX. [vv. 50-54. the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. 50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against 51 Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut // to them, and gat them up to 5^ the top of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the 53 tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake 5+ his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him. Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his 50. TAdczl Eusebius and Jerome, in the Onomasticon (see also Robinson, Biblical Researches, il. 317; Ritter, Geography of Palestine, II. 341), identify this with Tubas, thirteen miles north of Shechem. The latest explorers (see Conder's Handbook, and Tristram, Bible Places, p. 196) confirm this view. No doubt the inhabitants of Thebez formed part of Abimelech's kingdom, and had been implicated in Gaal's rebel- lion. 51. a strong to'wcr'\ Lit. a tower of strength. See note on v. 46. they of the city\ Rather, the lords of the city. See note on v. 1. to the top] Rather, upon the roof. See ch. xvi. 27, and Josh. ii. 6, 8. 52. hard nnto'] The meaning is close unto, as in the well-known phrase "hard by." See Ps. Ixiii. 8; Acts xviii. 7, &c. to burn it -with fire] Thus repeating his successful attempt to storm the stronghold at Shechem, but with a very different result. 53. a piece of a millstone] Heb. a viillstone rider, i.e. what is called in English the runner, the upper millstone, which revolves, while the lower is fixed. The nether millstone is mentioned in Job xli. 24 (Heb. 16). all to brake] That is, completely broke {fractured, Heb.). See Nares' Glossary (Halliwell and Wright's Ed.) : In the various bustle of resort Were all to-ruffled and sometimes impaired. Milton, Comics, 380. Compare the German zn in composition. his skull] Heb. Giilgaltho, for the more usual Gulgoltho. Readers of the English New Testament will not fail to recognize the familiar Golgotha of Matt, xxvii. 33. The original meaning is anything rounded. Compare Gilgal. See the allusion to this incident in 2 Sam. xi. 21. 54. that men say not of me] An instance of "the ruling passion strong in death." Abimelech had been a warrior, and lived among warriors, and dreaded above all the reproach of dying by a woman's vv. 55-57 ;i-] JUDGES, IX. X. 139 young man thrust him through, and he died. And when ss the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they de- parted every man unto his place. Thus God rendered the s6 ^vickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren : and all the evil of the men of 57 Shechem did God render upon their heads : and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. Ch. X. I — 5- The judgeship of Tola and fair. And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola 10 hand. Cf. ch. iv. 9. "So vaine fooles are niggardly of their reputation and prodigall of tlieir soules." Bp. Hall. thrust him throug]i\ Compare the readiness of the young man to slay the petty king of Shechem with the feeling in reference to the choice of all Israel, i Sam. xxxi. 3; 1 Sam. i. 10, 14 — 16. "How much more beautiful is the tragical death of Saul ! His attendant, influenced by reverence, refuses to kill him, and finally follows him in voluntary death. The songs of David cultivate his memory : Abime- lech's epitaph is his brother Jotham's curse." Cassel. 67. and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of yerubbaal\ It is the peculiarity of the Scripture narrative that it clearly discerns the finger of God in all that is done. No secondary causes are allowed to blind the eyes of the reader to the fact that a personal God is carry- ing on His moral government of the world. Nor is the observation on Jotham's curse an encouragement to superstitious views of the power of curses. Abimelech's curse on Shechem (see v. 45) "came home to roost." Abimelech and the men of Shechem were not destroyed be- cause Jotham had cursed them, but because the curse was deserved. They had brought it upon themselves by their ingratitude and ill-doing, and it would have come upon them whether it had been pronounced by Jotham or not. We may observe again here that Jerubbaal, not Gideon, is the name given to Jotham's father, because it was not the man, but his deed, that the history desires to bring to our notice. Ch. X. 1—6. The judgeship of Tola and Jair. 1. to defend} Literally, to save. There is no need to imagine that Israel was reduced to the condition it was in when Gideon arose. It is sufficient to suppose that such a state of things would have taken place, had not a capable administrator arisen, who was placed at the head ol aftairs. The orderly condition of society resulting from his administra- tion would of itself tend to keep marauders at a distance. The cessa- tion of Danish incursions (save in the case of a disputed succession) between Alfred and Ethelred the Unready in our own annals supplies us with a case in point. Kings like Edgar maybe said to have "saved" England from the incursions of the Danes, even though no very formid- able landing occurred in their reigns. 140 JUDGES, X. [vv. 2—5. the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar ; and 2 he dwelt in Shamir in Mount Ephraim. 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 4 twenty and two years. And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. Tola the son of Piiali] Nothing more is known of either of these, save that their names appear to have been family names in the tribe of Issachar. See Gen. xlvi. 13 (and margin). Dodo] The ancient versions all translate of his uncle, which is cor- rect as far as the Hebrew goes, but is absurd here. The Vulgate sup- plies Abiinelech from the first part of the verse. But Abimelech was not of the tribe of Issachar. The fact is that Dodo was not an uncom- mon proper name. See 2 Sam. xxiii. 9; i Chron. xi. 12. a man of /ssac/iar] The organic unity of Israel, though it had been disturbed, was not yet broken up. Shamir] All that is known of this is that it could not be identical with the Shamir of Josh. xv. 48, which was in Judah. 3. yair, a Gileadite] Literally, t/ie Gileadite. Here again we see that in spite of the conduct of the Israelites beyond Jordan to Gideon, the unity of Israel was, as yet, not altogether destroyed. The first to feel the effects of national disintegration would be the tribes beyond Jordan. 4. Havoth-yair\ See Numb, xxxii. 41; Deut. iii. 14. There is no contradiction between the two statements. No doubt the distinguished position of the sons of the judge caused an old name to be revived. It is not said that they were first called Havoth-Jair from this cause, but that it was for this reason that they continued to be called so until the time that this book was written. Havoth signifies villages (properly living places). Jair the son of Manasseh appears to have inherited a place in the tribe of Manasseh through the female line, like the chil- dren of Zelophehad (Numb, xxxvi., Josh. xvii. 2 — 6), for we find from I Chron. ii. 22 that he was of Judah by the father's side. Hence the explanation of the otherwise inexplicable phrase, "Judah upon Jordan," in Josh. xix. 34 (cf. Matt. xix. i, and Josephus, Antiq. Xll. 4, 11). 5. Ca?non] Nothing further is known of this place, though it may be Jokneam of Carmel (Josh. xii. 22 ; i Kings iv. 12, where we have Jokmeam), for this has been identified with the Cammona of Eusebius and Jerome, the Cyamon of Judith vii. 3, now Tell-el-Kaimun, on the southern slopes of Mount Carmel. It is not at all improbable that Jair, after he became judge, found it more convenient to reside on the west- ern side of the Jordan, and that he was buried where he had lived. vv. 6-IO.] JUDGES, X. 141 6 — 9. Renewed apostasy of Israel. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight 6 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. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and 7 he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they s 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. Moreover 9 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 — 18. The repentance of Israel and steps taken towards resistafice. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying. We lo 6 — 9. Renewed ai'Ostasv of Israel. 6. the gods of Syria] We are not told what their names were, but they did not differ much from the gods of Phoenicia already mentioned. The gods of Sidon were Phoenician deities. 7. was hot] Or, was kindled. 8. that year] The year in which God "sold them into the hands" of their enemies. Probably also the year of Jair's death. The expression strongly suggests the idea that this history was compiled from a record like the Saxon Chronicle. vexed and oppressed] Literally, broke and crushed, the latter term being an intensification of the former. on the other side yordan] These bore the brunt of the oppression, though (see next verse) it extended to a less degree over the whole of Israel. The Philistine oppression did not reach its height till the days of Samson. the land of the Amorites, luhich is in Gilead] Sihon and Og, the two monarchs whom Israel dispossessed on the other side Jordan, are said to have been Amorites (Numb. xxi. 31 ; Deut. iii. 8). Part of Gilead belonged to Og (Deut. iii. i.^; Josh. xiii. 31), and was given to Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (Josh. xiii. 25, 31). See also i Chron. v. 10, 16, 23. The first of these verses implies that the Reubenites had a nomadic colony in Gilead. 10—18. The repentance of Israel and steps taken towards resistance. 10. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord] As in ch. iii. 9. 15. vi. 7. 142 JUDGES, X. [vv. II— 16. have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our 11 God, and also served Baahm. 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 Amnion, and 12 from the PhiHstines ? The Zidonians also, and the Amale- kites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to 13 me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have for- saken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver 14 you no more. 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 >6 thee ; dehver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. Baalim] Literally, the Baalim, i.e. the various false gods mentioned V. 6. 11. Did 7iot I deliver you?] The words added in our version are necessary to complete the sense, which is deficient in the original. The occasion of the deliverance from Egypt is well known. The deliverance from the Amorites relates to the overthrow of Sihon and Og (Numb. xxi., xxiv. ). The children of Amnion joined the Moabites in their oppression (ch. iii. 13). The Philistines must have been invading southern Israel in the days of Shamgar (ch. iii. 31). The Zidonians must have joined in Jabin's tyranny (ch. iv. 2, 3), and this may have been the reason of Asher's abstinence from the conflict (ch. v. 17). The Ama- lekites joined Eglon (ch. iii. 15) and Midian (ch. vi. 3). Maon appears to be a mistake for Midian, a mistake which would be easily made in the earlier Hebrew letters such as we find on the Moabite stone. Some copies of the LXX. substitute Canaan, but without authority. 15. And the children of Israel said] As the conduct of Israel grows worse, the answer of Jehovah to their cries grows sterner. He is not content now with the expression of regret. He requires some visible sign that it is real. Not till His worship is duly re-established, and the worship of the wicked deities of Canaan abandoned, does He shew mercy to them. True repentance is ever discerned, not by words, but by deeds. Israel's words here were submissive enough. Had they not been followed by the return to the pure faith of their forefathers, they would have been uttered in vain. 16. strange £ods] Perhaps better, with margin, the gods of the strajtger, his soul was grieved] Or, impatient (lit. shortened). This is one of the many instances of accommodation to human understanding in the way of speaking of God which are to be found in Scripture. w. 17, 18; 1—3.1 JUDGES, X. XI. 143 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and 17 encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. And the 18 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. Ch. XL I — II. Jephthah' s antecedents and election to the leadership. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty mati of valour, 11 and he ivas the son of a harlot : and Gilead begat Jeph- thah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons ; and his wife's sons 2 grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his 3 17. were gathered togeiJie}-] See note on ch. iv. 13. encamped in Mizpeh\ With repentance came Iresh courage. Israel is gathered together to fight for her liberties, and only lacks a leader. Mizpeh, or Mizpah, according to the Hebrew, is the Ramath-mizpeh of Josh. xiii. 26. Vandevelde identifies it with Ramoth-gilead (Josh. xx. 8; cf. Deut. iv. 43 ; i Kings xxii. 3, &c.). But Ramath and Ramoth are common names, signifying height. And so is Mizpah, or Mizpeh, which signifies a watch tower. The latest explorers therefore distinguish between the two. There appears, however, little reason to doubt that this is the Mizpah of Gen. xxxi. 49. See also ch. xi. 29. 18. the people and princes of Gilead^ Rather, the people, the princes of Gilead, the latter words being in apposition to, and added in ex- planation of, the former. What man is he] Or, who is the man ? Cii. XI. 1 — 11. Jei'Hthah's antecedents and election to the LEADERSHIP, 1. Jephthah\ So the LXX. The Masorites read Jiphthah. See Josh. xix. 14. a mighty man ofvalour\ See ch. vi. 12; 2 Kings v. i. Gilead^ Some have supposed that the land is personified in the person of Jephthah's father. But this is impossible from what follows in the next verse. Names often recurred in Jewish families. See note on Jair, ch. x. 3, and the genealogies in the book of Chronicles, especially chapters ii. and iv. 2. they thrust out Jephthah^ Bertheau refers to Gen. xxi. 10, XXV. 6. strange ivoman] Literally, other woman, but the term is not without a tinge of reproach. Compare the expression "other gods," ch. ii. 12, 144 JUDGES, XL [w. 4—9. brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob : and there were 4 gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Am- 5 mon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob : 6 and they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, 7 that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house ? and why are ye 8 come unto me now when ye are in distress ? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all o the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me Jiome again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before and elsewhere. Jeplithah's birth was plainly more questionable than that of Abimelech. 3. in the land of Toi] The words may be translated in a good land. But all the versions translate by a proper name, and 7>. 5 removes all doubt on the subject. Tob, according to 2 Sam. x. 6, 8, appears to have been a part of Syria adjacent to the north of Israel. See also I Mace. V. 13; 2 Mace. xii. 17, where, if the land of Tob be meant, it was occupied by the Jews at that time. It might have been the Hauran, which we are told is the best land in Syria. vain mefi] See ch. ix. 4. 4. in process 0/ lime] Literally, yri^w, i.e. a/ler, days. 5. 'when the childr-en of Ammon made ivar] That is, when the children of Israel had resolved to resist the incursions which they had borne for eighteen years. Compare ch. x. 8, with 18. With this agree the facts (i) that Jephthah was young when he was expelled from his father's house, and (■2) that when he conducted his successful expedition against Ammon, he had a grown up daughter. See also v. 4. 6. captain] See Josh. x. -24, where the word first occurs. They were evidently originally military officers, though the term is applied apparently to civil rulers in Is. i. ro, iii. 6, 7. 7. and expel me] It is clear from this charge, and from the answer of the elders of Gilead, that they had power to have prevented the action of Jephthah's brothers. But Jephthah's mildness on this occasion, which contrasts with his usual temperament (cf. w. 3, 30, and ch. xii. 4), indicates a consciousness that the stigma on his birth rendered it very difficult for them to have interfered. The regulation laid down in Deut. xxi. 1.5 — 17 did not apply to such a case as this. 9. the Lord] We see from ch. x. 16, that the worship of God, not in vv. 10—13.] JUDGES, XI. 145 me, shall I be your head ? And the elders of Gilead said 10 unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with n the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them : and Jephthah uttered all his words be- fore the Lord in Mizpeh. 12 — 28. JephthaJCs negotiations. And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the 12 children of Amnion, saying. What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto 13 the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from x\rnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan : now therefore restore those the general sense, but as Jehovah the covenant God of Israel, had been restored. Hence Jephthah says ydiovah here, not Elohim. shall I be yotir head'] The answer of the elders of Gilead seems to support the idea of those wlio would translate here I will toe your head. The word "I" here is emphatic. 10. be ivlfness] Literally, is hearing, thus implying their belief in an ever-present deity. 11. all his luords'] All that he had previously promised. before the Lord] There is no reason to suppose that the tabernacle had been removed across Jordan. Both Jephthah and the elders of Gilead were well aware (see note on last verse) that Jehovah was present with them. And these words were therefore spoken solemnly, as in His presence. For Mizpeh see note on ch. x. 1 7. 12—28. Jepiitiiah's negotiations. 12. 7)tessengcrs'\ The word is the same as that translated angel in ch. ii. I. What hast thou to do with me] Literally, zuhat to me and thee? my land] The newly-appointed head speaks in the name of the land of which he has been made head. 13. from Arnon even unto fabbok] The Amon (rushing stream) empties itself into the Dead Sea about midway down on the east side. See Numb. xxi. 13. The Jabbok (pourer, or emptier) rises in the mountains of Gilead, and empties itself into the Jordan near Zarthan (or Zaretan, see note on ch. vii. 22) and the city Adam i Josh.' iii. 16). But how could Israel be said to have taken away this ^and? It was in the hands of Sihon (Numb. xxi. 24) when Israel took posses- sion of it. But a more careful study of the passage just cited will disclose what affords a colourable pretext for the assertion of the king of Ammon, quite enough to serve his purpose, according to the usual morality of State Papers. We read in Numb. xxi. 26 that Sihon had taken this land JUDGES lO 146 JUDGES, XI. [vv. 14—18. r^ lands again peaceably. And Jephthah sent messengers 15 again unto the king of the children of Ammon : and said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the 16 land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon : but when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the 17 wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh ; then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land : but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab : but he would not con- 18 sent : and Israel abode in Kadesh. Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, from the Moabites. And from v. 24 (with which compare ch. iii. 13) Moab and Ammon appear at this time to have been one power. Josh, xiii. 24 — 26 moreover assigns some portion of the disputed land to the Ammonites. We learn from Is. xv. and Jer. xlviii. that Moab ultimately recovered this territory. 15. Israel took not a%vay\ They had received a special command not to do so, which, as Jephthah proceeds to shew, they scrupulously obeyed. 16. walked"] Or, went. unto the Red sea] See Numb. xiv. 25; Deut. i. 40, ii. i. Kadesh'] Called also Kadesh-barnea, Josh. x. 4t, xv. 3. It was be- tween the wilderness of Zin and that of Paran. See Numb. xiii. 26, XX. I, 16. Dean Stanley supposes it to be Petra, but it appears (Numb. XX. 22) to have been some distance from Mount Hor, whereas Petra lies at the foot of that mountain. Bartlett, a recent American explorer, following Rowlands, has supposed it to he Ain Gadis, which has been thought by some to be too far westward. Canon Tristram, however, in his latest work, as well as several other high authorities, supports Ain Gadis [Bible Places, p. 5). 17. then Israel sent messeftgers] This passage, down to the word "land," is evidently taken from Numb. xx. 14, 17. "Israel," however, being substituted for "Moses," "from Kadesh" being omitted, as well as a considerable portion of the appeal, and the first person singular being substituted for the first person plural. would not hearkett thereto] See Numb. xiv. 18^21. unto the king of I\Ioab] There is no mention of this embassy to Moab in the Pentateuch. But it is implied in Deut. ii. 9. and Israel abode in Kadesh] A quotation. See Numb. xx. i. 18. compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab] See Numb. XX. 22. xxi. 4, 13. the other side of Arnoti] Numb. xxi. 13. vv. 19—26.] JUDGES, XI. 147 but came not within the border of Moab : for Amon 7uas the border of Moab. And Israel sent messengers unto 19 Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon ; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. Eut Sihon trusted not Israel to pass 20 through his coast : but Sihon gathered all his people to- gether, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his 21 people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them : so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the in- habitants of that country. And they possessed all the 22 coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. So now the Lord 23 God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? Wilt not 24 thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. And now ari 25 thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, while Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her 26 towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that for Anton was the bonier of J\foab'] Rather is the border. A quo- tation of Numb. xxi. 13. 19. unto Sihon king of the Amorites] Another quotation from Numb. xxi. 21. Cf. Deut. ii. 26 — 32. Let us pass] Again a quotation, Numb. xxi. 22. 20. Sihon gatJu'red] This passage, to the end of the verse, is for the most part a literal quotation from the narrative in Numliers. Jephthah's message thus shews the Pentateuch to have been in existence in his day. Jahaz] See Numb. xxi. 23; Is. xv. 4; Jer. xlviii. 21. 21. they smote them] Numb. xxi. 24, 25; Deut. ii. 33, 34. 22. coasts] See note on ch. i. 18. the wilderness] The desert which lies on the east of this territory. 24. Chemosh] Chemosh (see note on ch. x. 6) was the god of Moab. But Moab and Ammon seem at this time to have been under a common rule. 26. Balak the son of Zippor] See Numb. xxii. — xxi v. and Deut. xxiii. 3, 4. Balak was full of suspicion and fear, but he did not accuse the Israelites, as his successors now did, of having taken his land. 26. tmvns] Literally, daughters, as in ch. i. 27. Aroer] Aroer of Reuben, since Jephthah is speaking of the territory 148 JUDGES, XI. [vv. 27— 33. be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years ? why =7 therefore did ye not recover them within that time ? Where- fore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me : the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of 28 Amnion. Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 — 33. Jephthah' s voiv and victory. 29 Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto 30 the children of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed avow unto the Lord, and said. If thou shalt without fail deliver the 3' children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's and I will offer it up for a burnt 32 offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them ; and the Lord delivered 33 them into his hands. And he smote them from Aroer, near the Arnon. See Josh. xiii. 16, 17. It is to be distinguished from Aroer which is before Rabbah, Josh. xiii. 25, which was within the territory of Gad. 27. t/ie Lord the Judge be Judge] Or, Jehovah, who judgeth, shall judge. 29 — 33. Jephthah's vow and victory. 29. the spirit of the Lord] See ch. iii. ro. he passed over Gilead] He passed through the northern tenitory of Israel beyond Jordan to collect troops and then returned to his head- quarters at Mizpeh. 30. vowed a vow] "It was his zeale to vow, it was his sinne to vow rashly." "Vowes are as they are made; like unto sents, if they be of ill composition, nothing offends more; if well tempered, nothing is more pleasant. "^Bp Hall. 31. and L will offer it up for a burnt offering] There can be little doubt that Jephthah, in his eagerness, had in his mind a human sacrifice. The expression "that which cometh out of the doors of my house" could hardly have signified an animal. Therefore Jephthah no doubt had in his mind some one of his household, whom he probably expected would be ready to meet him on his return. He was terribly punished for his rash and cruel vow. vv. 34—36.] JUDGES, XI. 149 even till thou come to Minnith, ami twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, unth a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 34 — 40. The fate of JephthalC s daughter. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and be- ■i^ hold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances : and she tvas his only child ; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he 35 saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter, thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me : for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, 36 My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, 33. Minnit}i\ This was proliably a large corn-growing district in the Mishor, or table-land, east of Jordan. See Ezek. xxvii. 17. even twenty cities] That is, he smote twenty cities. the plain of the I'ineyards] Or rather meadow of the vineyards (Heb. Abel Clteramim). Cf. ch. vii. -22; 1 Chron. xvi. 4. Where this was is not known. a very great slaughter] Literally, smiting. subdued] See ch. iii. 30. 34 — 40. The fate of Jephth./vh's daughter. 34. his house] Thus we learn that a suitable residence at Mizpeh had been placed at the disposal of their leader by the men of Gilead. titnbrels and^vith danees] Like Miriam, Exod. xv. 20. See also i Sam. xviii. 6, xxi. 11, xxix. 5. The timbrel, sometimes translated tabret (Ileb. toph), was identical with our modern tambourine or little drum. 35. Alas, my daughter!} It appears evident from this lamentation of Jephthah, and his daughter's reply, that the conception of Jehovah entertained by the Israelites at this time was much debased by the frequent relapses into idol worship. They had returned sincerely enough to the worship of Jehovah. 15ut evil done is not undone in a moment. They might replace His worship, but they could not replace His image in their hearts. Hence Jephthah conceives of Him as the neighbourin;'- nations conceived of their gods. They were accustomed to offer living sacrifices (2 Kings iii. 27, xvi. 3; Micah vi. 7). He thought it only due gratitude to do the same. Jephthah's sincerity was unquestionable, but his ignorance was great. He had rashly vowed, and he believed that Jehovah strictly exacted from him the fulfilment of his vow. I cannot go back] "An imlawful vow is ill made, but worse performed. It were lutty this constancy should light u]ion any but a holy object." — Ij]). Hall. But see Numb. xxx. 2 ; Eccl. v. 4, 5. Also ch. xxi. 18. 36. And she said unto him, Afy father] No langiiage is sufficient to ISO JUDGES, XI. [v. 37. do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth ; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Amnion. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me : let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my do justice to the nobleness of this devoted woman. There are no la- mentations, save for the fact that her father's house would cease out of Israel. No reproach is uttered against her father for his rashness. She is quite content to yield her life, since Israel is avenged of his enemies by her father's hands. We may compare Jephthah's daughter with Iphigenia in heathen literature and the son of Idomeneus of Crete. See Art. in Smith's Classical Dictionary. do to VIC according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth\ These words admit of no other interpretation than that Jephthah's daughter consented to be offered up as a burnt offering. This was the universal opinion of earlier times. The historian Josephus entertains no doubt on the subject, nor would he have been likely to omit stating the fact if any such doubt had been entertained in his day. But he makes, on the contrary, some severe reflections on Jephthah's blind zeal and con- tempt for the institutions of his country. It was only when milder views began to be prevalent in the Middle Ages that some expressed doubts on the point. P'rom this time forward some of the most learned Jewish Rabbis, as well as some of the greatest Christian expositors, have sup- posed that Jephthah's daughter simply dedicated herself to a life-long virginity. But in that case we should hardly expect the plain and un- mistakeable words in v. 39, "he did with her according to his vow which he had vowed," but rather some such words as those of 2 Sam. vi. 23. Again, as Hitzig remarks {Gcschic/ite des Volkcs Israel, p. 129), would Jephthah have been "so deeply cast down and grieved" if only a vow of celibacy were in question? Nor is it probable that the mere dedica- tion to a life of virginity, which must perforce have happened to many an Israelitish maiden, would have been regarded as of sufficient im- portance to have led to tlie institution of a yearly feast. Van Lennep, Bible Lands, 751, supposes that Jephthah was ignorant that a provision had been made in Levit. xxvii. 2 — 8 to meet the case of such unnatural vows. Ewald, as well as many other later authorities, adopts the view taken in this note. See Appendix. Note IV. 37. let me alone two months'] If Jephthah were only devoting his daughter to a life of virginity, it is difficult to see why he should have been asked to put off for two months the fulfilment of his vow. bavail my virginity'] To be childless was a reproach among the Israelites. See i Sam. i., ii.; St Luke i. 25. And among other nations also. So Antigone bewails her virginity: aKeKTp"v, avvfiivaiov, ovre tov ydfiov M^pos Xax^ouaav, ovre iraiddov Tpocfirj^. Soph. Ant. 892, 3. vv. 38— 4o; i-l JUDGES, XI. XIT. 151 fellows. And he said, Go, And he sent her away for two 38 months : and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at 39 the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed : and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, that 40 the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. Ch. XII. I — 7. JepJitJtaJCs strife with the Ephraimites. His death. And the men of Ephrahn gathered themselves together, 12 Compare Tennyson : No fair Hebrew boy .Sliall smile away my maiden blame among The Hebrew mothers. Drea7)i of Fair Women. For a house to be blotted out of Israel was a judo;ment from God (Ps. cix. 13). Hence Jephthah 's daughter pathetically bewails the hard fate that has befallen, not herself, but her father's house, which came to an end with her. "As vestal virgin," Ilitzig reminds us, "she had a whole life wherein to weep." fel/oTvs] Or, compatiiotis. 39. aud she kncM }to tnani Or, ani\ i^he /lad /ctiozvk no man. The tense is the perfect in the Hebrew which (see note on ch. i. 8, ro) often stands for the pluperfect. If this be the true rendering here, and the view taken in the preceding notes be correct, it is equivalent to "she died unmarried," or "without issue." If we take the rendering in our version, it implies that the dedication to perpetual virginity was the fulfdment of Jephthah's vow. a ciistoi>i\ The original is stronger, an ordinance. The word is frequently rendered into English by statute, which, however, would be too strong here. 40. to lat/ietit'] Rather, to praise, or celebrate. See ch. v. i r, Ch. XII. 1 — 7. Jephthah's strife with the Ephraimites, HIS DEATH. 1. And the men of Ephraim'\ See note on ch. viii. i. Perhaps Jephthah the Gileadite, living as he did beyond Jordan, was less im- pressed with a sense of Ej^hraim's greatness than their neighbour Gideon the son of Joash. Ewald is very severe on those who " cross the Jordan in mere arrogance and lust of plunder, when the victory is won, to take vengeance, in his own country and in his own home, on the hero who dared conquer without them." gathered themselves] The original is stronger, and denotes deliberate IS2 JUDGES, XII. [vv. 2-4. and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee ? we will burn thine 2 house upon thee with fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon ; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out 3 of their hands. And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand : wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to 4 fight against me ? Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim : and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, aiid among action on the part of Ephraim as a tribe. Were called together. See ch. iv. 12. no7'(h7vard'\ Or, to Zapho>i in the land of Gad (Josh. xiii. 27). This is the most probable rendering, for nothing is said about crossing the Jordan. Yet it is clear from v. 5 that the battle was fought on the east side of Jordan. The Talmud regards Zaphon as the same as Amathus, the modern Amata on the Wady Rajib. "we will burn thine house] Impunity often begets insolence, and inso- lence chastisement. Had Gideon met the claims of Ephraim less hum- bly, their spirit might have been abated before this. But whereas they only "chode with Gideon sharply," they now proceed to threats of violence, and meet with a punishment which effectually tames their pride. We hear of no more demands on the part of Ephraim that nothing shall be done without him. 2. at great strife] Literally, a man of strife was I, I and my people exceeditigly. and when I called yott] This makes the case worse for Ephraim. They had been asked to join the expedition and had neglected to do so. 3. I put my life in tny hands] Cf. i Sam. xix. 5, xxviii. 21. It was a task of great danger which Jephthah had undertaken. See also ch. ix. 17. 4. Then yephthah gathered together] The Midrash remarks here that had the priests done their duty, neither would Jephthah's rash vow have been fulfilled, nor this civil strife have taken place. It is worthy of remark (and it bears on the question of the authenticity of this book) how completely, in the disorganized state of Israel from foreign oppression and internal corruption, the religious system of Israel had been allowed to fall into abeyance. From the days of Phinehas (see ch. xx., xxi.) to the time of Samuel, we hear nothing of the high priest, the ark, or the tabernacle. Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim] The only explanation of this vv- 5—7] JUDGES, XII. 153 the Manassites. And the Gileadites took the passages of 5 Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over ; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Ar^ thou an Ephraimite ? If he said, Nay ; then said they unto him, 6 Say now Shibboleth: and he said, Sibboleth : for he could not frame to pronounce //* right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan : and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. And 7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in o/ie ^the cities of Gilead. speech that appears intelligible is that it is applied to Jephthah's army, in which some individual Ephraimites may have been present. This may have provoked the sneer, "your Gileadite army consisted of run- away Ephraimites and Manassites." Jephthah seems to have dwelt in that part of Gilead which belonged to Gad. That his army was largely recruited from Manasseh we know (ch. xi. 29), and the union between the two branches of the tribe of Joseph was closer than between any other of the tribes. Or the allusion may be to the fact that half the tribe of Manasseh had separated from their brethren by settling beyond Jordan, thus fulfilling the apprehension expressed in Josh. xxii. 24. Perhaps the " wood of Ephraim" in 2 Sam. xviii. 6, which was evidently on the other side of Jordan, may bear witness to a settlement of Ephraimites in Gilead. However this may be, the Gileadites who dwelt in Gad resented the insult, and in the event severely punished it. Most of the ancient versions avoid the difficulty by a paraphrase. 5. J>assai^vs] Rather, fords. 6. Shibboleth^ A stream, see Ps. Ixix. 3, 16; Is. xxvii. 12. The dialectic variations between various parts of Judtea would naturally be as great as those between various parts of England. P>en in the pre- sent day, with the immensely improved means of intercommunication, and the advance of education, it is usually possible to tell by their accent whether a person comes from the north, south, or west of Eng- land. And if it be objected that Palestine was much smaller than England, it may be answered that it was about the size of Wales, and that there is a marked distinction between the dialects of North anil South Wales. he could not fratne to pronounce it right] Literally, he did 7tol appoint to speak thus, that is, it was not the custom of his district to pro- nounce in that way. forty and two thousand] A terrible slaughter for so absurd a cause of quarrel. Put when the flood-gates of strife are opened, no one knows what may be the results. See Prov. xvii. 14. 7. six years] A very short period. Very likely liis life was short- ened by grief for his rash vow. XS4 JUDGES, XII. [vv. 8—13. 8 — 15. JephthaKs successors. 8 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. And ^ he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his 10 sons. And he judged Israel seven years. Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem. 11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he 12 judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. 13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, 8-15. Jephthah's successors. 8. Ibzan ofBeth-lehem'] The commentators are agreed that this was Bethlehem of Zebuhin (Josh. xix. 15). But there is no proof of this, save that Bethlehem of Judah is usually spoken of as Bethlehem-judah, and the fact noted by Ewald [Hist. Israel, sec. 3, B) that only one of the judges, Othniel, was from the tribe of Judah. As we hear nothing of the warlike achievements of these judges, we may presume that Jephthah's victory had freed northern and eastern Israel for a time from foreign invasion, and that his successors simply undertook the internal civil administration of the commonwealth, or of that portion of it over which they presided. 9. And he had thirty sons] The foreign connexions mentioned in this verse lead to the conclusion that Ibzan's position was one of more importance than that suggested in the margin of our version. The shortness of the period during which he held the judgeship leads to the conclusion that his age and experience, rather than his military spirit, caused the management of internal affairs to be entrusted to him by general consent. 11. Elon] He seems to have held a similar position to Ibzan. 12. Aijalon] Not to be confounded with Ajalon or Aijalon in the tribe of Dan (Josh. x. 12, xix. 42, xxi. 24). It perhaps should be printed Elon, for the letters are the same as those which compose Eton's name. So the LXX., KlXwv. The name, which signifies 'lair of the deer,' was likely to be a common one. 13. Abdon] The Bedan, most probably, of i Sam. xii. 11. The vowels, it is to be remembered, were no part of the original Hebrew text. The Ain has probably dropped out of the text at a very early period, as the LXX., not understanding Bedan, has written Barak, in which it has been followed by the Syriac. Ewald thinks, however, that Bedan is Ben-dan, i.e. Samson. a Pirathonite] Rather, the Pirathonite, as in v. 15. Pirathon, we learn from v. 15, was in the land of Ephraim. For the mount of the Amalekites, see note on ch. v. 14. It was the birthplace of the valiant Benaiah {2 Sam. xxiii. 20, 30; i Chron. xi. 31). It is mentioned by Josephus as Pharathon, and is the modern Ferata or Feron, south-west of Shechem. vv. 14,15; 1,2.] JUDGES, XII. XIII. 155 judged Israel. And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, u that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pira- -s thonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. Ch. XIII. I — 25. £ir//i 0/ Samson foretold by an angel. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of 13 the Lord : and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the PhiUstines forty years. And there was a certain man a of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was 14. nephcu given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend. Ch. XV. I — 8. Samson's revenge. But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of 15 wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid ; and 18. the suit] The word here is hcres. See ch. viii. 13, note. 19. cavie vpon /lini] See note on v. 6. spoil] See 2 Sam. ii. 21 (marg.). his anger 7vas kindled\ It appears to have been shortHved (see ch. XV. i), but at least it was not unnatural, and was no doubt deepened by the thought that these people were the oppressors of his countrymen. The revenge he took was by no means surprising in that warlike age, on the part of a young man conscious of supernatural strength, and hating the nation with which he had nevertheless chosen to ally himself. Sec Introduction, Ch. III. 20. his companion'] One of the thirty mentioned 'va.v. 11. The margin of our Bible refers us to the "friend of the bridegroom" spoken of in John iii. 29. The LXX. adopts this view and renders by vviJ.XX. which has adQos air 6. Cf. Matt, xxvii. 4, 24. Samson is ready to admit that he did not act rightly on the former occasion, in slaying unoffending persons in revenge for a trick. "This time," he says, "the Philistines will not be able to say that they have any ground of complaint against me." though I do them a displeastire''\ Literally, if, or, when, I am a doer of evil tozvards them. 4. foxes'X Or, jackals, Heb. shu'al which, through the Persian schagal, becomes owr jackal. They are still to be found in the Holy Land, and their cry at night, echoing from Ebal to Gerizim, disturbs the traveller who takes his rest at Shechem. So Dr Petermann tells us in his Reisen im Orient. They are also still to be found in considerable numbers in the neighbourhood where Samson dwelt. The naturalist Scheber (quoted by Rosenmiiller, Alterthnmshinde, iv. 3, 154), gives the following among other reasons for preferring the jackal here. i. The jackal is more easily caught than the fox. 2. The fox is shy and suspicious and flies mankind, the jackal is not. 3. Foxes are difficult, jackals comparatively easy, to treat in the way here described. So also Ilengstenberg, Geschichte des Reiches Gottes, ii. 66. See a similar story in Ovid, Fasti, iv. 707. It does not appear that the fox feeds on carrion, which the Shu'al does (Ps. Ixiii. 11). Some, however prefer the rendering fox, and this animal may have been comprehended under the general term ShtCal. firebrands'] Hebrew Lappidim, here torches. See note on ch. v. 4, vii. 16. 5. standing corn] This mode of inflicting vengeance on an enemy was very usual in early times. Herodotus (i. 17 — 19) tells us how the Lydian King Alyattes adopted this practice for twelve successive years to revenge himself on his neighbours the Milesians. shocks] The Hebrew word is translated stacks in Exod. xxii. 6. It means either (i) stacks of corn or (2) a heap of sheaves, or shock as here. w. 6— 8.] JUDGES, XV. 165 the standing corn, with the vineyards afid olives. Then the 6 Philistines said, Who hath done this ? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet 7 will I be avenged of you, and aherf/mf I will cease. And he 8 smote them hip and thigh 7C'i//i a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. Cf. Job V. 26. For sAoci, see Tusser, Good Husbandry, August 16, "The mowing of barley, if barley do stand Is cheapest and bf st, for to rid out of hand ; Some mow it and rake it and set it on cocks Some mow it and bind it and set it on shocks." vineyards and olwes\ The word cherem (from which Carmel is derived) signifies originally a fruitful field (see margin of Is. xxxvii. 24). Hence it came to mean vineyard. But there is no such meaning here. For vineyards and olives we must read olive-yard, or better, according to the analogy of the German, Olive-garden. 6. bnrnt /ler] So that, after all, the fate she had tried to avoid by her treachery towards her husband, came upon her at last. Timidity and prudence are not always identical. Nor does the cowardice of the Philistines, in avenging themselves upon the helpless, rather than upon the offender, secure them from evil consequences. 7. Though ye have done this^ Perhaps the best equivalent in idiomatic English would be, "If this is the way you act, I will most assuredly be revenged upon you." Literally, if ye arc acting thus — ; but I swear that I haz'e been avenged upon you, the perfect denoting the matured intention of Samson's mind. 8. hip and thigh^ Ileb. leg upon thigh, i.e. hewed them in pieces with such violence that their bodies lay in confused heaps, their limbs piled up on one another. The Chaldee translates "horse upon fool," but this is of course a mere paraphrase. ■with a great slaughter^ The Hebrew is more vivid, a great slaugh- ter. Etani] Etam is mentioned in i Chron. iv. 32 and in 2 Chron. xi. 6. Eolh these places were in Judah, and they may have been identical, though from the connexion in which the names appear the latter woukl seem to have been situated some distance to the north of the former. If the latter Etam lay near Ueth-lehem and Tekoa, it may well have been the Etam of this narrative, which was evidently (see next verse) within the borders of Judah. Recent discoverers, however, have identified the place with Beit' Atah, near Zorah and Eshtaol, but within the borders of Judah. It stands on the crest of a rocky knoll, with a rock tunnel of great antiquity connecting the village with its chief spring, the en- i66 JUDGES, XV. [vv. 9—13. 9 — 13. Samson delivered to the Philistines. 9 Then the PhiUstines went up, and pitched in Judah, and 10 spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, Why are ye ..come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done 11 to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Phihstines are rulers over us ? what is this that thou hast done unto us ? And he said unto them. As they did 12 unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me 13 yourselves. And they spake unto him, saying, No ; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand : but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock. trance to which can only be found by those well acquainted with the locality. See Tristram, Bible Places, p. 48, and Conder's Bible Handbook. 9 — 13. Samson delivered to the Philistines. 9. spread ihemselves'\ Literally, were spread or scattei'ed, no doubt in exploring parties in search of Samson. Le/W] So called from what follows, see v. 17. The situation of Lehi has not been identified. 11. to/i] Rather, cleft (Is. ii. 21, where the same words occur, and are translated "tops of the ragged rocks"), from a root signifying division. Possibly the tunnel spoken of above {v. 8, note). We may observe the intimate acquaintance of the writer with the natural features of the country. The men of Judah must have gone up to the summit of the rock, they went do7v?i (see the margin for the correct translation of the Heb. word) to the cleft. the Philistines are rulers over iis'X How completely the spirit of the men of Judah was broken may be discerned from their conduct here, as well as by a comparison of i Sam. xiii. 7, 19. 12. that ye will not fall upon me yourselves'] Samson's generous and heroic nature will not permit him to enter into strife with his own countrymen, in spite of the selfish and cowardly spirit they were now displaying. Confident in his strength, he is willing to be bound and delivered to the Philistines, but he will not imbrue his hands with Israelite blood. vv. 14—19.] JUDGES, XV. 167 14 — 17. The desl ruction of a thousand men with the Jaw- bone of an ass. And when he came unto Lehi, the Phihstines shouted '4 against him : and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that 7i>e?-e upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, 's and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. And Samson said, »«> With the jawbone ot an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, 17 that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi. 18 — 20. The miracle in Lehi. And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and 18 said. Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant : and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised ? But God clave a hollow 19 14 — 17. The destruction of a thousand men with the jaw-bone of an ass. 14. shouted against hi7n'\ Literally, to meet him, i.e. their shouts met him as he came forward. came iiiighlily] As in ch. xiv. 6. loosed] Literally, w^;v me/tec/, as margin. 15. ttew] Or, fresh, of an ass recently dead, and therefore less brittle. sle7u a thousand men] Doubtless assisted by a panic which seized on the Philistines when they saw the preternatural strength of their an- tagonist. Cf. Levit. xxvi. 8 ; Josh, xxiii. lo. 16. hea/>s upon heaps] Literally, as margin, one heap, two heaps. Samson, or his historian, breaks out into poetry here. The deeds of Jewish heroes, like those of other nations, were largely celebrated in verse. The same Hebrew word stands for ass and heap in this passage. There is therefore a play upon words here. 17. Ramath-lehi] The height, or eminence, of the jawbone, ac- cording to some of the best ancient and modern interpreters. 18—20. The miracle in Lehi. 18. into the hand of thy servant] Rather, by. The same Hebrew particle is translated twice into and onct for, in this verse. 19. God] The use of Elohim here, when Samson, it is said, prayed to Jehovah, has attracted some attention among the commentators. It i68 JUDGES, XV. XVI. [w. 20; 1—3. place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout ; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived : wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, 20 which is in Lehi unto this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. Ch. XVI. I — 3. Samson's exploit at Gaza, 16 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and 2 went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, 3 we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and at least serves to cast some doubt upon the theory which assigns the passages in which Elohim occurs to another hand than those in which Jehovah is employed. a hollow place that was in the ja%v\ Rather, the hollow that is in Lehi. The word {Machiesh) here translated hollow is translated mortar in Prov. xxvii. 22, and is used of a valley, apparently near Jerusalem, Zeph. i. 11. It was no doubt a mortar-like cavity in the rock, which was in existence in the time of the historian, and had been handed down by tradition as the place where the miracle happened. The LXX. translate the hole which was in Siagon {ox jaivbonc), but ap- parently regard Siagon as a proper name, as they do in v. 14. In v. 9 they leave Lehi untranslated. The Vulgate translates as the A. V., thus unnecessarily adding a fresh wonder to the miracle. En-hakkore\ "The fountain of him who calls," i.e. upon God. Ch. XVI. 1—3. Samson's Exploit at Gaza. 1. a harlof] Samson's sensual disposition led him into the utmost danger, and finally proved his ruin. Keil cites a striking passage from St Ambrose here, " Samson when strong and brave strangled a lion, but he could not strangle his own loves. He burst the fetters of his foes, but not the cords of his own lusts. He burned up the crops of others, and lost the fruit of his own valour when burning with the flame enkindled by a single woman." "Of all the deliverers of Israel there is none of whom there are reported so many weaknesses, or so many miracles, as of Samson." Bp. Hall. 2. In the morning, when it is day'] Rather, when the day dawns, or at morning light. 3. took'\ Rather, grasped ; literally, took forcible hold of. went away with them] Rather, removed them : literally ptilled theni up. vv. 4— 6.] JUDGES, XVI. 169 put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron. 4 — 20. Samson's infatuation for Delilah, and her treachery. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in 4 the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the 5 lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her. Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what ineatis we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him : and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Delilah said 6 a Aitl] Rather, the hill or mountain. before Hebroiil This may be explained either (1) opposite Hebron, which was about forty miles from Gaza, or (2) towards Hebron. Near Gaza there is a range of hills in the direction of Hebron, the highest of which commands a view of the hills round Hebron. Hither, as Robin- son tells us {Biblical Researches in Palestine, 11. 39), ancient tradition supposes the gates of Gaza to have been carried. 4 — 20. Samson's infatuation for Delilah, and her treachery. 4. valley of Sorek] The word here translated valley is the ravine through which a winter torrent flows. See note on ch. iv. 7. Sorek has not been identified, but it was no doubt in the neighbourhood of Samson's birth-place. The place was no doubt famous for its vines. See Gen. xlix. 11 (Heb), Delilah] Her name is derived from a root signifying that which hangs down or droops, as a palm branch. It may (i) have referred to the delicate grace of her form. Or it may (2) witli some authorities be supposed to mean 7oeak. The idea (3) of some of the Rabbis that she was so named because she deprived Samson of his strength seems more fanciful than probable. It is not stated whether Delilah were a Phi- listine or one of Samson's own countrywomen. The former is usually taken for granted, by Josephus, among others. But it is a question whether Samson, with all his weakness, would have reposed such implicit cimfidence in her if she had been one of his enemies. Nor, one would think, would the immense l)ribe mentioned in v. 5 have been required. 5. lords] See ch. iii. 3. Entice] Cf. ch. xiv. 15. ■wherein his great strength lieth] The idea of the Philistines probably was that he possessed some sorcerer's cliarm by which he was enabled to perform his wonderful feats of strength. These feats were the more remarkable, in that it does not appear that Samson's size was in any way proportionate lo his strength. He is not described as a "son of Anak," nor is he spoken of as Goliatli is spoken of in i Sam. xvii. afflict] Or humble, as margin. every one of us\ Lit, a man. The bribe was a large one, and shews I70 JUDGES, XVI. [vv. 7— II. to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. 7 And Samson said unto her. If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, 8 and be as another man. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been 9 dried, and she bound him with them. Now there ivere men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him. The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it 10 touch eth the fire. So his strength was not known. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies : now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou 11 mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I the terror Samson had inspired. Eleven liundred pieces of silver amounted to about ^^135. The whole, therefore, was ^675 — a con- siderable sum in those days. But if, with some, we reckon the silver shekel at three shillings, the amount would then be £82$. See Mr Madden in the Varionun Teacher'' s Bible. It may be noticed that there is a remarkable consistency in the whole narrative. First we have the tremendous slaughter of the Philistines, then the immense sum of money offered to Delilah by men well aware of Samson's sen- sitiveness to female blandishments, and then the plots laid for his life by men who dare not attempt to lay hands upon him, in spite of their being many and he but one. 6. Tell me, I pray t]icc\ Any one less foolish than Samson would have seen at once that these words were spoken with a purpose, and would have shaken himself free from the dangerous fascinations of the temptress. 7. green wit/is] Better, as margin, new cords. The Hebrew translated greejt is properly, as margin, moist, and is here spoken of the undried flax of which the cords were made. See Gen, xxx. 37, where it is translated green, and Numb. vi. 3, where it is rendered moist. Some, however, suppose them to have been made of the sinews of animals, as distinct from the ropes or cords mentioned below, v. 11. The deriva- tion gives us no help in the decision of the question. another tnan'] Lit. one of the men, i.e. one of ordinary mankind. 9. Now there were wfw lying in wait abiding with her} Lit. the ambush was sitting to (i.e. by) her. So below, v. 12. toncheth'] Lit. as margin, smelleth. 11. ropes'] The word here signifies what has been twined. That in V. 7 signifies what hangs down. that never were occupied] Lit., as margin, 7vhere7vith woi'h has not been done. Cf. St Lulce xix. 13, as also Exod. xxxviii. 34, Ezek. xxvii. vv. 12—17.] JUDGES, XVI. 171 be weak, and be as another man. Delilah therefore took 12 new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him. The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from oft" his arms like a thread. And Delilah said unto Samson, 13 Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her. If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she fastened /'/ with the pin, and said unto him, The 14 Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I 15 love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength licth. And it came to pass, when she 16 pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death ; that he told her all his 17 heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a rasor upon mine head ; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb : if I be shaven, then my strength will go 16, 27, &c. The word occupy., like the Latin occupare, signifies to engage in business, to employ, as well as to Ji/l a place, as in i Cor. xiv. 16. Compare also the Bible and Prayer Book Version of Ps. cvii. ■23. So an Act of Parliament in the reign of Henry the Eighth uses the word as equivalent to employ: — "an Archl)ishop may have cause to occupy more chaplains than six." And wc use the word in this sense in the passive, as in the phrase to lie occupied in business. 12. thread^ Not the same word as in v. 9. There the word used signifies a slender twisted cord. Here the word means seiving thread. 13. locks'\ The word signifies what is interwoven. Here, therefore, it means plails, 7ved] It means the woven cloth, with which she interwove his hair as he slept. Cf. a similar word in Is. xxv. 7, xxviii. 20, where our version has covering. 14. And she fastened it with the pin\ Lit. and she struck with the peg. The word translated peg is the same as in ch. iv. 11, 22. What is meant is that she fastened her piece of weaving securely in the loom, so as to prevent its slipping out, weaving Samson's hair in her work just as she would ordinary threads. the pin of the beam] Rather, the peg or pin of the weft, i.e. of what had been woven. This peg or pin Samson took with him, and the cloth into which his hair had been woven also. 16. vexed] Lit., as margin, shortened. See ch. x. 16. 17. if I be shaven] Samson's Nazarite vow was to last his whole 172 JUDGES, XVI. [vv. 18—21. from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other 18 man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying. Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, 19 and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees ; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head ; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. 2 1 — 3 1 . Revenge and Death of Samson. 81 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and life, and upon its faithful observance his strength depended. "The superhuman strength of Samson did not reside in his hair as hair, but in the fact that Jehovah was with him." Keil. any other mait\ Heb. all mankind. 18. this once] See ch. vi. 39, where the Hebrew is the same. me] This is an emendation of the Masorites. The Hebrew text makes this a remark of the historian, and reads lier. But the LXX. and Chaldee agree with the Masorites here. tnoney] Rather, the money, i. e. which had been promised, v. 5. The Philistines faithfully fulfilled their engagement, but what became of Delilah and her ill-gotten gains we are not told. She vanishes from the history so soon as her part in the infamous compact was performed. 19. she made him sleep upon her knees] A very striking practical commentary upon Prov. vii. 22, 23. a man] Heb. the man, i. e. the lier in wait who had been placed at Delilah's service. to shave off] The commentators here refer to the story of Nisus and the purple lock which his daughter shaved off (Ovid, Metam. 8, 6). But the story, as well as its moral, is very difiterent to this. she began to afflict him] According to the usual custom of Hebrew historians, who invariably emphasize by repetition, what follows is here referred to. 20. other ti?nes] Lit. time after time, shake tnyself] i.e. free from my bonds. the Lord] See note on v. 17. 21 — 31. Revenge and Death of Samson. 21. took him] Heb. laid hold of him. put out] Heb. as margin, l/oird owi. his eyes] The Mishna {De Uxore Adulterii Suspecta, ch. 8) has the vv 22—25.] JUDGES, XVI. 173 brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass ; and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit the 22 hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the PhiUstines gathered them together 23 for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice : for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they 24 praised their god : for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their 25 hearts were merry, that they said. Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house ; and he made them sport : and they set him following note on this passage. Commenting on the maxim "with what measure a man metes, with that it shall be measured to him," it pro- ceeds, "Samson followed after the delights of the eyes, therefore the Philistines bored them out. Absalom was proud of his hair, therefore by his hair he was hanged." fetters of brass'] Helj. two fetters of brass, probably one for the hands and the other for the feet. Cf. 1 Kings xxv. 7. did grind] Hcb. ^oas grinding, i.e. that was his usual employment. It was the employment of slaves of the lowest class (Exod. xi. 5 and xii. 29), and to Greek and Roman slaves it was a punishment. See Horn. Od. VII. 103, 4, XX. 105 — no; Terence, Pkorm. 11. i, 18; Andr. I. 2, 27, 28. "lie was more blinde when hee saw licentiously, then now, that he sees not; He was a greater slave when he served his affections, then now, in grinding for the Philistines." Bp Hall. 22. after] Better, as margin, as when. When Samson's hair re- turned to the condition befitting a Nazarite, his strength returned. 23. Dagon] "His form was a fish, as the name Z'o"' signifies, but with human hands and feet and body" (cf. i Sam. v. 4). Movers, Phbnizicr, I. 591. He is called Derketo by profane writers. His worship, according to the same authority, is connected with the sea as ])rolific with life. Some, however, would derive from Dagan.corn, and interpret by Zeus Arotrios. The Assyrian Bel had also the name of 1 ).ngan, and this has been supposed (see Art. in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible) to point to a possible identity between Dagon and Bel. But Canon Rawlinson {Ancient Monarchies, II. 14) denies that there is any- thing in common between the two. Dagon had a temple at Ashdod as well as Gaza. See i Sam. v. i, 2; i Chron. x. 10; i Mace. xi. 4. 25. made them sport] Rather, as margin, made sport before them. The word is translated //(fZ)' in i Sam. xviii. 7; 2 Sam. vi. 5, 21. It means generally to make merry. It is used of a sham fight (2 Sam. ii. 14), wb.ich however became a real one before it was over. It is no slight indication of the date of the book of Judges that while here the older 174 JUDGES, XVI. [vv. 26—28. 26 between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 27 Now the house was full of men and women ; and all the lords of the Philistines were there ; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld 28 while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that and harsher form of the word ir found, the later and softer form known to the later Hebrew occurs in the former part of the verse, thus marking a period of transition in the language. 26. Suffer\ Lit. cause me to rest, i.e. do not hinder me. Perhaps the meaning of St Luke xxii. 51 in the A. V. may derive some light from this passage. standetli] Lit. is supported. "The building was a spacious Theatre, Half round on two main pillars vaulted high. * * * The other side was open, where the throng On banks and scaffolds under skie might stand." Samson Agonistes, 1605 — 10. lean upon theni\ For rest after his exertions. Had he been "making sport " when he laid hold of the pillars upon which the house rested, he could hardly have been visible to the people on the roof. 27. the house was full'\ Not only was there a goodly company on the roof, but underneath it. The persons of highest rank were ap- parently under cover. Three thousand persons of lesser quality occupied the roof, while the people of the lowest grade were in the court-yard. 28. unto the Lord] Rather, unto Jehovah. O Lord God] Rather, 0 Lord Jehovah. Jehovah is usually rendered Lord in the A. V., which thus leaves no other word by which to render the title Adonai, which here precedes Jehovah, and has the literal mean- ing of Lord. Elohim is the word usually rendered God by our trans- lators. 0 God] Here Samson says Elohim, thus using three different titles of God, as was frequently the case in moments of great solemnity. Compare El Elohim Jehovah in Josh. xxii. 22 and Ps. 1. i, where special emphasis is laid upon the Name of God. There is something deeply pathetic in this passage. Samson has no desire to live. Sorrow and suffering have deepened his character and weaned him from those sensual delights which have been his ruin. In his affliction his soul returns to God, whom he now addresses in language of the deepest reverence. That he had not been left altogether uninstructed in the law we learn from this threefold recognition of God as Lord or Ruler, as the Eternal self-existent One Who had revealed Himself to Moses, and as VV.29, 30-] JUDGES, XVI. 175 I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars 29 upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said. Let me die with the Philistines. 30 And he bowed himself with all his might ; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were the Mighty One before Whom the earlier Hebrews had bowed down. But he had not learned the deeper lesson. "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay, saith the Lord." The whole picture now given of Samson is ad- mirably consistent with what we elsewhere learn of the man and his age, that I may be at once avenged] Lit. and I will be avenged with one vengeance. The use of the cohortative form of the future here seems to suggest a more forcible rendering than that I may be avenged^ Render, and let me be avenged. 29. took hold] The word is an unusual one which occurs here for the first time. See Ruth iii. 8 (margin) and Job vi. 18. Samson bent or clasped his hands or arms round the pillars. middle pillars] Samson was no doubt now at the entrance of the inner hall, with two pillars in front on which the building rested, and near enough together to enable a man of no very extraordinary stature to grasp them. The higher classes, as has been said, had gathered either under or upon the roof. In front of the building was a court-yard — see note on v. 26, 27 — in the midst of which Samson made sport. And while their victim was allowed some respite, the spectators remained on the roof, so that he was enabled to involve them in the general destruc- tion. and on which it was borne up] Rather, as margin, and he leaned upon them, or was supported on them. See 1 Kings xviii. ?i. 30. Let me die] Lit. let my soul die, or my life, the Hebrew word tuphesh, like the Greek fvxh, being the usual expression for the principle of life which man has in common with the lower animals, though in his case, allied to a higher intelligence and superior faculties to theirs. he bo7ved himself with all his uiight] Lit. he bent with (or in) strength. and the house fell] "This littered, straining all his nerves he bowed As with the force of winds and waters pent. When Mountains tremble, those two massive Pillars With horrible convulsion to and fro, He tugged, he shook, till down they came and drew The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sate beneath, Lords, Ladies, Captains, Councellors, or priests. Their choice nobility and flower." Milton, Samson Agonistes, 1646 — 54. 176 JUDGES, XVI. XVII. [w-si; 1,2. 31 moe than they which he slew in his hfe. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. Ch. XVII. I — 6. MicaK s theft aiid image ivorship. 17 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name 2 was Micah. And he said unto his mother. The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about moe\ The ancient form of 7Jiore. Compare the Christmas Carol, "All for to be taxed with many one moe." "Faith and troth they would no mo." Greene, Shepherd's Ode. 31. Then his brethren... came dozun] Not his brethren in the strict sense, for he was an only child, but in the more general sense in which Lot is called the brother of Abraham, Gen. xiv. 14. the house 0/ his father] Not the household of Manoah, but the whole tribal family to which Samson belonged. See note on ch. vi. 15. A large body of men would be required, even after this great disaster, to rescue the body of Samson from his enraged enemies. And in the down- trodden state of Israel at this time (see note on ch. xv. 1 1 ) it could only have been in a period of the greatest distress and confusion among the Philistines that Samson's body could have been recovered at all. Thus the various portions of the narrative mutually confirm each other. zVi the biiryingplace] Manoah therefore was most probably dead, though Milton by a poetic fiction represents him as alive. See note on ch. viii. 32. he judged Israel] The term (see note on ch. ii. 16) simply implies a position of importance in Israel, and not of necessity what we now understand by judicial functions. Ch. XVII. 1 — 6. Micah's theft and image worship. 1. And there was a man] The date of the events which follow is fixed by ch. xx. 28 to have been much earlier than most which precedes it. For their proper position in the history and their having been added here, see Introduction, Ch. I. Micah] Heb. Rlicayahu (who is like Jehovah?), as Isaiah is Yeshayaitu and Jeremiah Yir7nyahu. The vowel termination is occasionally omitted, as in V. 5, and throughout the rest of the narrative. The name of the prophet Micah always appears in the latter form. The episode of Micah is introduced as leading to an account of the settlement of the tribe of Dan in Northern Palestine, and apparently, from the allusion to there being no king in Israel {v. 6, cf. ch. xviii. i, xix. i, xxi. 25) with a view of illustrating the lawlessness of the times. This fixes the date of the book as subsequent to David's accession, when first the blessing of a settled government was known. See Introduction, Ch. I. 2. from thee] The Hebrew and the Alexandrian codex of the LXX. have to thee. The construction is probably elliptical, ' ' which belonged vv. 3—5.] JUDGES, XVII. 177 which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, be- hold, the silver is with me ; I took it. And his mother said. Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. And when he 3 had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image : now therefore I will restore it unto thee. Yet he restored the money unto his mother; 4 and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image : and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an s to thee and were taken," or as we should say, " that money of yours which was taken." Ewald explains, "which was entrusted to thee" (by my father), and translates "I took" by "I will take." This however is extremely arbitrary. Blessed be thou of the Lord'] Not, of course, because of the theft, but because of its acknowledgement. The Vulgate and LXX. translate more literally, Blessed be my son of the Lord. So Luther also renders. 3. eleven hundred shekels of silver] See note on ch. xvi, 5, where the word supplied is pieces instead oi shekels. dedicated] Lit. sanctified. So the LXX. The Vulgate has "con- secravi et vovi." unto the Lord] Hebrew, unto Jehovah. So soon had the precepts of the Law (Exod. xx. 4; Lev. xxvi. i ; Deut. iv. 16, xxvii. 15) faded from the minds of the people of Israel. Micah's mother could devote ;^i35 (or ;i^i65, see note on ch. xvi. 5) to the worship of Jehovah. She had not turned aside to other gods. Yet she had forgotten that no image or similitude was seen when God revealed Himself on Sinai, but only a voice was heard. See Deut. iv. 12. a graven image and a molten image] Cf. Deut. xxvii, 15. The Pesel was a carved image, whether of stone or wood (see Is. xliv. 15) or any other material (Is. xxx. 22). The Massechah (derived from nasach, to pour out) was of molten metal. The word is used of Aaron's calf in Exod. xxxii. 4. Yet] Heb. and, which often in that language has the force of but. No such sense, however, is needed here. It is only an instance of the repetition so common in Hebrew. See ch. xx, 35, note. two hundred shekels] Micah's mother had not spoken the exact truth. When it came to the point she did not give one-fifth of what she had promised. 6. a house of gods] Rather, a house of God. So LXX. and Vulgate. The Chaldee has a house of error. The name of God, Elohim, is a plural form, and may be translated God, or gods, as in ch. ii. 12, v. 8. See Appendix, Note I. The worship at Micah's temple M-as, as we have seen, a worship of Jehovah. See also v. 12. JUDGES 1 2 178 JUDGES, XVII. \yv. 6, 7. ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who 6 became his priest. In those days f/iere 7vas no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 7 — 13. The Levite appointed Micah's priest. 7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned a7t ephodl See ch. viii. 27. teraphini\ Cf. Gen. xxxi. 19; i Sam. xv. ■zs (where the A.V. has idolatry), xix. 13, 16; 2 Kings xxiii. 24; Hos. iii. 4. Sometimes, as in I Sam. xix., they appear to have been of large size, and to have been representations of the human form. They were the Penates of the people of the East, from whom the Hebrews adopted them in spite of prohibitions. The name has been derived from a Semitic root signifying prosperity. In this image, ephod and teraphim, Hengstenberg sees a kind of caricature of the Divine worship, the image standing for the ark of the covenant, the ephod for the sacerdotal robes, the teraphim for the names of the 1 2 tribes which were engraven on 1 2 precious stones, and placed (Exod. xxviii. 9 — 12) upon the shoulders of the High Priest when he entered the sanctuary. The Levite, when he was fortunate enough to meet with him, was, to Micah's superstitious mind, a satis- factory substitute for the High Priest himself. consecrated'\ Web. filled the hand. See Exod. xxviii. 41, xxix. 9, &c. ; Levit. vii. 37, viii. 33, xvi. 32; Numb. iii. 3. It means to fill the hand with sacrificial gifts, intended to be offered to Jehovah. The portions of the priest, together with the bread and cakes, were put into the hand of the priest. See Exod. xxix. 24; Levit. viii. 27. Also Bahr, Sym- bolik, II. 426. became his priest] Jonathan here renders by Chomara, i.e. a heathen, as distinguished from an Israelite, priest. The latter term (Cohen) sig- nifies, according to many, a man of honourable position, and it is frequently translated prince. The Chomara was literally a person shut tip, as in the monastic life, or set apart. 7 — 13. The Levite appointed Micah's priest. 7. family] See Josh. vii. 17, where the same expression occurs. In the latter passage the LXX. and Vulgate read the plural. Here, how- ever, they both have the singular, with the exception of the Vatican MS. of the LXX., which leaves the words out altogether. The Peshito also omits them. The passage in Joshua admits of the explanation that the reading is corrupt. Here, however, it clearly means that portion of the tribe of Levi which was resident in Judah. See Josh. xxi. 9—19. who] Lit. and he, as below. a Levite] Who this Levite was we learn from ch. xviii. 30, where see note. According to Josh. xxi. the descendants of Aaron only were vv. 8-i3;i.] JUDGES, XVII. XVIII. 179 there. And the man departed out of the city from Beth- 8 lehem-judah to sojourn where he could find a place : and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said unto him, Whence comest 9 thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth- lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me 10 a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went i7i. And the Levite was content to dwell with n the man ; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. And Micah consecrated the Levite ; and the young 12 man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me 13 good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. Ch. XVIIL I — 10. The explorbig expedition from Dan. In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those 18 settled in the tribe of Judah. But in the matter of settlement it is pos- sible that the children of Moses may have been reckoned with the de- scendants of Aaron. It has been suggested by some that the grandson of the great prophet was discontented with his obscure position in the priestly ranks. 8. as lie joiirneyed\ Lit. to make his way. 10. father^ A term of respect. See Gen. xlv. 8; 2 Kings vi. 21, xiii. 14. So the Jews, and later still the Christians, in the East and West alike were accustomed to style their teachers. The title Papa or Pope (originally yeai, as in Job iii. 2. The Vulgate renders here by dixerimt. an ephod] See vers. 4 and 5. consider] The speech itself, no less than the action which was after- wards taken, is proof enough of the lawless condition of the country at that time. have to do] Rather, will do. 15. turned thitheiivard] i. e. out of the main road, this being the signification of the Hebrew. See ch. iv. 18, xix. 12. saluted him] Lit. as margin, '■'■ asked him of peace, ^^ i. e. inquired after his welfare. 16. appointed] See note on ». 11. So in the next verse. vv. 18—22.] JUDGES, XVIII. 183 7vith weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, 18 and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay 19 thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest : is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel ? And the priest's heart was glad, 20 and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. So they turned 21 and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. 22 — 26. The complaint of Micah and its result. And when they were a good way from the house of 22 Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of 18. And these weni] After the Hebrew fashion, the writer emphasizes his previous account by a fuller detail. In the former verse the priest is simply represented as standing by. Now we find that he re- monstrates. 19. fatnily] Either as in ch. xiii. 2 (where see note) or a subdivision of the tribe, as in Josh. vii. 17. 21. and pui\ With a view to secure them in the case of a sudden attack by Micah and his neighbours. The unsettled state of Palestine would make them only too well accustomed to precautions against sudden attack. The Canaanites were as yet unsubdued (see ch. i.), and no doubt predatory excursions frequently swept the country. can-iage\ Lit. the valuables. This word, which now signifies that which carries, i.e. a vehicle, in the times of the A. V. signified that which •was carried, luggage, baggage — see Acts xxi. 15. The termination -age (a Romance abbreviation of the Mediaeval Latin termination -aticum) properly signifies a state or condition, as courage, savage, voyage. It began about a. d. i 300 to be added, instead of the earlier hedeox head, to English words, as bondage {hrmerly bonde/tede). In the word carriage in the sense of behaviour, in which sense it is still used, the temiination conforms to the general rule. But the active sense of the termination, as when carriage means that which carries, is unusual. We probably use it, however, when we speak of the cordage of a vessel. At least this word may serve to explain the transition from the passive to the active. So we speak of stoppage, leakage, and the like. 22 — 26. The complaint of Micah and its result. 22. ovcrtoflk\ Lit. caused to cleave. See ch. xx. 45, where it is less correctly rendered "pursued hard after them." Cf. also ch. xx. \i. i84 JUDGES, XVIII. [vv. 23—28. 23 Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth 24 thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away ; and what have I more ? and what is 25 this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the child- ren of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, z6 with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 27 — 31. The Capture of Laish. 27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure : and they smote them with 28 the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. And there was no deliverer, because it 7aas far from Zidon, and they had no business with afiy man; and it was in the valley that licth by Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and 23. comest with such a coinpany\ Lit. art called together. See ch. iv. 13. 25. angry fellow s\ Lit. vien hitter of soul. Cf. 2 Sam. xvii. 8, marg. The same word is translated life in the rest of the verse. ruti\ See ch. viii. 21, xv. 12, where the word is the same as here. It most probably means lay hands on. lose] The word here used is unusual. It means originally to collect. Hence comes the meaning to take away. Hence to destroy, as in I Sam. XV. 6. The threats of the children of Dan were more delicately veiled, perhaps, than is usual in a rude age. The language may have been a survival of the rigid discipline of Joshua and Moses. But there could be no mistake as to its meaning. If Micah persisted in claiming his property, they intended to retain it by force. 27 — 31. The Capture of Laish. 28. frotn Zidon] That there was some kinship between the in- habitants of this city and the Zidonians would seem to be intimated here. See also v. 7. in the valley that lieth by Beth-rehob] Or which leadeth to Beth- rehob. For the word translated valley see ch. i. 19, note. Beth-rehob is supposed by Robinson and Canon Tristram to be Hunin, south-west of Tell-el-Kadi or Dan. See Numb. xiii. 21, where it is described as the northern extremity of Palestine, and 2 Sam. x. 6, 8. It was at the vv. 29—31.] JUDGES, XVIII. 185 dwelt therein, and they called the name of the city Dan, 29 after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. And the children of Dan set up the graven image : and 30 Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. And they set them up Micah's 3' entrance to the Buk'eia (see note on ch. iii. 3). The word Rehob signifies breadth. See note on v. 10. a cUy\ Rather the city, which had been partly laid in ruins by the siege. So the LXX. 30. ^;/a///(7«] or "thegift of God." Compare our early Archbishop Deusdedit, A. D. 654. Manasseh] The Targum and the Syriac. The Vulgate has "Moysi." There can be no doubt that this is the correct reading. Even the Masorites note that the Nun which converts Moshch into M'nasheh is a Nun t'louiah, i. e. a Nun suspended, as it were, above the line. It has obviously been introduced to avoid the scandal of the grandson of the great lawgiver having become the founder of an idolatrous religion. IJut the fact can hardly be evaded. Manasseh had no son named Gcishom, but Moses had. See Exod. ii. 22, xviii. 3, 4; I Chron. xxiii. 15, 16, xxvi. 24. And the fact is only too familiar a one, that name or reputation, however great or deserved, is not sufficient to keep the descendants of him who owned it in the right way, if they be disposed to disgrace their ancestry. The Rabbis have some singular explanations of the fact. Thus the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Bathra f. 109 b) says that it was because Jonathan did the deeds of the wicked Manasseh, king of Israel, that Scripture assigns him to that family. That the unwillingness to admit so rapid a falling away in the family of Moses existed at a very early period, appears from the fact that all the best copies of the LXX. contain the emendation. the captivity of the land] If this signifies the captivity by Senna- cherib, we must either believe that this passage was added by a later hand, or that the book itself was composed after Israel had been finally led away captive. But we are not compelled to adopt either of these suppositions. As Drusius asks, "Who would believe that the idolatrous worship of Micah could have been maintained at Dan during the reign of David?" The establishment of the worship of the golden calf by Jeroboam, too, would have been fatal to it. Besides, we have no mention of it after this date, and it seems impossible, in the great revival of the Mosaic ritual under Samuel, David and Solomon, that we should have had no mention of the Danite cultus, had it subsisted so long. We have also another note of time. The worship of Micah's image continued "all the time that the ark was in Shiloh." This places the termination of that worship at the time of the memorable defeat recorded in i Sam. iv. Thus the "captivity" would seem to mean the Philistine domination, which extended, no i86 JUDGES, XIX. [vv. i, 2. graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. Ch. XIX. I — 30. The outrage at Gibeah. 19 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine 2 out of Beth-lehem-judah. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole doubt, even as far as Dan. This is the opinion of Kimchi, Grotius, and many others, and it is confirmed by the Hebrew of i Sam. iv. i\, 22, where the expression "captivity of the land" is replaced by "captivity of the glory of Israel." was in S/ii/oA] This shews that the worship set up by Micah and conducted by the grandson of Moses was in deliberate opposition to the true worship of God in Shiloh. This, which was bad enough when confined to a private family, became far worse when extended to a considerable portion of a tribe. It is not impossible that jealousy at the comparatively unimportant part he had to play, in contrast with the distinguished position of the great lawgiver, may have influenced Jonathan in the step he took. Ch. XIX. 1 — 30. The outrage at Gibeah. The incidents related in this and the following chapters illustrate, and are intended to illustrate, the condition of Israel under the Judges. "The condition of Israel had, through the death of Joshua, become extremely unsettled. The only bond of union is to be sought in Phinehas, who, as being in possession of the Divine oracles, could exercise a certain amount of influence upon the heads of the tribes and the elders who exercised with him a joint authority, but who could not introduce a thorough and uniform system of government." Jost, Geschichte des Israelitischen Volkes, I. 167. 1. Levite'] ' ' There is no complaint of a publikely disordered state, where a Levite is not at one end of it ; either as an agent, or as a patient.... No tribe shall sooner feele the want of government, than that of Levi." Bp. Hall. side] That is either the flanks, or, more probably, the recesses, i. e. the more retired portions of the mountain district. So Is. xxxvii. 24, Ps. xlviii. 3, where our version has "sides of the north;" but what is probably meant is that Zion is the joy of the distant parts (i. e. difficult of access), of the north. The LXX. has ixrjpois. concubine] See note on ch. viii. 31. Beth-lehem-judah] Both these fragments of early history, as well as the book of Ruth, are connected in some way with Beth-lehem. See Introduction, Ch. I. vv. 3—8.] JUDGES, XIX. 187 months. And her husband arose, and went after her, to 3 speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses : and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. And his father 4 in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they 5 arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law. Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them 6 together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. And when the man rose up to depart, his father 7 in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. And a he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said. Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat four whole months] Lit. days, four months. See ch. xiv. 8, xv. i. 3. and her husband arose] This expression implies that the relations between the man and his concubine were recognised by the Jewish law. His affection for her was great enough to excuse her unfaithfulness. The LXX. and Vulgate, as well as the Targuni, attempt to soften down the misconduct of the woman. But our version, as well as the Arabic and Syriac, unquestionably gives the true sense of the Hebrew. friendly] Lit. to her heart. to bring her again] The Hebrew text has "to bring it, i. e. her heart, again." Our version follows the Masoretic correction. his servant] Lit. a young man, but used here in the sense of an attendant, 2&v. 11 proves. a couple] Lit. c yoke. she brought him] The reconciliation was evidently instantaneous. rejoiced to meet him] Here, at least, in the conduct of the Levjte and his father-in-law is a picture of simplicity of feeling and life which stands out brightly by contrast with the dark features of the terrible story that follows. 4. retained him] The Heb. is significant of the warmth of the re- ception, laid fast hold on him. 5. Comfort] Rather, strengthen, or stay. So in v. 8. See also Gen. xviii. 5 and margin, i Kings xiii. 7. 6. J>e content] Lit. be willing. See ch. xvii. 1 1, also note on ch. i. 27. The LXX. here and elsewhere translates begin. 8. tarried] Rather, lingered. See note on ch. iii. 6. i88 JUDGES, XIX. [vv. 9-12. 9 both of them. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold now, the day draweth towards evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou 10 mayest go home. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem ; and there were with him two asses sad- 11 died, his concubine also was with him. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master. Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into 12 this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will afternooji\ Lit. the declining of the day. 9. draiveth towards evening] lAt. slackens to be dark, i.e. darkness will soon come on. This was the fact. They had not ridden above seven miles before they were obliged to think of shelter for the night. Rabbi Kimchi explains the phrase thus : the strength of the day is at noon, its slackening or weakening when light and heat become feebler, i.e. towards eventide. the day groweth to an end] Lit. the bending of the day. that thou mayest go home] Lit. to thy tent. This picture of the pressing invitations of the warm-hearted host, and the irresolution of the invited guest, anxious to depart, yet unwilling to displease by re- fusing to stay, gives a life-like touch to the narrative. 10. But the man would not tarry that night] "His resolution at last breakes thorow those kind hinderances.... It is a good hearing that the Levite makes haste home. A good man's heart is where his calling is." Bp. Hall. Jebus] Here we have the ancient name of the city. It is only found again in i Chron. xi. 4, 5. It was probably the provincial name, by which the town was called in its immediate neighbourhood. The name Jerusalem (or rather ]ex\xshalaim — "secure foundation") was that by which the strong mountain fastness was more widely known. The occurrence of the local name in these two passages suggests that the historian had contemporaneous documents before him when he wrote. two asses] Lit., as above, a yoke of asses. 11. was far spetit] Lit. 7vas gone down exceedingly, his master] Heb. his lord. So in the next verse. this city of the Jebusites] Jerusalem, therefore, had never continued in the hands of tlie Jews, though they may have taken and destroyed some portion of it. See note on ch. i. 8. 12. a stranger] The Levite feared the lawless habits of the Phoenician vv. 13—15.] JUDGES, XIX. 189 pass over to Gibeah. And he said unto his servant, Come, . and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. And they passed on and , went their way ; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. And , they turned aside thither, to go in a7id to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city : for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. cities, in which such proceedings as those at Gibeah were regarded as a way of doing honour to their gods. But the people of Gibeah had only too fiilly learned — even thus early — the lessons of unrestrained licence taught them by their Phoenician neighbours. GibeaK\ The meaning is Hill-town. The frequent occurrence of such names as Gibeon, Gibeah (or Gibeath), Geba (or Gaba), would remind us, if we were tempted to forget it, of the fact that Palestine was essentially a hill country. So also do the names Ramah, or Ramath, or Ramoth (high place — see next verse), Mizpah (watch-tower), which were of frequent occurrence. We may compare the frequency with which berg in German and bryn (hill) in Welsh occur as names of places. See also Dean Stanley's remarks [Sinai and Falestme, ch. iv.). Some have supposed Geba or Gaba to have been identical with Gibeah. But this is impossible (see Josh, xviii. 24, 28, and Is. x. 29, where they are distinguished from one another). This Gibeah (there is another mentioned in Josh. xv. 57) is better known as Gibeah of Saul. See I Sam. X. 26, xi. 4, xiii. 2, 15, 16 (where the Heb. text has Geba, but probably erroneously), xv. 34 ; 2 Sam. xxi. 6, &c. It was in the tribe of Benjamin, and is identified by Canon Tristram as well as Robinson and Ritter with Tuleil el Ful, four miles east of Mizpeh and rather more than four miles north of Jerusalem, twenty furlongs according to Josephus (Ant. v. 2). Lieut. Conder, however, has supposed it not to be the name of a town, but of a district near Jerusalem. See Ap- pendix, Note IV. Mr Kirkpatrick [Commentary on 1 Samuel) sup- poses that by the hill of God, i Sam. x. 5 (Gibeath Elohim), Gibeah is meant. 13. RamaJi] See note on ch. iv. 5. Beside the number of places of which Ramath or Ramoth forms a part of the name, there are three places called Ramah in the Bible. Of these one was in Lower, the other in Upper Galilee (Josh. xix. 21, 36). The Ramah mentioned here was, like Gibeah, in the territory of Benjamin (Josh, xviii. 25). IB. a street of the city] Lit. a broad place. Hence it may have been (i) a wide street (it is so translated in Jer. ix. 21, but in Jer. v. I it has been rendered broad places), like the Greek TrXareta, or (2) what we now call a square (the French place, the Italian piazza — derived from irXarcta). See also Deut. xiii. 16. The LXX. renders here and elsewhere by irXoTeta. took\ Lit. gathered. So marg. in v. 18. I90 JUDGES, XIX. [vv. 16—21. t6 And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim ; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were^en- 17 jamites. And when he had lift up his eyes, he saw a way- faring man in the street of the city : and the old man said, 18 Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim ; from thence a??i I : and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am ?io-w going to the house of the Lord ; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses ; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants : there is 20 no want of anything. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only 2> lodge not in the street. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses : and they washed their 16. And behold^ The narrative in this verse is true to human nature in all ages. The circumstances narrated might have happened yesterday, in any part of the world. The old man coming in from his work (the inhospitality of the people of the town, it is to be feared, might some- times find a parallel now), his meeting with people from his own neigh- bourhood, and the interest he, as a sojourner among strangers, is thereby moved to take in them, their willing acceptance of his offer of a lodging, and his generous resolution to provide them with food as well, though they declared they did not need it — all this gives a very vivid and pleasing picture of the life of at least some among the people in that far distant age. 17. a wayfaring man] Rather, tlie wayfaring man, or, as we should say, tAe traveller. 18. side\ See v. i. but I am now going to the house of the Lor d] If (i) we accept this translation we must suppose that the Levite was actually going to Shiloh, near which he resided, for it was in the mountain district of Ephraim (see ch. xxi. 19). Or (2) we may take the word translated "going" of the Levite's profession or walk in life (as in Ps. i. i). Cassel and Keil prefer the later translation. The LXX. has "unto wjj/ house." 19. provender] Heb. mixture, i.e. of grain and other kinds of food. See Is. XXX. 24; Job vi. 5, xxiv. 6 (marg.). The English word, like/r^- bend, comes from the Latin pracbenda, things granted tor sustenance. The Italian provianda suggests the idea of provisions for the way, but the idea was probably suggested, as in many other instances, by similarity of sound. The French provende, and our English word, retain the true derivation. w. 22—25.] JUDGES, XIX. 191 feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making 22 their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, 23 went out unto them, and said unto them. Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my 24 daughter a maiden, and his concubine ; them 1 will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you : but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the men would not hearken to him : so the man 25 took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them ; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morn- ing: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. thy servants'\ In speaking of his concubine as a handmaid and him- self as a servant, he was but following the universal custom of the East. See Gen. xviii. 3 (where it is to be remembered that Abraham did not yet know the character of his guests; of. v. i); i Sam. i. 16; 2 Kings iv. 16. 22. sons of BcUal\ Belial signifies worthlessness; sons of Belial, worthless men; cf. our familiar e\^resii\ongood-for-iiot/iiiig, and the French gens qui 7te valent rien. So also "daughter of Belial," i Sam. i. i6, a "thing of Belial," i.e. a wicked thing, Deut. xv. 9; Ps. xli. 8 (marg.), &c. Milton has personified what is purely an abstract conception in Paradise Lost, Book i. 109 — ii8. beat^ The word itself (see Gen. xxxiii. 13), and especially the reflec- tive conjugation which is used here (see Ewald, Heb. Gr. 124 a) seem, to imply an eager knocking or pushing at the door, such that each one strove as eagerly for himself as though no one else were doing so. The reflective voice of the verb is formed in Hebrew from the intensitive. The narrative henceforth bears a close resemblance to that in Gen. xix., but without the miracle. 23. folly\ With the sense of wickedness, as in Gen. xxxiv. 7 ; Josh, vii. 15. So also ch. xx. 6, 10. 24. so vile a thing\ Ileb., as marg., the matter of this folly. See last note. However much the Jewish law may have done to raise the position of women — and it did a good deal (though it must be admitted that an exception exists in the case of early Assyrian and Babylonian history) — they yet were in a very inferior position, as this sad history shews. Under our Christian civilization a man would be utterly dis- graced who could descend to conduct like this. 26. 7vhen the day began to spring] Lit. at the going up of the dawn. 192 JUDGES, XIX. [vv. 26—30. a6 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till 27 it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way : and behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the thresh- 28 hold. And he said unto her. Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her 7ip upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts 20 of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said. There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak _>'^«r mi?ids. 26. in the dawjting of the day] Lit. at the turning or appearing of the morning. 27. doors\ See ch. iii. 24. to go his way] It does not follow, because nothing is said about a search for his wife here, that he meant to leave her behind. The whole tenor of the narrative forbids us to suppose this. door] Heb. opening. 28. upon an ass] Rather, upon the ass. gat him] Heb. went. Nothing is said of his feelings here. But what they were may be gathered from what follows. His grief and indignation were shewn in a manner terrible even to men in that rude age, as the sequel shews. 29. knife] A common eating-knife, as we learn from the derivation. The original has the knife. divided] As in sacrifice. See Exod. xxix. 17 ("cut in pieces," A.V.); Levit. i. 6. See also i Sam. xi. 7. together with] Or "even to," or "according to" (so LXX.), i.e. describing the manner in which the deed was done. coasts] Heb. border, or botmdary. 30. And it was so] The copies of the LXX. have considerable variations in the rendering oi w. 28 — 30, but none of them are of much importance. But the Alexandrian Codex and many other editions add after this verse "and he charged the men whom he sent forth, saying, Thus shall ye say to every man of Israel, If it hath taken place accord- ing to this word from the day of the going up of the sons of Israel from Egypt unto this day. Take counsel concerning this and speak. " The very close adherence to the Hebrew idiom in the Greek here translated, as well as the Hebrew habit of repetition, make it extremely probable that we have here a genuine passage which has been omitted by an early copyist from the fact that most of it has been repeated twice over. vv. I, 2.] JUDGES, XX. 193 Ch. XX. I — 10. The deliberafioti and decision of Israel. Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congre- 20 gation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Miz- peh. And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes .- of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. take advice] Translated give advice in ch. xx, 7, take coicnsel in Is. viii. 10. Ch. XX. 1 — 10. The deliberation and decision of Israel. 1. from Dan even to Beer-shebd\ That is, as a glance at the map shews, from one extremity of Israel to the other. See also note on ch. xviii. 28, and i Sam. iii. 20; 1 Sam. iii. 10, &c. It is a slight but not unimportant token of historical accuracy that Israel is not said, on a similar occasion not long previously (Josh. xxii. 12), to have come to- gether "from Dan even unto Beer-sheba." Such an expression is not used until after the time when Dan became the northern boundary of the Israelite territory. Beer-sheba (the well of the oath) is familiar to the readers of the Pentateuch. See Gen. xxi. 14, xxii. 19, xxvi. 33. It still keeps its ancient name, and is known as Bir Seba, where three wells are still to be found. So the latest explorer, Lieut. Conder. See also Bartlett, Frotn Egypt to Palestine, 403; Tristram, Land of Israel, 372. ■with the land of Gilead] Thus the expression "from Dan even unto Beer-sheba" was not supposed to include the land of Gilead. And indeed the inclusion of the country beyond Jordan would have been geographically inaccurate. The close connection between Israel east of the Jordan with the rest of Israel confirms the view that these events occurred soon after the death of Joshua. Cf. Josh. xxii. imto the Lord] It would seem from vv. 18, 23, 26 — 28 (and notes), that the ark had been removed from Shiloh. No doubt the ark on occasions of importance like the present was moved from Shiloh. See also note on v. 18. in Mizpeh] Not the Mizpeh or Mizpah of ch. x. 17, xi. 11, which was beyond Jordan. This Mizpeh was Mizpah in Benjamin. It was four miles from Gibeah (see above, ch. xix. 12) and was situated on the loftiest hill in the neighbourhood. It is now known as Nebi Samwil (the prophet Samuel), being the traditional place of his residence while he judged Israel (see i Sam. vii. 5 — 17, x. 17, &c.). Lieut. Conder thinks it was the same as Nob (i Sam. xxi. i, xxii. 9 — 19). There were several other places of this name. See Josh. xi. 3, xv. 38; i Sam. xxii. 3. 2. chief] Lit. pinnacles or angles. See i Sam. xiv. 38 (marg.); Ps. cxviii. 22; Is. xix. 13 (marg.), &c. presented themselves] Lit. stationed themselves. that drew sword] It was a military assembly, ready for active mea- JUDGES Xj 194 JUDGES, XX. [w. 3-8. 3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of 4 Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness ? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my s concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me : and my concubine have they 6 forced, that she is dead. And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and 7 folly in Israel. Behold, ye are all children of Israel ; give 3 here your advice and counsel. And all the people arose as sures in case the Benjamites should refuse satisfaction. No doubt Miz- peh was chosen because of its nearness to Gibeah. The number, as com- pared with the scanty numbers that followed Gideon, indicates a time before the bond of union between the tribes had been loosened by mis- fortune and sin. 3. Now the children of Benjaviin\ This verse is correctly placed in a parenthesis in the A. V. Tlie reason of its insertion here is probably the idea in the mind of the writer that the Benjamites intentionally absented themselves, and thus threw in their lot with the offenders in their tribe. See z'Z'. 12 — 14. hoiv zuas this wickedness ?\ Rather, how was this wickedness done ? 6. vicn\ Lit. lords, as in ch. ix. 1. Cf. Josh. xxiv. 11. thought to have slain 7ne] The men of Gibeah had not expressly said this, but the Levite was justified in assuming that they would have dealt no more tenderly with him than with his concubine. 6. country'] Heb. field, 'Lxxihtx fielder. Other versions translate with more or less freedom. lewdness] The word lezvdness in the A. V. has not always the meaning it has since acquired. See Acts xvii. 5, xviii. 14. Derived from the old English leod (the same as the Greek \aj6s) it originally meant much the same as our word common or vulgar. But inasmuch as the manners of the common people were too often gross, the word came to have this latter meaning. Both the earlier and the later meaning occur in Chaucer. Compare For lezved people loven tales olde. Pardoners Tale. And Swiche olde leaved wordes used he. Marchantes Tale. The stronger meaning is undoubtedly suggested here by the Hebrew, which has undergone a similar degradation, meaning originally only pur- pose, and then m/ purpose. See Levit. xviii. 17. w. 9— II.] JUDGES, XX. 195 one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. But now this shall be on, i.e. against. vv. 37—41.] JUDGES, XX. 201 Gibeah. And the Hers in wait hasted, and rushed upon 37 Gibeah ; and the Hers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. Now there 38 was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the Hers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city. And when the men of Israel 39 retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons : for they said. Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle. But 40 when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. And 41 when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed : for they saw that evil was come upon them. 37. rushed'\ See ch. ix. 33, note. drew themselves along'X Rather, advanced, see ch. iv. 6, but there is no preposition here. We have the same idiom in our expression draw near. 38. there -was an a f pointed sipil Heb., the appointed sign was. a great flame with smoke\ This passage has given a good deal of trouble to the commentators. Literally it runs "to multiply" (or "multiply"), "their causing to go up the lifting up of the smoke from the city." The word translated here iiiultiply is a common way of expressing size or quantity (a great flame, A.V.). It is .the apoco- pated form of the Heb. imperative or infinitive that gives all the trouble. " Es muss hinaus," says Bertheau, following the Syriac. The LXX. (i.e. the Vatican Codex — the Alexandrian here varies considerably), changing the first letter of the word into one similar, reads s7vord, thus assimilating the incident to that in Josh. viii. 18, but proving that we cannot omit the word altogether. The Vulgate avoids the difficulty by a periphrasis. But there seems no very valid reason why we should not translate that they should make a great cloud (or column, see Jer. vi. i, where it is translated "sign of fire" in the A.V.) of smoke to arise from the city. 39. retired^ Lit. turtied. to smite and kill] See f. 31, note. 40. But when the flame began to ascend] Lit. and the lifting up (the same word as in v. 38) began to go up. with a pillar] There is no %vith in the original. flame] Here the word is destruction (lit. completioii). 41. a?nazed] This word, wliich with us signifies great surprise, had a somewhat different meaning, corresponding to the original here, in the time when the A.V. was made. Connected with the word maze, it means to be in hopeless perplexity. See Ezek. xxxii. lo ; Mark xiv. 202 JUDGES, XX. [vv. 42—47. 42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them ; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed 43 in the midst of them. Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, aiid trode them down with 44 ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were 45 men of valour. And they turned and fled toward the wilder- ness unto the rock of Rimmon : and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them. 46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these 47 ivere men of valour. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the 33; I Pet. iii. 6. Also, As you like it. Act i. Sc. 1, "You amaze me, ladies." 42. the xvay of the wilderness^ See Josh. viii. 15, 24, xvi. i. overtook} See ch. xviii. 22, and v. 45. the»i which came out of the cities'] The rest of the Benjamites, as distinguished from the men of Gibeah. 43. with ease] Heb. Memtchah. The Vulgate translates, or rather paraphrases, "nor was there any rest of the dying," the LXX. strangely " to rest them rest." The passage has caused difficulty to most inter- preters. Dr Cassel translates "pursued them to their resting-place," i.e. to where they halted to take breath. Menuchah signifies rest, and the correct translation most likely is as A.V., and the meaning without any resistance. But Menuchah may be a proper name, as the marg. suggests, and the correct translation may be to Memichah. There is a Sar (i.e. prince) of Menuchah mentioned in Jer. li. 59. The usual translation, however, of Sar Menuchah is chamberlain, and it must be confessed that territorial titles aie unknown elsewhere in Hebrew history. oojer against] Lit., as marg., unto over against. 45, the rock of Rimmon] The place is still called Rummon, and is "on the very edge of the hill country, with a precipitous descent towards the Jordan valley" (Canon Tristram, Bible Places, 109). It was about two miles north of et-Tell, supposed by many to be the site of Ai. This defines the position of the "wilderness" mentioned here and at the siege of Ai. gleaned] A remarkable metaphor. The destruction after the battle was to the slaughter in the battle, what the occasional gleaning of an ear of corn here and there is to the harvest itself. pursued hard] See z*. 42. Gidom] is unknown. vv. 48; 1—4.] JUDGES, XX. XXI. 203 rock Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned 48 again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to. Ch. XXI. I — 25. Hoiv the tribe of Benjamin was preserved from extinction. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, 21 There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. And the people came to the house of God, and 2 abode there till even before God, and lift up their voices, and wept sore ; and said, O Lord God of Israel, why is this 5 come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel ? And it came to pass on the mor- 4 48. turned again^ The Israelites, in their fury, destroyed not only the men of war, but the cities and all their defenceless inhabitants. This conduct admits of no justification, though they had been incensed by a shameless outrage, aggravated by the slaughter of many of their best troops. Hengstenberg, 11. 3, 3, thinks that Deut. xiii. 12 — 18 constitutes the ground of Israel's action. But this precept relates to the crime of idolatry. as well the men] As the Hebrew text stands, it is differently pointed, and must therefore be translated " as well the whole city." Rut as a slight change in the pointing makes infinitely better sense, the A.V. and most commentators have rendered as above. The LXX. translates i^'js. "Wickedness could never bragge of any long prosperitie, nor complaine of the lacke of paiment." Bp. Hall. came to hand... came td\ See marg. ClI. XXI. 1 — 25. How THE TRIBE OF BeN'JAMIN WAS PRESERVED FROM EXTINCTION. 1. had j7fw-«] The oath is not recorded in the account of the meeting at Mizpeh, ch. xx. i — 11. 2. the house of God] Rather, Beth-el. before God] i.e. before the ark. See note on ch. xx. 18. wept sore] Lit. wept a great weeping. "They have sworne and now upon cold blond repent them. If the oath were not just, why would they take it? and if it were just why did they recant it ? Oathes doe not only require justice, but judgment." Bp. Hall. 3. be... lacking] Lit. be mtistered. Hence to be missing at the muster as in i Sam. xx. 8, 18, 25, xxv. 7. The integrity of the family of Jacob was a point of honour among his descendants, a fact which in their first fury against the offending triije they had altogether forgotten. "The Urim and Thummim apjiroved the punishment of I'cnjamin, but not the oaths and cruelty with which it was accompanied." Cassel. 204 JUDGES, XXL [vv. 5—9. row, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and s offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the chil- dren of Israel said. Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall 6 surely be put to death. And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said. There is one tribe 7 cut off from Israel this day. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that 8 we will not give them of our daughters to wives ? And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord ? And behold, there came 9 none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. For 4. built there an altar] Perhaps nothing more is meant than that they prepared there an altar for the tabernacle which had been brought thither. David, it is true (2 Sam. xxiv. 25), and even Samuel (i Sam. vii. 17) built another altar beside the altar in the tabernacle. See also eh. vi. 24. But it seems hardly likely that under the high-priest- hood of Phinehas what he regarded as so high a crime (Josh. xxii. 13 — 20) would have been committed without protest from him, and quite as unlikely that if he had protested such protest would have been left unrecorded. Similar offerings are recorded to have been made in ch, XX. 26. If the altar were built then, it is nevertheless quite in accord- ance with the style of the Hel:)rew historians to mention its building here. Cf. for instance Gen. xxviii. 19 with Judg. i. 23, Josh. iii. 12, with iv. 2, xi. 21 with xv. 14, 15. 5. cojigregatioit] There are two words translated congregation in the A. v., the one referring rather to i\\Q flace of meeting Cedah), the other (kahal — LXX. iKKX-rjcria — answering to our call} referring rather to the summons which brought them together. It is the latter which is used here. /lad made a great oat/il Rather, the great oath was taken, just as modern canonists speak of "the greater excommunication." The penalty of death was reserved for the more heinous offences. See Exod. xxi. 12, XXXV. 2, &c. ; Levit. xx. 9; 10 Numb. i. 51. shall surely be put to death] Rather, shall sxirely die. The A. V. alternates between the two translations. 6. And the children of Israel] Here, as usual in this section, we have a fuller repetition of the former narrative. In the middle of v. 8 the history is once more taken up. 8. of the tribes] Either we must take the word M'i5f as inch. xx. 12, or supply the word " family" or " city." " What one city is there," &c. Jabesh-gilead] See i Sam. xi. i — 11, xxxi. 11 — 13; 2 Sam. ii. 4, 5. w. lo— 12.] JUDGES, XXI. 205 the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. And the congrega- tion sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and »o commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that " hath lien by man. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known " no man by lying with any male : and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. "The name is preserved in the Wady Yabes, a deep glen with a peren- nial stream running down from Mt Ajalon to the Jordan, which it enters a little south of Beth-shean." Tristram, Bible Places, p. 327. So also Robinson, Later Biblical Researches, p. 319 (3rd ed.). The town has now no name except Deir (convent). assembly^ See congregation, v. 5. 9. were numbered^ Ox, had been mustered. 10. congregation^ Here ^edah (d. Menippus and Timon. By E. C. 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IVe doubt, indeed, whether any of the numerous popular commentaries recently issued in this country will be found more service- able for general use." — Academy. " One of the most popular and useful literaiy enterprises of the nineteenth century" — Baptist Magazine. " Of great value. The 'i'hole series of comments for schools is highly esteemed by students capable of forming a judgment. The books are scholarly without being pretentious : and information is so given as to be easily understood." — Sword and Trowel. " The notes possess a rare advantage of being scholarly, and at the same time within the comprehension of the aT'erage reader. Tor the Sunday- .School Teacher we do not kno7u of a more valuable work.'''' — Sunday- School Chronicle. The Book of Judges. J. J. Lias, M.A. " His introduction is c'eir and concise, full of the inlormation which young students require." — Baptist Alagazine. II. Samuel. A. F. Kirkpatrick, M.A. "Small as this work is in mere dimensions, it is every way the best on its subject and for its purpose that we know of. The opening sections at once prove the thorough competence of the writer for dealing with questions of criti- cism in an earnest, faithful and devout spirit ; and the appendices discuss a few special difficulties with a full knowledge of the data, and a judicial reserve, which contrast most favourably with the superficial dogmatism which has too often made the exegesis of the Old Testament a field for the play of unlimited paradox and the ostentation of personal infalli- bility. The notes are always clear and suggestive; never trilling or irrelevant ; and they everywhere demonstrate the great difference in value between the work of a commentator who is also a Hebraist, and that of one who has to depend for his Hebrew upon secondhaml sources. " — Academy. I. Kings and Ephesians. " \Yith great heartiness we commend these most valuable little commentaries. \Ve had rather purchase these than nine out uf ten of the big blown up expositions. Quality is far better than quantity, and we have it here." — Sword and Trowel. II. Kings. "The Introduction is scholarly and wholly admirable, the notes must be of incalculable value to students." — Glasgoiv Herald. "It would be dilTicult to find a commentary better suited for general use. " — Academy. 20,000 1 3/12/91 2 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS 6- COLLEGES. The Book of Job. "Able and scholarly as the Introduction is, it is far surpassed by the detailed exegesisof the book. In this Dr Davidson's strength is at its greatest. His linguistic knowledge, his artistic habit, his scientific insight, and his literary power have full scope when he comes to exegesis " — The Spectator. " In the course of a long introduction, Dr Davidson has presented us with a very able and very interesting criticism of this wonderful book. Its contents, the nature of its composition, its idea and purpose, its integrity, and its age are all exhaustively treated of.... We have not space to examine fully the text and notes before us, but we can, and do heartily, recommend the book, not only for the upper forms in schools, but to Bible students and teachers generally. As we wrote of a previous volume in the same series, this one leaves nothing to be desired. The notes are full and suggestive, without being too long, and, in itself, the introduction forms a valuable addition to modern Bible literature." — The Educational Times. "Already we have frequently called attention to this exceedingly valuable work as its volumes have successively appeared. But we have never done so with greater pleasure, very seldom with so great pleasure, as we now refer to the last published volume, that on the Book of Job, by Dr Davidson, of Edinburgh.... We cordially commend the volume to all our readers. The least instructed will understand and enjoy it ; and mature scholars will learn from it." — Methodist Recorder, Psalms. Book I. "His commentaiy upon the books of Samuel was good, but this is incomparably better, shewing traces of much more work and of greater independence of scholarship and judgment.. ..As a whole it is admirable, and we are hardly going too far in saying that it is one of the very ablest of all the volumes that have yet appeared in the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools'." — Record. "Another volume of this excellent Bible, in which the student may rely on meeting with the latest scholarship. The introduction is ad- mirable. We know of nothing in so concise a form better adapted for Sunday-School Teachers. " — Sunday-School Chronicle. "It is full of instruction and interest, bringing within easy reach of the English reader the results of the latest scholarship bearing upon the study of this ever new book of the Bible. The Introduction of eighty pages is a repertory of information, not drily but interestingly given." — Methodist Recorder. "For a masterly summary of all that is known and much that is hazarded about the history and authorship of this book of religious lyrics we can point to that with which Mr Kirkpatrick prefaces his new volume. From a pemsal of this summary the student will be unimpres- sionable indeed if he rise not convinced of the vitality imparted to the Psalter by a systematic study of its literary character and historical allusions.... In conclusion, we may say that for a work which is handy, and withal complete, we know none better than this volume; and we await with considerable interest the next instalment. " — Education. "It seems in every way a most valuable little book, containing a mass of information, well-assorted, and well-digested, and will be useful not only to students preparing for examinations, but to many who want OPINIONS OF THE FKESS. 3 a handy volume of explanation to much that is difficult in the Psalter. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Professor Kirkpatrick for his scholarly and interesting volume." — Church Times. "In this volume thoughtful exegesis founded on nice critical scholar- ship and due regard for the opinions of various writers, combine, under the influence of a devout spirit, to render this commentary a source of much valuable assistance. The notes are 'though deep yet clear,' for they seem to put in a concentrated form the very pith and marrow of all the best that has been hitherto said on the subject, with striking freedom from anything like pressure of personal views. Throughout the work care and pains are as conspicuous as scholarship." — Literary Churchman. Job — Hosea. " It is difficult to commend too highly this excellent series, the volumes of which are now becoming numerous. The two books before us, small as they are in size, comprise almost everything that the young student can reasonably expect to find in the way of helps towards such general knowledge of their subjects as may be gained without an attempt to grapple with the Hebrew ; and even the learned scholar can hardly read without interest and benefit the very able intro- ductory matter which both these commentators have prefixed to their volumes. It is not too much to say that these works have brought within the reach of the ordinary reader resources which were until lately quite unknown for understanding some of the most difficult and obscure portions of Old Testament literature." — Guardian. Ecclesiastes ; or, the Preacher. — "Of the Notes, it is sufficient to say that they are in every respect worthy of Dr Plumptre's high repu- tation as a scholar and a critic, being at once learned, sensible, and practical — Commentaries are seldom attractive reading. This little volume is a notable exception." — The Scotsman. Jeremiah, by A. VV. .Streane. "The arrangement of the book is well treated on pp. xxx., 396, and the question of Baruch's relations with its composition on pp. xxvii., xxxiv., 317. The illustrations from English literature, history, monuments, works on botany, topography, etc., are good and plentiful, as indeed they are in other volumes of this series." — Church Quarterly Review. Malachl. "Archdeacon Perowne has already edited Jonah and Zechariah for this series. Malachi presents comjiaralively few difficulties and the Editor's treatment leaves nothing to be desired. His introduction is clear and scholarly and his commentary sufficient. We may instance the notes on ii. 15 and iv. 2 as examples of careful arrangement, clear exposition and graceful expression." — Academy. " The Gospel according to St Matthew, by the Rev. A. Carr. The introduction is able, scholarly, and eminently practical, as it bears on the authorship and contents of the Gospel, and the original form in which it is supposed to have been written. It is well illustrated by two excellent maps of the Holy Land and of the Sea of Galilee." — English Churchman. "St Mark, with Notes by the Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. Into this small volume Dr Maclear, besides a clear and able Introduc- tion to the Gospel, and the text of St Mark, has compressed many 4 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS &- COLLEGES. hundreds of valuable and helpful notes. In short, he has given us a capital manual of the kind required — containing all that is needed to illustrate the text, i.e. all that can be drawn from the history, geography, customs, and manners of the time. But as a handbook, giving in a clear and succinct form the information which a lad requires in order to stand an examination in the Gospel, it is admirable I can very heartily commend it, not only to the senior boys and girls in our High Schools, but also to Sunday-school teachers, who may get from it the very kind of knowledge they often find it hardest to get." — Expositor. "With the help of a book like this, an intelligent teacher may make 'Divinity' as interesting a lesson as any in the school course. The notes are of a kind that will be, for the most part, intelligible to boys of the lower forms of our public schools; but they may be read with greater profit by the fifth and sixth, in conjunction with the original text." — The Academy. "St Luke. Canon Farrar has supplied students of the Gospel with an admirable manual in this volume. It has all that copious variety of illustration, ingenuity of suggestion, and general soundness of interpretation which readers are accustomed to expect from the learned and eloquent editor. Anyone who has been accustomed to associate the idea of 'dryness' with a commentary, should go to Canon Farrar's St Luke for a more correct impression. He will find that a commen- tary may be made interesting in the highest degree, and that without losing anything of its solid value But, so to speak, it is too good for some of the readers for whom it is intended." — The Spectator. The Gospel according to St John. "The notes are extremely scholarly and valuable, and in most cases exhaustive, bringing to the elucidation of the text all that is best in commentaries, ancient and modern." — The English Churchman and Clerical Journal. "(i) The Acts of the Apostles. By J. Rawson Lttmby, D.D. (2) The Second Epistle of the Corinthians, edited by Professor Lias. The introduction is pithy, and contains a mass of carefully-selected information on the authorship of the Acts, its designs, and its sources. The Second Epistle of the Corinthians is a manual beyond all praise, for the excellence of its pithy and pointed annotations, its analysis of the contents, and the fulness and value of its introduction." — Examiner. "The Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A., has made a valuable addition to The Cambridge Bible for Schools in his brief commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. The 'Notes' are very good, and lean, as the notes of a School Bible should, to the most commonly ac- cepted and orthodox view of the inspired author's meaning ; while the Introduction, and especially the Sketch of the Life of St Paul, is a model of condensation. It is as lively and pleasant to read as if two or three facts had not been crowded into well-nigh every sentence." — Expositor. "The Epistle to the Romans. It is seldom we have met with a work so remarkable for the compression and condensation of all that is valuable in the smallest possible space as in the volume before us. Within its limited pages we have ' a sketch of the Life of St Paul,' we have further a critical account of the date of the Epistle to the Romans, of its language, and of its genuineness. The notes are OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. luimerous, full of matter, to the point, and leave no real difficulty or obscurity unexplained." — The Examiner. "The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Edited by Professor Lias. Every fresh instalment of this annotated edition of the Bible for Schools confirms the favourable opinion we formed of its value from the exami- nation of its first number. The origin and plan of the Epistle are discussed with its character and genuineness." — T/ie N'onconformist. Galatians. "Dr Peuowne deals throughout in a very thorough manner with every real difficulty in the text, and in this respect he has faithfully followed the noble example set him in the exegetical master- I'iece, his indebtedness to which he frankly acknowledges." — Modern Church. "The introductoiy matter is very full and infomiing, whilst the Notes are admirable. They combine the scholarly and the practical in an unusual degree It is not the young students in 'schools and colleges' alone who will find this Commentaiy helpful on every page. " — Record. "This little work, like all of the series, is a scholarly production; but we can also unreservedly recommend it from a doctrinal standpoint ; Dr E. H. Perowne is one who has grasped the distinctive teaching of the Epistle, and expounds it with clearness and detiniteness. In an appendix, he ably maintains the correctness of the A. V. as against the K. V. in the translation of II. i6, a point of no small importance." — English Churchman. The Epistle to the Ephesians. By Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A. " It seems to us the model of a School and College Commentary — comprehensive, but not cumbersome; scholarly, but not pedantic." — Baptist Magazine. The Epistle to the Philippians. " There are few series more valued by theological students than ' The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,' and there will be no number of it more esteemed than that by Mr H. C. G. Moule on the Epistle to the Philippians." — Record. Thessalonlans. "It will stand the severest scrutiny, for no volume in this admirable series exhibits more careful work, and Mr Findlay is ii true expositor, who keeps in mind what he is expounding, and for whom he is expounding it." — Expository Times. "Mr Findlay maintains the high level of the series to which hehas become contributor. Some parts of his introduction to the Epistles to the Thessalonlans could scarcely be bettered. The account of Thessa- ionica, the description of the style and character of the Epistles, and the analysis of them are excellent in style and scholarly care. The notes are possibly too voluminous ; but there is so much matter in them, and the matter is arranged and handled so ably, that wc are ready to forgive their fulness Mr Findi..\y's commentary is a valuable addition to what has been written on the letters to the Thessalonian Church." — Academy. "Of all the volumes of this most excellent series, none is better done, and few are so well done as this small volume.... From begin- ning to end the vohune is marked by accurate grammatical scholarship, 6 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS &= COLLEGES. delicate appreciation of the apostle's meaning, thorough investigation of all matters open to doubt, extensive reading, and deep sympathy with the spiritual aim of these epistles. It is, on the whole, the best commentary on the Thessalonians which has yet appeared, and its small price puts it within reach of all. We heartily recommend it." — Methodist Recoracr. "Mr FiNDLAY has fulfilled in this volume a task which Dr Moulton was compelled to decline, though he has rendered valuable aid in its pre- paration. The commentary is in its own way a model — clear, forceful, scholarly — such as young students will welcome as a really useful guide, and old ones will acknowledge as giving in brief space the substance of all that they knew." — Baptist Magazine. Hebrews. " Like his (Canon Farrar's) commentary on Luke it possesses all the best characteristics of his writing. It is a work not only of an accomplished scholar, but of a skilled teacher." — Baptist Magazine. The Epistles of St John. By the Rev. A. Plummer, M.A., D.D. "This forms an admirable companion to the 'Commentary on the Gospel according to St John,' which was reviewed in The Churchman as soon as it appeared. Dr Plummer has some of the highest qualifica- tions for such a task ; and these two volumes, their size being considered, will bear comparison with the best Commentaries of the time." — The Churchman. Revelation. "This volume contains evidence of much careful labour. It is a scholarly production, as might be expected from tne pen of the late Mr W. H. Simcox. ..The notes throw light upon many passages of this difficult book, and are extremely suggestive. It is an advantage that they sometimes set before the student various interpre- tations without exactly guiding him to a choice." — Guardian. "Mr SiMCOX has treated his very difficult subject with that con- scious care, grasp, and lucidity which characterises everything he wrote." — Modern Church. ©f)e ^mailer aTambritJgt W\W for ^cjbools. ' ' We can only repeat what we have already said of this adt7iirahle series, containing, as it does, the scholarship of the larger work. For scholars in our elder classes, and for those preparing for Scriptitre exami- nations, no better commentaries can be put into their hattds." — Sunday- School Chronicle. "Despite their small size, these volumes give the substance of the ad)?iirable pieces of work on which they are founded. JVe can only hope that in many schools the class-teaching will proceed on the lines these com- mentators suggest."- — Record. " We should be glad to hear that this series has been introduced into many of our Sunday-Schools, for which it is so admirably adapted." — Christian Leader. "All that is necessary to be known and learned by pupils in junior and elementary schools is to be fotind in this series. Indeed, much more is provided than should be required by the examiners. We do not ktiozv what more coidd be done to provide sensible, interesting, and solid Scrip- tural instruction for boys and girls. The Syndics of the Cambridge OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. University Press are rendering great services both to teachers and to scholars by the publication of such a valuable series of books, in which slipshod ivo7-k could not have a place." — Literary World. ^^ For the student of the sacred oracles who utilizes hours of travel or moments of waiting in the perusal of the Bible there is nothing so handy, and, at the same time, so satisfying as these little books Nor let anyone suppose that, because these are school-books, therefore they are beneath the adult reader. They contain the veiy ripest results of the best Biblical scholarship, and that in the very simplest form."- — Christian Leader. " Altogether one of the most perfect examples of a Shilling New Tes- tament commentary which ez'en thi^ age of cheapness is likely to produce.^' — Bookseller. Samuel I. and II. "Professor Kirkpatrick's two tiny volumes on llie First and Second Books of Samuel are quite model school-books; the notes elucidate every possible difficulty with scholarly brevity and clearness and a perfect knowledge of the subject." — Saturday Reviciv. "They consist of an introduction full of matter, clearly and succinctly given, and of notes which appear to us to be admirable, at once full and brief." — Church Times. Kings I. " We can cordially recommend this little book. The Intro- duction discusses the question of authorship and date in a plain but scholarly fashion, while the footnotes throughout are brief, pointed, and helpful. " — Review of Revicivs. Matthew. "The notes are terse, clear, and helpful, and teachers and students cannot fail to find the volume of great service." — Publishers' Circular. Mark. Luke. "We have received the volumes of St Mark and St Luke in this series The two volumes seem, on the whole, well adapted for school use, are well and carefully printed, and have maps and good, though necessarily brief, introductions. There is little doubt that this series will be found as popular and useful as the well-known larger series, of which they are abbreviated editions." — Guardian. Luke. "We cannot too highly commend this handy little book to all teachers." — IVesleyan Methodist Sunday-School Record. John. "We have been especially interested in Mr Pi.ummer's treat- ment of the Gospel which has been entrusted to his charge. He is concise, comprehensive, interesting, and simple. Young students of this inimit- able book, as well as elder students, even ministers and teachers, may use it with advantage as a very serviceable handbook." — Literary ll'^orld. John. "A model of condensation, losing nothing of its clearness and force from its condensation into a small compass. Many who have long since completed their college curriculum will find it an invaluable hand- book."— Methodist Times. Acts. "The notes are very brief, but exceedingly comprehensive, comprising as much detail in the way of explanation as would be needed by young students of the Scriptures preparing for examination. We again give the opinion that this series furnishes as much real help as would usually satisfy students for the Christian ministry, or even minis- ters themselves." — Literary World, THE CAMBRIDGE GREEK TESTAMENT FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES witli a Revised Text, based on the most recent critical authorities, and English Notes, prepared under the direction of the General Editor, The Bishop of Worcester. " Has achieved an excellence which puts it above criticism.'''' — Expositor. St Matthew. " Copious illustrations, gathered from a great variety of sources, make his notes a very valuable aid to the student. They are indeed remarl** 9/ 1 -- rs. , t./* ' IVlY ' ■; r »»■ fl«w»wwiiiM* ■«— ^F**iWfr f . -:iKai ■^ac^Jii'Ka I illli'^irwaaBMBt fvtnamaKKnata J^ 1 BS1305.L693C.2 The Book of Judges; with map, notes and Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 00037 6246 >3i3apaMji mmmfimmmfiitmesaissm^^