JUDGES

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DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

GIFT OF
George Dahl

THE BIBLE FOR. HOME AND SCHOOL
SHAILER MATHEWS, General Editor
PROFESSOR OF HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE THEOLOGY
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

THE BOOK OF JUDGES
EDWARD LEWIS CURTIS

THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL

SHAILER MATHEWS, General Editor

GENESIS

By Professor H. G. Mitchell

DEUTERONOMY

By Professor W. G. Jordan

JUDGES By Professor Edward L. Curtis

JOB By Professor George A. Barton

ISAIAH

By Professor John E. McFadyen

MATTHEW

By Professor A. T. Robertson

ACTS

By Professor George H. Gilbert

GALATIANS

By Professor B. W. Bacon

EPHESIANS AND COLOSSIANS

By Reverend Gross Alexander

HEBREWS

By Professor E. J. Goodspeed

VOLUMES IN PREPARATION

I SAMUEL

By Professor L. W. Batten

PSALMS

By Reverend J. P. Peters

AMOS, HOSEA, AND MICAH

By Professor J. M. P. Smith

MARK

. By Professor M. W. Jacobus

JOHN By Professor Shailer Mathews

ROMANS

v By Professor E. I. Bosworth

I AND II CORINTHIANS

By Professor J. S. Riggs

THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

BY

EDWARD LEWIS CURTIS, Ph.D., D.D.
LATE PROFESSOR OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE, YALE UNIVERSITY

JSTe-u gjarfc
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1913
Ail rights reserved

Copyright, 1913,
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

Set up and electrotyped. Published February, 1913.

The references in the foot-notes marked " SV" are to the American Standard
Edition of the Revised Bible. Copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons.
By permission of thb Publishers.

Normo orj $rcss
J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.

NOTE
At the time of his lamented death, Professor Curtis had
completed the manuscript for this volume up to and in
cluding Chapter 18. At the suggestion of the family of
Professor Curtis, and with the approval of the General
Editor, Dr. Albert A. Madsen has edited the entire manu
script and written the comment upon Chapters 19 to 21,
inclusive, as well as adding the Bibliography.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The Bible for Home and School is intended to place
the results of the best modern biblical scholarship at the
disposal of the general reader. It does not seek to dupli
cate other commentaries to which the student must turn.
Its chief characteristics are (a) its rigid exclusion of all
processes, both critical and exegetical, from its notes ;
(b) its presupposition and its use of the assured results
of historical investigation and criticism wherever such
results throw light on the biblical text ; (c) its running
analysis both in text and comment; (d) its brief explana
tory notes adapted to the rapid reader ; (e) its thorough
but brief Introductions ; (/) its use of the Revised Version
of 1881, supplemented with all important renderings in
other versions.
Biblical science has progressed rapidly during the past
few years, but the reader still lacks a brief, comprehensive
commentary that shall extend to him in usable form mate
rial now at the disposition of the student. It is hoped
that in this series the needs of intelligent Sunday School
teachers have been met, as well as those of clergymen
and lay readers, and that in scope, purpose, and loyalty
to the Scriptures as a foundation of Christian thought and
life, its volumes will stimulate the intelligent use of the
Bible in the home and the school. SHAILER MATHEWS.

CONTENTS
FAGE
Introduction  i
I. Text  I
II. Place and Contents  2
III. Purpose  8
IV. Literary Character ....... 9
V. Historical Character  13
VI. Chronology  16
Bibliography  18
Text and Commentary  21
Index  199

THE BOOK OF JUDGES
EDWARD LEWIS CURTIS

INTRODUCTION I. Text
The text of the Book of Judges has a common history
with that of the Old Testament as a whole. The Hebrew
manuscripts of the Old Testament all represent a single
text called the Massoretic or traditional text. Thus these
manuscripts differ widely from those of the New Testa
ment, which represent a number of variant texts, the prod
uct of different copyists who carefully or with intention
departed from originals. The reason for this uniformity
of Old Testament manuscripts lies in the great reverence
which the Jews had for their Scriptures. This reverence
was of gradual growth, but by the first century a.d. it
had become so intense that the work of a copyist was then
called divine, and warnings were given against dropping
or adding a letter. This resulted in the establishment,
probably early in the second century, of a single authorized
text. All other manuscripts were either destroyed or
allowed to disappear. Care was also taken that manu
scripts worn or defective through age should be destroyed.
Hence the existing manuscripts of the Old Testament are
all much younger than those of the Greek New Testament.
The oldest Hebrew manuscript of the Pentateuch, the most
revered portion of the Jewish Scriptures, is of the ninth
century a.d., and that of the entire Old Testament of the
tenth.

INTRODUCTION

This single Massoretic text of the Old Testament is
preserved in two forms, one, the earlier, of consonants
only, and one of consonants with vowel signs which were
introduced sometime between the beginnings of the fifth
and ninth centuries a.d. But the variations between these
forms are slight. The text itself, however, is not without
corruptions which came in before its authorization. Some
of these may be corrected by a recourse to the Greek trans
lations of the third and second centuries B.C., and some
help also in the same direction is given by the Syriac
translation of the third century a.d., which is based upon
the earlier Greek. Many corruptions, however, must
either be allowed to remain, giving passages which are
untranslatable or without meaning, or else be removed
by conjecture. The Book of Judges compared with the
Books of Samuel has few of these corruptions. Some, how
ever, will be found, especially in the fifth chapter, the song
of Deborah ; this like many passages of poetry seems to
have suffered badly at the hand of early copyists.
II. Place and Contents
The Book of Judges is the seventh book in the Old Tes
tament in the Hebrew, Greek, and English Bibles, coming
in the two latter between the Books of Joshua and Ruth,
and in the first between the Books of Joshua and Samuel
(the Book of Ruth having a later place in the Hebrew
Canon). This place was given it from its contents. It
narrates the history of Israel from the conquest of the land
of Canaan given in the Book of Joshua to the beginnings
of the establishment of the Hebrew monarchy with which
the Books of Samuel open.

INTRODUCTION

The book falls into three divisions: chapters 1-2 : 5, an
introduction giving a fragmentary account of the con
quest of Canaan; chapters 2:6-16:31, the main history
of the judges; and chapters 17-21, an appendix contain
ing the stories of the origin of the sanctuary at Dan and
of the sin of Gibeah.
The first division (1-2 : 5) pictures especially the un
subdued Canaanites west of the Jordan. It opens with
the invasion by the tribes of Judah and Simeon of their
subsequent territory, situated from Jerusalem southward
and embracing the regions of Hebron, Debir, and Hormah,
whose captures are related (1:1-21). Then follows the
conquest of Central and Northern Palestine. The seizure
of Bethel by the house of Joseph is given in detail (1 : 22-26),
but the failure of the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebu
lun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan to completely expel the
Canaanites is particularly recorded. Lists of the uncon-
quered cities are given (1 : 27-36), and the section closes
with the story of a reproof from the angel of Jehovah for
this failure (2 : 1-5).
The second part (2 : 6-16 : 31) opens with the mention of
the death of Joshua and of the character of the men of his
generation (2 : 6-10). Then follows a general statement
of the course of Israel's history, which consists of a series
of alternating oppressions and deliverances occasioned
by apostasies in the worship of Jehovah and returns in
loyalty to him (2 : 11-3 : 6). The people do evil in the
eyes of Jehovah, who sells them into the hand of their ene
mies; and in their distress they cry unto Jehovah, who
raises up a judge to deliver them; but at his death they
backslide, and the same events are repeated. The failure of
3

INTRODUCTION

Israel to expel the Canaanites, recorded in the first section,
is thus explained. The nations, a fist of whom is given
(3:3), were left to test Israel's loyalty to Jehovah and to
teach them war. After this introductory history comes the
history of the series of judges who delivered or ruled Israel
and from whom this period of Israel's history derives its
name. These judges are usually reckoned as twelve, falling
into two groups : six great judges, Othniel, Ehud, Barak
(with Deborah), Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson ; and six
minor ones, Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.
Each of the great judges is introduced with a statement of
an apostasy and an oppression, according to the outline of
events just mentioned. Then follows a story of length
relating deeds of interest and valor connected with the
overthrow of Israel's enemies ; and each narrative is con
cluded with the statement of the length either of the
Judgeship or the period during which the land enjoyed rest.
The minor judges, on the other hand, are associated with
no apostasies or oppressions and have only the briefest
mention. No exploit except in the case of Shamgar is
recorded of any of them; and taken as a whole they appear
like an afterthought, added to make the number twelve
and to give a required number of years (see p. 17). With
the great judges for interest and length of narrative is to
be classed Abimelech, the king of Shechem, to whom a long
chapter (9) is devoted.
Othniel, the first great judge, rescues Israel from the
oppression of Cushan-rishathaim, King of Mesopotamia
(3 : 7-1 1). No particular exploit is recorded of him, but
only the bare fact of the deliverance. He thus for treat
ment stands in a class by himself among the great judges.
4

INTRODUCTION

Ehud, the second great judge, delivers Israel from the
oppression of the Moabites. His story is one of romantic
exploit. With cunning craft he assassinates the king of
Moab, summons his countrymen to arms, and they, taking
the fords of the Jordan, slay not less than ten thousand
of their enemies (3 : 1 2-30) . Ehud is followed by Shamgar,
the first of the so-called minor judges. His record is
limited to a single verse (3:31). He was the hero of the
exploit of slaying six hundred Philistines with an ox-
goad and is said to have saved Israel. Barak, the third
great judge, also mentioned as though the follower of Ehud
with a period of oppression between them, is associated
with Deborah, a prophetess. The oppressor of Israel is the
Canaanite king Jabin of Hazor, along with Sisera, the cap
tain of his army. Deborah incites Barak to lead a revolt
and to take the field against Sisera, who meets with signal
defeat and is treacherously slain by a woman. This story
of revolt, victory, and the death of Sisera is twice related,
first in prose narrative (4 : 1-24) and secondly in a poem
commemorative of the great victory (5 : 1-3 1). The fourth
great judge is Gideon, who delivers Israel from the hordes
of theMidianites, who are represented as having completely
overrun the land. His story is one of considerable length
(6: 1-8:32). He is called to his work by the angel of
Jehovah and granted miraculous signs. He selects his
final army of three hundred men on a singular principle,
and by the crafty use of torches and war-cries he renders
his foes panic-stricken and wins a great victory. Summary
vengeance is taken upon men of Israel who refused him
succor when in pursuit of the enemy. The people in grat
itude for his deliverance are ready to make Gideon king.
S

INTRODUCTION

He refuses, asking only a portion of the spoil from which
he made an image which afterwards caused the people to
go astray. Two independent narratives appear plainly
in this story, most clearly evident in the twofold conclu
sion of the war (7:23-8:3 and 8:4-21). After the
account of the judgeship of Gideon comes the story of
the short-lived reign of his bastard son, Abimelech,
whom the inhabitants of Shechem made their king. This
story, after the introduction and the account of Abime-
lech's measures to become king (8 : 29-9 : 6), presents the
parable of Jotham on the appointment of Abimelech as
king, likening the choice of him as sovereign to that of a
bramble bush to rule over the trees of the forest (9 : 7-21).
Then follows the description of the rebellion against Abim
elech and of his ignominious death by the hand of a
woman (9 : 22-57). After the episode of Abimelech two
minor judges, Tola and Jair, are mentioned (10:1-5);
and then comes the account of the oppression of the Am
monites and the story of the deliverance from them under
the leadership of an outcast and freebooter of Gilead, the
fourth great judge, Jephthah (10 : 6-12 : 7). Three strik
ing features appear in this story: the messages inter
changed between Jephthah and the king of Ammon, the
vow of Jephthah resulting in the sacrifice of his daughter,
and the strife between the men of Gilead and the men of
Ephraim. The narrative of Jephthah is followed by a
brief record of the minor judges Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
(12 : 8-15), and then is introduced the sixth great judge,
Samson, the hero of Dan and the deliverer from the Phi
listines. Of him are related seven most graphic stories:
that of the annunciation of his birth through the angel of
6

INTRODUCTION

Jehovah, and his birth (13 : 1-25) ; that of his wooing and
feast at Timnah (14 : 1-20) ; that of the destruction of the
Philistines' harvest through fire spread by brands fastened
to foxes' tails (15 : 1-8) ; that of the slaughter of one
thousand men with the jawbone of an ass (15:9-19);
that of bearing away the gates of the city Gaza (16 : 1-3) ;
that of his amour with Delilah, to whom he reveals the
secret of his strength and through whom he is shorn of
his locks and delivered to his enemies, who put out his eyes
and cause him to grind in prison (16 : 4-22) ; and finally the
story of his triumphant death, destroying a multitude of his
Philistine enemies by pulling down upon them and him
self a great building (16: 23-31).
The first story of the appendix describes the founding of
the sanctuary of Dan. A woman of Mt. Ephraim pos
sessed a considerable quantity of silver which her son
stole, but the mother forgave him the theft and turned
the metal over to him. He made thereof an idol and
created a sanctuary in which a wandering Levite was
installed as priest (17:1-13). Members of the tribe of
Dan on their march through the land to secure a home in
Northern Palestine took both idol and priest and estab
lished therewith the sanctuary at Dan (18 : 1-3 1). The
second story, the sin of Gibeah, is a gruesome tale of a
Levite whose concubine was so outraged by the men of
Gibeah that she died. He, then, severing her body, sent
its pieces through Israel (19 : 1-30). This called the people
out to war against the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were
defended by their fellow tribesmen of Benjamin. They
were defeated and nearly all of the tribe of Benjamin was
massacred, six hundred men alone escaping (chap. 20).
7

INTRODUCTION

All the assembled people of Israel had bound themselves
by an oath not to give their daughters in marriage to the
Benjamites. Hence to provide the survivors with wives,
lest a tribe should become extinct, the Israelites sent an
expedition against the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, who
had not joined with the rest of Israel, and all were put to
the sword except four hundred virgins who were spared to
become the wives of four hundred Benjamites (21 : 1-14).
The remaining two hundred were allowed to provide them
selves with wives by seizing virgins of Shiloh when in
attendance at the dances of the annual feast of Jehovah
(21:15-25). IH. Purpose
The purpose of the Book of Judges has already been
indicated in part. It was designed to furnish a history of
Israel during the period intervening between the death of
Joshua and the birth of Samuel, or, as stated, from the
close of the conquest of Canaan to the beginnings of the
Hebrew monarchy. But this was not its only purpose.
The main portion of the book (2:6-16:31) was clearly
designed to teach a great religious lesson, to wit, that
departure from the service of Jehovah, especially in the
worship of other gods, brought oppression and disaster
upon the people of Israel, from which relief might be ob
tained by crying to Jehovah, who stood ready to raise up
a deliverer, under whom rest from foreign oppression
might be enjoyed. This is the meaning of the general
introduction (2 : 6-3 : 6) and the repeated formula with
which the story of each great judge is usually opened and
closed ; i.e. The people sinned and were given by fekovah
8

INTRODUCTION

into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them certain
years, when they cried unto Jehovah, who raised up a deliv
erer (whose deliverance is then related) and the land had
rest certain years (3 : 7-9, 11, 12-15 a, 30 b ; 4: 1-3 ; 5 :
31b; 6 : 1-6 ; 8 : 28 ; 10 : 6-18 ; 13 : 1 ; 15 : 20).
The Book of Judges presents, therefore, a constant lesson
of the divine government and has a common feature with
the Books of Joshua, Kings, and Chronicles, all of which
were designed to inculcate similar great principles of divine
rule and thus to guide human conduct, especially the na
tional conduct of Israel. (The same fact appears in the
earlier chapters of the Books of Samuel, but less distinctly
in the remainder of those books which are more purely
historical.) The spirit and form of this teaching in the
Book of Judges is especially that of Deuteronomy, which
contains repeated prohibitions and warnings in connection
with the worship or service of any god but Jehovah
(Deut. 6 : 14 f. ; 7:4; 8 : 19 f . ; n : 16 f. ; 12 : 30 ; 13 : 6ff. ;
30 : 17 ff.), and threatens such defection with dire disasters
(Deut. 7:4; 8:i9f.; 30:172.).
IV. Literary Character
The Book of Judges shares with other books of the
Old Testament the characteristic of being, not the work
of one writer nor the product of a single generation, but
a literary growth of centuries. Its composition can best
be understood in the light of that of the Hexateuch, the
first six books of the Old Testament, which originally were
a literary unit. Three great strands or documents run
through these books. The most prominent of these, though
the latest, is a priestly writing in the main of the fifth cen-
9

INTRODUCTION

tury consisting very largely of laws, embracing the Book
of Leviticus and the related parts of Exodus and Numbers ;
and yet consisting also of a historical narrative which com
mences with an account of the creation and ends with
the allotment of the tribes in the land of Canaan. This
narrative is statistical and formal in character, marked
with a well-defined progress in divine revelation or law, and
especially with the conception of Israel as fully organized
by Moses into a theocracy or church. This document,
ordinarily called the Priests' Code, is symbolized by modern
scholars by the letter P, representing both the literary
material itself and the author or authors.
Next earlier in age to the Priests' Code and of the half
century beginning about 625 B.C. is the strand or docu
ment which embraces the Book of Deuteronomy (with
minute exceptions) and related parts of the Book of Joshua,
and possibly a few verses in the earlier books. This, as
seen in Deuteronomy, is clearly marked by its hortatory
character and the stress which it lays upon the worship of
Jehovah and the keeping of the statutes and command
ments, with well-defined principles of divine retribution in
rewards and punishments. Its symbol, applied both to
the writing and the author or authors, is the letter D.
The third and earliest strand or document is a narrative
called prophetic because it reveals a divine purpose for
the future. In its completed form this was designed to
give a history of Israel from the creation to a much later
period than the conquest of Canaan. This, composed
largely of stories, is the naive and picturesque element of
the Hexateuch. It is a resultant of the literature which
grew from the entertainment of assemblies at family

INTRODUCTION

hearths, camp-fires, and sanctuaries. With this some early
laws have also been combined. A line of cleavage exists
in this strand or document, and it is really composed of two
primary ones, known as the Jahvistic (Jehovistic) and Elo-
histic, so called from the names of deity, Jahweh (Jehovah)
and Elohim, used in its respective parts in Genesis. Its
symbol is JE and those of the two primary documents
J and E. Of these latter J is the earlier. Both were
probably composed in the eighth century (possibly J in the
ninth) and were united into JE in the seventh. The place
of composition or origin of J was in Judah or the Southern
Kingdom while E came from the Northern Kingdom,
hence J is called the Judean Narrative and E the Ephra-
imite. The two narratives J and E are not very dissimilar,
and yet each is characterized in some degree by its own
vocabulary and phrases and notably, as already mentioned,
in the use of terms for deity. E is rougher in style than J.
Certain conceptions also distinguish them. J is the more
naive. Jehovah appears in J frequently in human form
and talks directly with men. In E God is more remote and
usually reveals himself or his word in a dream. E exhibits
more reflection than J. Its author is not so simple-minded.
In E2, a revision of E, the author approaches the concep
tions of Deuteronomy.
All of these works, symbolized by the letters P, D, J,
and E, are regarded as the products of schools of writers
rather than individuals. They bear the marks of not being
continuous, or written by a single author, and occasionally
of revision (for example, as mentioned, there is E and
E2). Account must also be taken of the editor who united
JE, i.e. RJE, and other editors who gradually brought the

INTRODUCTION

documents JE, D, and P. together and thus formed the
Hexateuch. Viewing the Hexateuch as a whole, it re
sembles in structure largely a harmony of the Gospels,
one which might have passed through several editions, as
though at first the life of Christ had been written by the
union of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and then later,
to this those of Luke and John had been added, and the
compilers had also felt free in places to annotate and change
according to their own views.
The structure of the Book of Judges, while far from
being identical with that of the Hexateuch or such a har
mony of the Gospels as we have described, is not altogether
dissimilar. Already in the description of its purpose we
have noticed, in connection with its second or main part,
the introductions and conclusions of the narratives of the
great judges (see pp. 8 f.). These form a framework in
which the stories of the judges are set. The writer of this
framework, who composed in the spirit of Deuteronomy
(see p. io), clearly shaped the main portion of our book
(2 : 6-16 : 31) and may be called its Deuteronomic author.
The stories, however, were not written by him. Scholars
are not entirely agreed in regard to their source, whether
they existed independently or were taken from a continua
tion of JE, the constituent part of the Hexateuch. This
latter is the prevailing view and the one adopted in this
Commentary. Such a composite source explains the dupli
cate stories of Gideon (see p. 6) and other seeming traces
of double narratives. The history of the Book of Judges,
then, is as follows : Sometime during the sixth century a
member of the Deuteronomic school of writers, having
before him the great historical work JE, took from it the

INTRODUCTION

stories of Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson and
gave them their Deuteronomic setting, writing likewise the
introduction, and the account of the judgeship of Othniel.
His work, beginning with the death of Joshua, and closing
with the judgeship of Samson, consisted of 2 : 6-16 : 31 with
the exception of chapter 9, the story of Abimelech, which
shows no trace of his hand, and 3:31; 10 : 1-5 ; 12 : 8-15,
the accounts of the minor judges, and possibly also chapter
16. In the fifth or fourth century another writer turned
again to the work of JE and excerpted from it the other
two parts of our book, the introduction, 1-2 : 5, and the ap
pendix, 17-21, both of which he edited with considerable
annotations or additions. He also added chapters 9 and
16 and the accounts of the minor judges, although these
last may have been composed independently of JE. This
author or editor belonged to the school of P and we call him
the priestly editor, giving him the symbol Rp. He virtually
completed the Book of Judges, although a few annotations
may have been made later. The verse describing the
action of Shamgar (3:31) seems to have been one of these.
We will find, then, in our Book of Judges all this various
material ; the naive stories of J, united or inextricably woven
together with the more reflective stories of E and E2. A
few paragraphs will appear from the compiler of JE, RJE,
then considerable material from the Deuteronomic author
of Judges, and still later from the priestly editor, and
probably, as mentioned, some from another final hand.
V. Historical Character
The contents of the Book of Judges taken as a whole
are legendary rather than historical. By that we mean
13

INTRODUCTION

that, while actual events gave rise to much of its narrative,
the form in which these events are related is that of the
story-teller and religious teacher and not that of the sober
historian. The narratives were composed primarily to
entertain, and then later were edited to teach religous les
sons. The imagination had free play in their composition,
and they abound in the marvels which belong to all such
early literature. To some this view of a book of the Bible
may come as a shock, and yet no one ought thereby to be
disturbed. Morality can be taught by fable, the Gospel
by parables, and so likewise legend has its place in the
teaching of religion. The supreme value of the Bible
lies in its revelation of God, or the introduction of God into
the sphere of human life. This revelation or introduction
required the use of the imagination, hence legend became
its appropriate vehicle. A bare chronicle of events has
never produced such results and never can. Hence mod
ern scholarship, in showing the legendary character of
much of the Scripture, has confirmed this principle of
knowledge. The historical books are now intelligible
to all thinking men. They speak of God through human
experience. But in the legends of the judges lie embedded his
torical facts. In the introduction to our book (1-2 : 5)
an accurate outline of the conquest of Canaan is given.
The tribes obtained a foothold in the South and then in
Central and Northern Palestine, and the Canaanites re
tained possession of a large number of cities as mentioned.
This continued until the reigns of David and Solomon, dur
ing which these Canaanite cities were absorbed into Israel.
Behind the story of the first great judge, Othniel, it is
14

INTRODUCTION

barely possible that there may have been a struggle with
Edom ; but if such history is there, it has been entirely
distorted, and a narrative really unhistorical has taken
its place.
The story of Ehud rests not unlikely upon a real oc
currence. There is nothing improbable in the oppression
of a portion of Israel by the Moabites and the deliverance
through the crafty assassination of the king.
The deliverance through Barak and Deborah, as far as
it relates a great victory over Sisera, a Canaanitish king
of the plain of Esdraelon, is undoubtedly historical, and
interwoven with it is a reminiscence of an earlier actual
struggle with Jabin, King of Hazor. That the elements
favored the Israelites in battle and that Sisera was treach
erously slain are no doubt real events. The details of
the muster for battle given in the poem are probably
authentic. Behind the long and complex story of Gideon we find
a decisive defeat by that hero of troublesome Bedouin
marauders. We believe also that he set up an image of
Jehovah and that he ruled over a district of the region of
Shechem as a petty king. The story of the short-lived
kingdom of Abimelech even in its detail is also essentially
historic. The same is true of the story of Jephthah. He was a
real warrior who delivered the land of Gilead from the
encroachment of either the Ammonites or the Moabites.
The sacrifice of his daughter actually took place.
In the stories of Samson we find little of real history.
There may have been an Israelitish hero of that name that
harassed the Philistines, but the Samson of the Book of
is

INTRODUCTION

Judges is certainly half mythical, and his exploits are not
inaptly compared with those of the Greek Hercules.
The story of the founding of the sanctuary of Dan as
far as it relates to the plundering of a sanctuary in Mt.
Ephraim and the enticement therefrom of a priest is cer
tainly plausible and on no good grounds can its historicity
be denied.
What lies in the story of Gibeah is entirely obscure.
Real history, however, is there ; but the original events,
beyond some crime and some summary vengeance upon
a number of the tribe of Benjamin, are no longer recogniz
able ; and conjectures, though interesting, cannot give the
real facts. VI. Chronology
The following chronological data are found in the Book
of Judges :
3 : 8 Israel serves Cushan-rishathaim ... 8 years
3:11 Peace after the deliverance by Othniel . 40 years
3 : 14 Israel serves Eglon  18 years
3 : 30 Peace after the deliverance of Ehud . . 80 years
4 : 3 Oppression by Jabin  20 years
5:31 Peace after the deliverance by Barak . . 40 years
6 : 1 Oppression by Midian  7 years
8 : 28 Peace after the deliverance by Gideon . 40 years
9: 22 Reign of Abimelech  3 years
10 : 2 Rule of Tola  23 years
10:3 Ruleofjair  22 years
10 : 8 Oppression by Ammon  18 years
12:7 Rule of Jephthah  6 years
12:9 Rule of Ibzan  7 years
16

INTRODUCTION

12: n Rule of Elon  10 years
12 : 14 Rule of Abdon  8 years
13 : 1 Oppression by the Philistines .... 40 years
15 : 20 ; 16 : 31 Samson judges Israel .... 20 years
This total of 410 years is too long to fit into any scheme
either of biblical or actual chronology covering the period
of the judges. It is evident then that the periods of foreign
service or oppression should be eliminated and only the
periods of rest or judgeship be retained. This is after the
common method of reckoning, in which years of insurrec
tion or illegitimate sovereignty are omitted in giving the
length of dynasties. No English royalist, for example,
would give the period of the Commonwealth in reckoning
the length of the rule of the House of Stuart, but those
years would be included under the reign of Charles the
Second. Omitting then the periods of foreign service and
oppression and the reign of Abimelech, we have for the
period of judgeship or peace in the land, Othniel 40 years,
Ehud 80 years, Barak 40 years, Gideon 40 years, Samson
20 years, and Jephthah and the minor judges taken to
gether 76 years, or a total of 296 years. If now to these
years are added the 40 years of the sojourn in the wilder
ness, 20 years as the period of the conquest under Joshua
and of the life of the elders of his generation, 40 years the
judgeship of Eli (1 Sam. 4 : 18), 20 years as the judgeship
of Samuel, and 20 years as the reign of Saul, and the 40
years of the reign of David (1 Kgs. 2:11) and the 4 of the
reign of Solomon to the laying of the foundation of the
Temple (1 Kgs. 6:1), the total is 480 years : or the exact
period said to have elapsed from the Exodus to the found-
c 17

INTRODUCTION

ing of the Temple (i Kgs. 6: i). This result shows that
this reckoning of the Book of Judges was made to fit into
that scheme of chronology which placed the period from
the Exodus to the founding of the Temple at exactly 480
years or twelve periods of 40 years each. The actual
period of Israel's history covered by the Book of Judges
is probably about 150 years, beginning in the first half of
the twelfth century.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A BRIEF SELECTED LIST OF WRITINGS ON THE BOOK
OF JUDGES FOR THE ENGLISH READER
Bible Dictionaries, articles on Judges (Book of), Othniel, Ehud, etc.
Black, J. S. Judges (in Smaller Cambridge Bible for Schools). 1892.
Cassel, Paulus. The Book of Judges (in Lange's Commentary).
1872. Translated from the German with additions.
Cooke, G. A. The History and Song of Deborah. 1892.
Driver, S. R. An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testa
ment, sixth and following editions, pp. 160-172.
Driver, S. R. The Book of Judges, in The Expositor, eighth series,
Vol. II, pp. 385-404, 520-530 (Nov. and Dec, 1911); Vol. Ill,
pp. 24-38, 129-136 (Jan. and Feb., 1912).
Dummelow, J. R., Editor. A Commentary on the Holy Bible, by
various writers, pp. 155-172.
Hervey, A. C Judges (in Speaker's Commentary, 1872, and in
Pulpit Commentary, 1881).
Keil, C F. Judges (in Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament).
Translated from the German, 1868.
Kennedy, A. R. S. The Book of Judges (in The Temple Bible).
Kent, Charles Foster. Narratives of the Beginnings of Hebrew
History (in The Student's Old Testament), pp. 271-310. 1904.
Text printed according to sources in parallel columns. Also
brief notes. 18

INTRODUCTION

Kent, Charles Foster. The Founders and Rulers of United
Israel (in The Historical Bible), pp. 15-62. 1908.
t Lias, J. J. The Book of Judges (in The Cambridge Bible for Schools
and Colleges). 1902. Text and Commentary.
McFadyen, J. E. The Messages of the Prophetic and Priestly His
torians (in The Messages of the Bible), pp. 121-138. 1901.
Moore, George Foot. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
Judges (in The International Critical Commentary). 1895.
Moore, George Foot. The Book of Judges (in Paul Haupt's
Polychrome Bible). 1898. Text, printed on colored back
ground indicating the sources, with notes.
Muller, David Heinrich. The Structure of the Song of Deborah,
in American Journal of Theology, Vol. II (1898), pp. 110-115.
Thatcher, G. W. Judges (in The Century Bible). Text and
commentary.
Vernon, Ambrose W. The Religious Value of the Figure of Samson,
in Biblical World, Vol. XXXII (July, 1908) , pp. 33-38.
Watson, Robert A. Judges (in The Expositor's Bible). 1890.
Wellhausen, Julius. Prolegomena to the History of Israel,'
pp. 228-245. 1885.
The More Important Abbreviations

AV
ARV
RV Gr.Heb.
m. .

Authorized (King James) Version.
American Revised Version.
English Revised Version.
Septuagint.
Hebrew.
margin.

Explanation op Letters in the Margin of Text (see also the
Introduction)
J  The Yahwist Document.
E  The Elohist Document.
JE  These two documents combined.
E2  Later additions to the Elohist Document.
19

INTRODUCTION

R  Passages by a redactor or editor of uncertain date.
R1®  Additions by the redactor who combined J and E.
RD  Additions by the Deuteronomic redactor.
Rp  Additions by the Priestly redactors.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES
A. THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN AND THE
SETTLEMENT OF THE TRIBES, 1:1-2:5
I. Conquests in Southern and Central Palestine,
1 : 1-26
1. And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that RP 1 : 1
the children of Israel asked of the Lord, saying, Who J
1 : 1-2 : 5. In this section of the Book of Judges are given in
the briefest outline an account of the conquest by the tribes of
Judah and Simeon of the Canaanites of the district near Jerusa
lem (1 : 1-8), of those located at Hebron and Debir (i : 9-15), of
those of the land farther south (1 : 16 f.), and likewise of those
of the lowland or Shephelah to the west (1 : 18-21) ; an account
of the conquest by the house of Joseph of Bethel (1:22-26);
and then lists of unconquered Canaanites who dwelt in the ter
ritories of the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher,
Naphtali, and Dan (1:27-36); and finally an explanation of
the presence of these unconquered Canaanites (2 : 1-5). The
section is from the primitive document J, but has been annotated
or glossed by the priestly editor, Rp.
1. And it came to pass after the death of Joshua. A statement
from the canonical editor to show the relation of the Book of
Judges to the Book of Joshua which closes with the death of
Joshua. In reality, however, this chapter describes the con
quest, and is another version of that related in the Book of
Joshua as having taken place under Joshua. That the children
of Israel asked of the Lord. The original connection of this
asking is not here given. It presupposes that the Jordan had
been crossed and Jericho conquered (cf. Josh. 3-6). We may
think of the tribes of Israel encamped in the neighborhood of

1.2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to
2. fight against them? And the Lord said, Judah shall
go up : behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3. 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 with thee into thy
Rp 4. lot. So Simeon went with him. And Judah went up ;
and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Periz-
zites into their hand: and they smote of them in

that city. The asking was probably either by the Urim and
Thummim, 1 Sam. 14 : 41 (Greek text) or by the Ephod, 1 Sam.
23'9'i 30 : 7, i.e. by some kind of lot. The Canaanites. The
pre-Israelitish inhabitants of Western Palestine. Canaan as a
geographical name seems to have been first applied to the coast
land of Phoenicia and then southward to Egypt and eastward
into the highlands west of the Jordan.
2. The response of the oracle or inquiry is here given.
3. Simeon his brother. The two tribes of Judah and Simeon
together with Reuben and Levi were closely related. The
patriachal legend made them the successive sons of Jacob and
Leah (Gen. 29 : 31-35). Into my lot. This implies that in some
way the invading tribes had divided the land between them.
While historically this is not impossible, more likely it is a later
conception. So Simeon went with him. In historic times
Simeon and Judah occupied adjacent territory, the former dwelling
to the south of the latter.
4. The Lord delivered. The writer ignores the second cause,
and after the usual Old Testament method ascribes the victory
to Jehovah. The Perizzites. An obscure designation of a
people of Palestine. It is uncertain whether they represented a
tribe, perhaps of an earlier population than the Canaanites, or
a class of Canaanite villagers. Bezek. An unknown locality
not far, as the context shows, from Jerusalem. Another Bezek
is mentioned in 1 Sam. 11:8. This has been identified with
Ibzik, some fourteen miles southwest of Beisan, the ancient
Beth-shan.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES l:g

5. Bezek ten thousand men. And they found Adoni- J
bezek in Bezek : and they fought against him, and
6. they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But
Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and
caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7. And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore 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
Jerusalem, and he died there.
8. And the children of Judah fought against Jeru- r*
salem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the
9. sword, and set the city on fire. And afterward the
5. Adoni-bezek. This name, meaning lord of Bezek, is anoma
lous. Probably by some confusion it stands for Adoni-zedek,
" lord of righteousness," the name of the king of Jerusalem accord
ing to Josh. 10: 1, 3.
6. Cut off his thumbs and his great toes. Such mutilation
was not uncommon in ancient warfare, although not mentioned
elsewhere in the Old Testament. The Greeks and Hannibal
and Caesar are said to have thus treated captives.
7. Threescore and ten kings. This seems like an exaggera
tion, yet each city in Palestine generally had its king. Under
my table. The table was a small low stand : diners sat on the
ground ; hence the captives were not actually under the table,
but gathered like dogs pieces which fell from the table (cf. Matt.
15:27). And they brought him to Jerusalem. His own people,
since Jerusalem was not taken (v. 21).
8. And the children of Judah fought, etc. This verse con
tradicts v. 21 and all that is known of the history of Jerusalem
elsewhere (cf. 19: n f . ; Josh. 15: 63). The city was not taken
until the time of David (2 Sam. 5 : 6-9). Hence this verse is a
gloss added by some one who interpreted the last clause of the
previous verse to mean that the men of Judah carried Adoni-
bezek to Jerusalem. 23

I : io THE BOOK OF JUDGES

children of Judah went down to fight against the
Canaanites that dwelt in the hill country, and in
J 10. the South, and in the lowland. And Judah went
against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron : (now
the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiriath-arba :)
and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
ii. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of
Debir. (Now the name of Debir beforetime was

9. This verse is introductory to vv. 10-21 and summarizes
in physical divisions the land conquered by Judah subsequent
to the defeat of the Canaanites near Jerusalem. The hill country.
The central mountainous region of Judah, having its highest
elevation at Hebron. The South. Heb. the Negeb, the arid
plain extending southward, stretching off into the desert between
Egypt and Palestine. The lowland. Heb. Shephelah, generally
the western foothills between Philistia and the Judean hill coun
try, but here seems also to include the maritime plain (v. 18).
Many ancient geographical names in Palestine are used in both
a narrow and a broad sense.
Vv. 10-15 appear also in Josh. 15 : 13-19. This shows that
both the author or compiler of Joshua and of this section of
Judges incorporated material from a common source usually
supposed to have been J.
10. Hebron. The most important city of southern Judah, about
twenty miles south of Jerusalem ; the patriarchal burial place
(Gen. 23:2,19; 25:9; 35:27 f . 550:13) ; and David's residence
as king (2 Sam. 2:11; 5:5; 1. Kgs. 2 : n). Kiriath-arba. " City
of four," i.e. of four quarters, representing probably four clans.
Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. In Josh. 15: 14 these are
called " sons of Anak," a term implying that they were giants.
In that passage the conqueror of Hebron is Caleb. This is implied
here in v. 12.
11. Debir. In Josh, n: 21 placed in the hill country, here
and in v. 15 in the Negeb. Kiriath-sepher. According to the
ordinary Hebrew meaning this compound means, " City of a
book"; but originally sepher may have meant something else.
24

THE BOOK OF JUDGES i : 15

12. Kiriath-sepher.) And Caleb said, He that smiteth
Kiriath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give
13. Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of
Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it : and he
14. gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came
to pass, when she came unto him, that she moved
him to ask of her father a field : and she lighted down
from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What
15. wouldest thou? And she said unto him, Give me
a 1 blessing ; for that thou hast 2 set me in the land
1 Or, present. 2 Or, given me the land of the South.
The implication also of " Book-city " is obscure, and the con
jectures have been many : " Archive-city," " Library-city," etc.
12. Caleb. In the narratives of Numbers and Joshua, one of
the twelve spies to whom Moses promised the region of Hebron
(Num. 14 : 24 ; Josh. 14 : 6-15). In 1 Sam. 25:3; 30 : 14, Caleb
is the name of a clan or tribe living in southern Judah during
the time of David. Because Caleb is repeatedly called a Keniz-
zite or son of Kenaz (Num. 32 : 12 ; Josh. 14: 6, 14; 15 : 17) this
clan seems to have been of Edomitic origin (cf. Gen. 36 : 15).
Through the influence of David it seems to have been incor
porated into the tribe of Judah and became one of the most
important families of Judah (see genealogies of 1 Chron. 2).
This position doubtless gave rise to the stories concerning the
hero Caleb. The word Caleb means " dog." Achsah. Men
tioned also in 1 Chron. 2 : 49.
13. Othniel. Appears in 3:9, 11 as the first of the judges
of Israel. Kenaz. Appears in the genealogy of the descendants
of Esau (Gen. 36: 15), (see also v. 12). In regard to the direct
relationship of Othniel to Caleb, the text is ambiguous. It is
uncertain whether Othniel or Kenaz is the younger brother of Caleb.
14. When she came. Achsah is assumed to have been else
where, perhaps at Hebron in her father's home. That she
moved him. Better after the Greek or Latin text with a slight
change in the Hebrew text: that he moved her.
15. For that thou hast set me in the land of the South.
2S

1 : 1 6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

of the South, give me also springs of water. And
Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether
springs.
16. And the children of the Kenite, Moses' * brother in
law, went up "out of the city of palm trees with the
children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which
is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt

1 Or, father in law.

Through the decision of her father her home would be in Debir,
belonging by conquest to her husband, where water was scarce.
Springs of water. In Hebrew Gullath-mayim, a proper name.
Likewise also the upper springs, and the nether springs, i.e.
Gullath- 'illith and Gullath-tithah, are proper names. Following the
identification of Debir given in v. n, the springs are those of
Seil ed-Dilbeh, about two-fifths of the way from Hebron to Debir.
These springs are fourteen in number, making one of the best
watered valleys in Southern Palestine. Hence they must always
have been highly prized. The story of this verse was told to ex
plain how it happened that these springs belonged to the Othnielites
of Debir and not to the nearer Calebite inhabitants of Hebron.
16. This verse is introductory. And the children of the
Kenite. An impossible rendering of the Hebrew text, which
is defective. The name Hobab after the Greek translation is
to be supplied, And the children of Hobab, the Kenite, the father-
in-law of Moses. The Hebrew word translated brother-in-law
or father-in-law denotes a kinsman through marriage. Here
it should be rendered father-in-law, since Hobab stood in that
relation to Moses. In Exod. 2 : 18 the father-in-law of Moses
is Reuel, and in Exod. 3:1; 4 : 18 ; 18 : 1, 5, 9, 12, Jethro. The
traditions clearly varied respecting his name. The city of palm
trees. I.e. Jericho (Deut. 34:352 Chron. 28:15). The wil
derness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad. This is an impos
sible designation, since the wilderness of Judah is quite distinct
from the South, the Negeb. The text has in some way been con
fused. An amended reading proposed is, In the wilderness of Arad.
With the people is meaningless. We should read after the Greek
26

THE BOOK OF JUDGES i : 18

17. with the people. And Judah went with Simeon his
brother, and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited
Zephath, and 1 utterly destroyed it. And the name
18. of the city was called Hormah. Also Judah took Rp
Gaza with the border thereof, and Ashkelon with the
border thereof, and Ekron with the border thereof.
1 Heb. devoted.
version, with the Amalekites, with whom, according to 1 Sam.
15 the Kenites were dwelling in the time of Saul. The Kenites,
according to this narrative, clearly joined their forces with Israel
and entered with them into the land of Canaan, and from the ren
dezvous at Jericho allied themselves with Judah and Simeon and
settled in the wilderness of Judah, where they became associated
with the Amalekites. Their union with Israel is implied in the
story of Num. 10: 29-32. During the reign of Saul they dwelt
with the Amalekites, and in the reign of David their home was
in the south of Judah. According to 1 Chron. 2 : 55 the Recha-
bites were Kenites.
17. Zephath. This place has not been satisfactorily identified,
either under this name or the later one of Hormah mentioned
in Num. 14 : 45 ; 21 : 3; Deut. 1 : 44. And utterly destroyed it.
The Heb. words imply a complete extermination to the glory of
Jehovah. This was according to the law of Deuteronomy
(Deut. 7 : 1-3 ; 20 : 16 ff.), and the repeated habit of Israel (Deut.
2:34; 3:6; Josh. 8 : 24 ff. ; io:28ff. ; n:nff. ; 1 Sam. 15 :
3 BE.). On the Moabite stone Mesha, King of Moab, records that
at the command of Kemosh he took Nebo from Israel and put to
death the whole population, " men and boys, wives and maidens
and slave girls, for to Ashtar-kemosh I devoted it"; and again of
Ataroth he said, " I killed all the people of the city, a fine sight (?)
for Kemosh and Moab." Hormah. I.e. " Devoted to destruc
tion." The root letters HRM are those of the verb translated
above, " utterly destroyed."
18. This verse implies the conquest of the Philistines by
Judah. Gaza was their principal city on the southern border
of their territory, Ashkelon in the middle, and Ekron in the north.
27

1 : 19 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J 19. And the Lord was with Judah ; and he drave out the
inhabitants of the hill country ; for he could not drive
out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had
20. chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron unto Caleb,
as Moses had spoken: and he drave out thence the
si. three sons of Anak. And the children of Benjamin
did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jeru
salem: but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of
Benjamin in Jerusalem, unto this day.
22. And the house of Joseph, they also went up against
But such a conquest is a flat contradiction of the following verse
and 3:3; Josh. 13 : 3, and of all that is stated elsewhere of the
relations between Israel and the Philistines. The verse, then,
like v. 8, is a gloss.
19 f. These verses seem out of place. V. 19 may have origi
nally followed v. 7; and v. 20 may have followed v. n. The
hill country. See v. 9. The valley. I.e. the plain of Philistia.
Chariots of iron. See on 4:3. As Moses had spoken. Cf.
Num. 14: 24; Deut. 1: 36; Josh. 14: 9, 13; 15: 13, 14. Sons
of Anak. See v. 10.
21. The children of Benjamin. In the parallel passage, Josh.
15 : 63 (see above) the reading here and in the following sentence
is The children of Judah. This reading probably was the original.
The change was made by some one who followed Josh. 18: 28,
where Jerusalem is reckoned among the towns of Benjamin.
Jebusites. The people who held Jerusalem when David con
quered it. Nothing further is known of them. They are fre
quently mentioned among the lists of the inhabitants of Canaan.
» 22-26. The writer now turns from the story of the conquest of
Judah to that of Northern Israel. He gives the single episode
of the capture of Beth-el. Of other conquest he gives no details,
but simply mentions the cities which the Canaanites held.
22. The house of Joseph. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh,
and Benjamin. The latter is included since he is represented as
born in Canaan, Gen. 35 : 16-18, i.e. historically the tribe was not
formed until after the settlement in Canaan. The Benjamites
28

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 1:27

23. Beth-el : and the Lord was with them. And the house
of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el. (Now the name Rp
24. of the city beforetime was Luz.) And the watchers saw J
a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto
him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city,
25. and we will deal kindly with thee. And he shewed
them the entrance into the city, and they smote the
city with the edge of the sword ; but they let the man
26. go 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.
II. The Failure to destroy utterly the Native
Inhabitants oe the Land, i : 27-2 : 5
27. And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of J
Beth-shean and her x towns, nor of Taanach and her
1 Heb. daughters.
at times called themselves members of the house of Joseph,
2 Sam. 19: 20. Beth-el, according to Josh. 18: 22, belonged to
Benjamin. Also went up. Even as Judah had done (cf. v. 4).
Beth-el. Modern Beitin, twelve miles north of Jerusalem. A place
celebrated in Israel's history, the seat of the worship of one of
the golden calves (1 Kgs. 12: 28 ff.). And the Lord was with
them. I.e. they were successful.
23. Luz. Cf. Gen. 28: 19; 35:6; Josh. 18: 13.
26. Land of the Hittites. This was directly north of Palestine;
see on 3 : 3, 5. The location of the new Luz is unknown.
27. Manasseh. Settled on both sides of the Jordan about
midway between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Here the
reference is only to western Manasseh. Beth-shean. In the Greek
period known as Scythopolis, modern Beisan, situated three miles
from the Jordan, commanding the entrance into the valley of
29

28 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor
the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the in
habitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaan-
28. ites would dwell in that land. And it came to pass,
when Israel was waxen strong, that they put the Ca
naanites to taskwork, and did not utterly drive them
out.
29. And Ephraim drave not out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer
among them.
30. Zebulun drave not out the inhabitants of Kitron,
Jezreel and thus into the plain of Esdraelon. Ibleam, modern
Bel'ameh, Taanach, modern Ta'annuk, and Megiddo, modern
El-leggun, are towns on the southern side of the plain of Esdraelon,
in this order from east to west. Meggiddo, commanding the main
road southward, was a place of strategic importance, mentioned
in both Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. Dor, modern
Tantura, is farther west on the coast about halfway between
Caesarea and the promontory of Carmel. The Canaanites
thus held a district embracing the fertile plain of Esdraelon,
extending from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, separating the
tribes of Joseph in Central Palestine from their brethren in Galilee.
28. When Israel was waxen strong. The reference is to the
reigns of David and Solomon. The subjugation was by the
former, while the latter put the Canaanites to taskwork in com
pelling them to labor in the erection or the Temple and other
buildings (1 Kgs. 9: 15, 20).
29. Ephraim. Settled in the hill country south of the plain of
Esdraelon and the territory of Manasseh. Gezer. On the south
western border of Ephraim. Its ancient site is marked by a
mound of the same name which has been recently excavated.
The city retained its independence until, in Solomon's reign, it
was conquered by the Pharaoh of Egypt and given to his daughter
the wife of Solomon (1 Kgs. 9: 16).
30. Zebulun. Settled directly west of the sea of Galilee.
Kitron and Nahalol have not been identified; and beyond the
30

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 1:34

nor the inhabitants of Nahalol ; but the Canaanites
dwelt among them, and became J tributary.
31. Asher drave not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor
the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib,
32. nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob : but the
Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabit
ants of the land : for they did not drive them out.
33. Naphtali drave not out the inhabitants of Beth-she
mesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath ; but he dwelt
among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land:
nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of
Beth-anath became tributary unto them.
34. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the
hill country : for they would not suffer them to come
1 Or, subject to taskwork, and so vv. 33, 35.
latter's appearing in the list of Zebulun's cities in Josh. 19: 15;
21 : 35 they are not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.
31. Asher. Directly north of Zebulun, bounded on the west by
the coast land of Phoenicia and on the east by Naphtali. Acco,
modern 'Akka, on the coast north of Carmel. Zidon, the well-
known Phoenician city. Achzib, modern es-Zib on the coast south
of Tyre. The other cities of this verse have not been surely iden
tified. Except Ahlab they were probably inland towns. These
cities seem never to have been subject to Israel.
33. Naphtali. Settled in the eastern half of upper Galilee.
Beth-shemesh, meaning " house of the sun," hence seat of sun
worship, not identified. Beth-anath, meaning " house of Anath,"
a goddess (see 3 : 31), hence a seat of her worship, probably the
modern 'Ainitha northwest of the Waters of Merom.
34. Amorites. Equivalent here to the Canaanites (so generally
in the document E). Amorites are sometimes distinguished from
the Canaanites as referring more exclusively to the earlier in
habitants of the land, and then again those inhabiting the high
lands. The name is common in the inscriptions of the Assyr-
31

1.35 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

35. down to the valley: but the Amorites would dwell
in mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim : yet the
hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they
36. became tributary. And the border of the Amorites
was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from l the rock, and
upward.
2. And 2the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal
1 Or, Sela. 2 Or, a messenger.
ians who entered the country on the east. The territory of
Dan was southwest of that of Ephraim. The Danites failed to
make themselves masters of the plain stretching seaward and
later migrated to the north (cf. chapters 17 f.).
35. Heres is mentioned only here. Perhaps the same as
Beth-shemesh in the valley of Sorek, modern 'Ain Shems, about
halfway between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean. Aijalon.
Modern Yalo, some five miles north of Beth-shemesh. Shaal
bim. Identified by some with modern Selbit about three miles
northwest of Yalo.
36. Amorites. A textual corruption for Edomites, since the
boundaries of the verse are those of Edom. The ascent of Akrab
bim. I.e. " Scorpions," a pass leading from the Arabah (the
valley extending southward from the Dead Sea, the home of
the Edomites) into the table land of southern Judah, probably the
Nagb es-Safa, by which the main road ascends from Petra to
Hebron. This pass marks, then, the beginning of the territory
of the Edomites, who were the reputed descendants of Esau and
thus kinsfolk of Israel. They were subdued by David, but about
850 B.C. regained their independence, and at the time of the fall
of Jerusalem (586 b.c.) and later were bitterly hostile to Israel.
From the rock. (Hebrew Sela.) Some specific locality, either
a great cliff near the southern end of the Dead Sea or the Edomite
capital known as Petra, rock. And upward. As though the boun
dary or territory extended beyond the point mentioned. But
all is obscure since the text is either corrupt or incomplete.
2 : 1-5. This paragraph seems like an expansion of vv. ia and
5b, which probably originally read " And the angel of Jehovah
32

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 2 : 2

to Bochim. And he said, I made you to go up out of Rp
Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I
sware unto your fathers ; and I said, I will never break
2. my covenant with you : and ye shall make no covenant
came up from Gilgal to Bethel and they sacrificed there unto
Jehovah." Such words would form a fitting conclusion to the
story of the conquest outward from Gilgal -{¦*: 1 ) , concludingr"wtA.
the capture of Bethel (1 : 22-26). Bethel is preserved~afr>i_g
with. Bochim in the Greek translation. The name Bochim is a
-likely substitute for Bethel, because the latter stood in v. 5, and
.perhaps also because Bethel was later the seat of the abhorred
c^rf*-_HiQX^iiD. The reproof of the angel and the account of its
effect upon tlie people (vv. ib-sa) were written probably by the
Priestly editor (Rp) who prefixed this first section of the Book of
Judges, and to whom the Canaanites left in the land were not a
mark of Israel's weakness, the view of the original writer of chap
ter 1, but a mark of Israel's failure to keep the Deuteronomic
law of extermination (see 1 : 17).
1. The angel of the Lord (Jehovah). The divine presence
which according to tradition conducted the people on their march
through the wilderness (Exod. 14:19; 23:20 ff. ; 32:34; 33:
2 ; Num. 20 : 16) and appeared in a human form to Gideon and
the mother of Samson (6: 11 ff. ; 13:3 ff.). Gilgal. The first
camping place of the children of Israel after crossing the Jordan,
Josh. 5 : 9, and according to Josh. 9:6; 10 : 6 ff., 15, 43 ; 14 : 6,
their headquarters during the conquest of the land. The moving
of the angel implied the removal of the Ark to Bochim (see v. 5),
i.e. Bethel (see above). Although according to Josh. 18:1;
19:51, the tabernacle, and therefore the ark, was placed, at
Shiloh at the close of the conquest, another tradition clearly placed
it at Bethel (cf. 20 : 26 f.). Gilgal as well as Bethel was a later
sanctuary (Hos. 4: 15; 9 : 15 ; 12 : 11 ; Amos 4:4; 5:5). Which
I sware, etc. For the promises cf. Gen. 12 : 7; 13 : 14 f. ; 15:18;
1 7 : 7 f . ; 22:i6f. ; 26 : 3 f. ; 28:i3f.; 50:24. The references
to the oath are very frequent in Deuteronomy (1:8; 6 : io, 18,
23 ; 7 : 13 ; 8 : 1 ; n : 9, 21 ; 19 : 8 ; 26 : 3, 15, etc.). My cove
nant with you. The reference is to Exod. 34 : 10 ff.
2. Cf. Exod. 34:12 f.; Deut. 7:5; 12:5;
d 33

2:3 THE B00K 0F JUDGES

with the inhabitants of this land ; ye shall break down
their altars : but ye have not hearkened unto my voice :
3. why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I
will not drive them out from before you ; but they
1 shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall
4. be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the
angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the chil
dren of Israel, that the people Hf ted up their voice,
5. and wept. And they called the name of that place
2 Bochim : and they sacrificed there unto the Lord.
1 Some ancient versions have, shall be adversaries unto you. 2 That is, Weepers.
3. This previous warning may be found in Num. 33 : 55 ;
Josh. 23 : 13, from the former of which the word thorns is to be
supplied. Snare. A sudden means of destruction. Jehovah is
thus described in Isa. 8 : 14 f .
5. Bochim. Means " weepers." Nowhere else mentioned.
According to our explanation it must be sought in the vicinity
of Bethel. Near Bethel was a sacred tree, Allon-bacuth, " The
oak of weeping," connected with the burial of Rebekah's nurse,
Gen. 35 : 8. The valley of Baca, " Weeping," is mentioned in
Ps. 84 : 6.

34

B. THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL IN THE DAYS
OF THE JUDGES, 2:6-16:31
I. Introduction, 2 : 6-3 : 6
6. Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the E2 2:9
children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance
7. to possess the land. And the people served the Lord RD
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders
that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of
8. the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel. And Joshua Ea
the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an
9. hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in
the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the
2 : 6-3 : 6. This section opens with an account of the death of
Joshua, and the conditions immediately following (vv. 6-10),
parallel largely with Josh. 24:28-31. These verses serve to
connect the history of the Judges closely with that of the
Book of Joshua. Then follows a general statement of the course
of Israel's history, which consisted in periods of apostasy, op
pression, deliverance through a judge, and the service of Jehovah
during the judge's lifetime, repeated one after another (vv. n-19).
This all served to explain why Jehovah had left nations in the
land (vv. 20—23). A list of these nations also is given (3 : 1-6).
6. Had sent the people away, etc. The conclusion of the great
assembly at Shechem, where Joshua made his farewell address
and the people promised to serve Jehovah, Josh. 24 : 1-28.
7. The elders. The head men of clans and families. The
term elder or old man is used because these were usually well
advanced in years. The great work, etc. The wonders of the
Exodus and the conquest of Canaan (cf. Deut. 11:2-5).
g. Timnath-heres. The same as Timnath-serah, Josh. 24:
35

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain
10. of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered
unto their fathers : and there arose another generation
after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the work
which he had wrought for Israel.
RD n. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in
12. the sight of the Lord, and served the Baalim: and
30; 19 : 50, the modern Tibneh, about twelve and one- half
miles east-northeast of Lydda. The mountain of Gaash is
otherwise unknown. Cf. " the brooks of Gaash," 2 Sam. 23 :
30; 1 Chron. 11:32.
10. That generation. The contemporaries of Joshua and the
elders (v. 7). Knew not the Lord (Jehovah). I.e. by personal
experience as Redeemer and Provider and Conqueror during
the Exodus and Conquest. The work which he had wrought.
See v. 7.
n-13. These verses are repetitious; so much so that they
may represent the work of more than one writer. V. 13 is
an appropriate continuation of v. 10.
n. The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight
of the Lord. The recurring formula with which the history of
each of the six great judges is introduced 3:7; 3:12; 4:1;
6:1; 10:6; 13:1. Baalim. Baal (of which Baalim is the
plural) was a general divine title, meaning primarily a possessor ;
a husband was a Baal of a wife ; an eloquent man was a Baal of
words. Any god might be called Baal. The term, judging from
the proper names Ishbaal, Meribaal, Beeliada, Bealiah, and espe
cially the statement in Hos. 2, in early times in Israel was applied
to Jehovah. Later its use was restricted to other deities, especially
the local gods of the Canaanites, and thus it became par ex
cellence the title of a god worshipped in opposition to Jehovah ;
and for an Israelite to worship Baal or Baalim (the plural may
be numerical or intensive) wasate_w>««hhx5rfenf"Spo^aTy1~™^Phe«.
temptation to this worsrfrcJ"""arose from the fact that baals
were generally nature gods through whom abundant harvests
or other gQ-Hfiortunes were supposed to come. Their worship]
also seems%©4k_U£gjriade few if any moral demands_^u__&>fafrflTsnecl
IB

j.nx_ ajOi-ds. Of JUDGES 2:14

they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, which
brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed
other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round
about them, and bowed themselves down unto them:
13. and they provoked the Lord to anger. And they E2
forsook the Lord, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
14. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, RD
and he delivered 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
seflsuaL pleasures. A baal mijfht have a distinct proper name
or be known through a_c_»nlpTement, usually that of a place, for
example, Baal-hgjaaoliTT.e. Baal of Hermon. These latter names
often becjMrfeplace names.
,i-2:^The Lord, the God of their fathers. Cf. Exod. 3 : 15 f . ;
"4:5; Deut. 1 : 11, 21; 4:1 ; 6:3; 12: 1 ; 26:7; 27:3; 29:25; Josh.
18:3. Which brought them out of the land of Egypt. The basis
of Jehovah's claim for Israel's obedience ; thus the preface of
the ten commandments (Exod. 20:2; Deut. 5 : 6) and of pro
phetic reproofs (Amos 3:1 f.). Ingratitude appears in Israel's
sin (cf. Isa. 1:2; 5:4).
13. Baal. See on v. n. Ashtaroth, a plural, perhaps orig
inally singular, since in Heb. the consonants might be the same.
Astarte was a widely worshipped Semitic goddess (in Babylonia
and Assyria Ish tar). In the Old Testament the name came to
denote the female deity, since the Hebrew language has no proper
word for goddess.
14-15. The punishment which always followed apostasy is
here expressed in general terms. The specific ones are found
in 3: 8; 3: 12D-14; 4: 2-3; 6:ib-6; 10 : 7-9; 13 : ib.
14. Anger of the Lord was kindled. A very common Old
Testament expression. Spoilers that spoiled them. The Hebrew
root, to spoil, here used is somewhat unusual. It is borrowed in
the Egyptian language to denote the nomadic and robber tribes
of the desert of South Palestine. He sold. Cf . 3 : 8 ; 4:2;
10:7; also 1 Sam. 12:9. 37

2 : 15 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

15. stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went
out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil,
as the Lord had spoken, and as the Lord had
sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed.
rp 16. And the Lord raised up judges, which saved them
17. out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And
yet they hearkened not unto their judges, for they
went a whoring after other gods, and bowed them
selves down unto them: they turned aside quickly
out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying
the commandments of the Lord; but they did not

15. As the Lord had sworn. Two terrible lists of curses for
disobedience are given in Deut. 28 : 15-68 ; Lev. 26 : 14-46.
16-19. Again we have repetitions. Vv. 18 f. are either a dupli
cate of w. 16 f., or v. 17, which varies from v.19 in introducing
disobedience of the judges, is an insertion. The representation in
v. 19 that the disobedience followed the death of the judges
agrees with the subsequent narratives. A possible exception,
the worship of the image erected by Gideon (8 : 27), has been
thought to have given rise to v. 17.
16. Judges. Deliverers, defenders. The writer is thinking
of Othniel (?), Ehud, Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and
Samson. The root meaning is to secure one his right, hence
generally to judge. Through judges Jehovah secured to the
people of Israel their rights over against their enemies, and as
rulers the judges secured to individuals their rights.
17. Hearkened not unto their judges. No case of direct
disobedience to a judge is recorded in the Book of Judges. The
disobedience to Samuel, in the people asking for a king, would
be a case in point (1 Sam. 7: 15; 8:6). But the writer prob
ably had not that case or any similar one in mind, but meant
that the rule of no judge effected a permanent reform. Went
a whoring after other gods. Prostitution or adultery to describe
the worship of foreign deities is very common in the prophets, and
is derived from the thought of Jehovah being married to the
38

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 2:21

18. so. And when the Lord raised them up judges, RD
then the Lord was with the judge, and saved them
out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the
judge: for it repented the Lord because of their
groaning by reason of them that oppressed them and
19. vexed them. But it came to pass, when the judge was
dead, that they turned back, and dealt more corruptly
than their fathers, in following other gods to serve
them, and to bow down unto them ; 1 they ceased not
from their doings, nor from their stubborn way.
20. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel ; E2
and he said, Because this nation have transgressed
my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and
21. have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not
henceforth drive out any from before them of the na-
1 Heb. they let nothing fall of their doings.
people. This relationship is especially set forth in the prophecy
of Hosea. 18. It repented the Lord. Jehovah, moved by their groaning,
changed from his purpose of punishment to one of deliverance.
19. When the judge was dead, that they turned back. Such
backsliding is recorded after the judgeship and implied death of
Othniel (3 : n f.), Ehud (4 : 1), Barak and Deborah (5 : 31b ; 6 : 1),
and Gideon (8 : 33).
2:20-3:6. These verses are clearly composite. In 2:20-22
Jehovah is angry with Israel because they have transgressed his
covenant, therefore he will not drive out the nations left by Joshua.
They are to prove whether Israel will keep the way of Jehovah.
In 2 : 23-3 : 2 Jehovah does not drive out the nations that Israel
might be disciplined in war. These verses appear originally
to have been the conclusion of chapter 1, since that chapter
knows nothing of any sin of Israel as a cause of the retention of
the nations. V. 3 is an appended list of nations.
21. I also will not henceforth drive out. The fulfilment of the
39

2:22 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

RD 22. tions which Joshua left when he died: that by them
I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of
the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it,
J 23. or not. So the Lord left those nations, without driv
ing them out hastily ; neither delivered he them into
the hand of Joshua.
E2 3. Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to
R prove Israel by them, even as many as had not known
J 2. all the wars of Canaan ; only that the generations of
the children of Israel might know, to teach them war,
at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof ;
E2 3. namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the

divine promises was dependent upon obedience to the divine
commands. 22. The Deuteronomic editor here accounts for Jehovah's
action on the ground that he desired to test the faithfulness of
his people in the presence of the idolatrous practices of their
heathen neighbors. Keep the way of the Lord. I.e. be faithful
to both the moral and ceremonial laws of his religion.
23. This verse presents an earlier point of view (J). The
passage is continued in 3 : 2, which is from the same source.
3 : 1. The first half of v. 1 is introductory to the list of nations
which appears in v. 3, and is doubtless from the same source.
2. The Hebrew text of this verse is corrupt. Taken with
2 : 23, the sense certainly is that Jehovah left those nations in
order that the later generations of Israel might learn war.
3. An enumeration of the peoples within whose boundaries
Israel lived. The five lords of the Philistines. The Philistines
dwelt in five cities, from the north southward, Ekron, Ashdod,
Gath, Ashkelon, and Gaza, in the maritime plain east of Judah.
They were a warlike, non-Semitic people of uncertain origin,
either immigrants from Crete or the southern coast of Asia Minor, or
descendants of Egyptian mercenaries who had seized those cities.
They appeared in Palestine about the time of the Exodus. Until
the reign of David they were generally actively hostile toward
40

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 3:6

Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites that
dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon
4. unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were for to RD
prove Israel by them, to know whether they would
hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which
he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
5. And the children of Israel dwelt among 1 the Canaan- J
ites ; the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite,
6. and the Hivite, and the Jebusite : and they took their
daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daugh
ters to their sons, and served their gods.
1 Or, the Canaanites, the Hittites 6*c.
Israel. For some years before the reign of Saul and immediately
after his death they dominated Western Palestine. All the Ca
naanites. The unsubdued inhabitants of the lowlands from
Philistia to Phoenicia. The Zidonians. The Phoenicians,
named from their oldest city, Zidon. The Hivites. An error
of transcription for Hittites, since these people and not the Hivites
(see v. 5) dwelt in mount Lebanon, from Baal-hermon unto the
entering in of Hamath, i.e. their southern boundary was from Baal-
hermon, same as Baal-gad, a town on the western slope of Mt.
Hermon, to the approach of Hamath from the south. The entering
in of Hamath is a frequent designation of the northern boundary
of Israel. The modern plain of Horns is meant. Hamath is the
modern Hama on the Orontes.
4. The proving of this verse differs from that of v. 3. It is of
the spirit of Deuteronomy.
5. Dwelt among the Canaanites. Cf. the description of 1 :
27-36. These Canaanites are now enumerated. Hittite. A
powerful people who dwelt north of Israel. Their southern boun
dary has been given in v. 3. Their mention among the
inhabitants of Canaan in this and similar lists implies that
some of them lived in Palestine. Tradition placed them among
the inhabitants of Hebron. Amorite. See 1 : 34. Perizzite.
See 1 : 5. Hivite. A petty people of Central Palestine. The
41

3:7 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

H. The Judges, 3 : 7-16 : 31
1. Othniel, 3: 7-1 1
RD 7. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord, and f orgat the Lord their God,
8. and served the Baalim and the Asheroth. Therefore
the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and
he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king

name is of uncertain derivation. Some give it the meaning of
villagers, others connect it with a root meaning " serpent,"
hence " Snake tribe." Jebusite. See 1:21.
7-1 1. The children of Israel do evil in serving foreign gods
(v. 7), and are delivered for eight years into the power of the
Cushan, King of Mesopotamia (v. 8) ; then on their cry Jehovah
raises up a deliverer, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, who successfully
wages war against Cushan, and the land enjoys security forty years
until Othniel dies. The narrative has no element beyond the
Deuteronomic framework, a story of any exploit by Othniel
being entirely lacking; hence this judge did not appear in the
original Book of Judges, but only in the Deuteronomic edition.
Othniel as a judge was apparently created out of Othniel the
conqueror of Debir (1 : 13) from the desire to furnish the tribe
of Judah with a great judge and to make the number equal to
six. Whether Israel was dominated at this early period by a
force from Mesopotamia is entirely unknown. The name Cushan-
rishathaim, meaning " Cushite of double wickedness," looks like
an appellative of folk-lore.
7 . The usual formula for introducing a judgeship (see 2 : 11, 13).
Baalim. See 2: 11. Asheroth. Probably originally Ashteroth (see
v. 13). Asheroth (the plural of Asherah) were wooden pillars
erected near altars in the Canaanite places of worship. Their
exact significance is unknown. The word (singular or plural)
was used sometimes for a goddess or her image.
8. Cushan-rishathaim. See above. Mesopotamia. Heb.
Aram-naharaim, " Aram of two rivers."
42

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 3 : XI

of 1 Mesopotamia : and the children of Israel served
9. Cushan-rishathaim eight years. And when the chil
dren of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up
a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them,
even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger
10. brother. And the spirit of the Lord came upon him,
and he judged Israel ; and he went out to war, and
the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of 2 Meso
potamia into his hand : and his hand prevailed against
11. Cushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty
years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
1 Heb. Aram-naharaim. 2 Heb. Aram.
9. Cried unto the Lord. The usual formula (v. 15 ; 4 : 3 ; 6 : 7 ;
10 : 10). Saviour (v. 15 ; the verb 2 : 16). Synonymous with judge
(2 : 16, 18). Othniel. See 1 : 13.
10. The spirit of the Lord came upon him. All extraordinary
endowments were in general assigned to the spirit of God or
Jehovah; the valor of the judges (6 : 34; 11 : 29; 13 : 25 ; 14: 6, 19;
15:14), the wisdom of rulers (Gen. 41:38; Num. 11:16 ff. ;
27 : 18), the skill of an artisan (Exod. 31:3; 36 : 1), etc. He
judged in going to war (see 2 : 16).
12-30. After the death of Othniel the people backslid and for
eighteen years suffered under the lordship of Eglon, King of Moab ;
but on their cry to Jehovah he raised up Ehud the Benjamite
as their deliverer, vv. 12-15. These verses are the Deuteronomic
introduction to the story of Ehud, which now follows. Ehud,
sent with a present to the king of Moab, contrives to obtain a
private audience with him on the pretence of communicating
a divine revelation and assassinates the monarch, vv. 16-26. He
then rouses the people and the Moabites in Israel are slain and
the land has peace eighty years, vv. 27-30. There is no
reason to doubt the historicity of this story. In general outline
it is entirely probable. After the children of Israel had crossed
over the Jordan, other tribes from the east, like the Moabites,
might well in a few years have followed their example, and the
43

12 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2. Ehud, 3 : 12-30
RD 12. And the children of Israel again did that which was
evil in the sight of the Lord : and the Lord strength
ened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because
they had done that which was evil in the sight of the
13. Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of
Ammon and Amalek ; and he went and smote Israel,
14. and they possessed the city of palm trees. And the
children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eigh-
15. teen years. But when the children of Israel cried
unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a saviour,
Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-
handed : and the children of Israel sent a present by
J 16. him unto Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made

establishment of their headquarters at Jericho (v. 13) would
not have been difficult. How complete the suzerainty of
Moab was over Israel is of course unknown. It may have been
quite slight and limited to a small district.
12. Eglon. Is not mentioned elsewhere. Moab. The coun
try east of the Dead Sea.
13. Ammon. Kindred of the Moabites with territory adjoin
ing that of Moab on the north and east. Amalek. See on
1 : 16. Neither Ammon nor Amalek appear in the continuation
of the story. The city of palm trees. I.e. Jericho (see 1 : 16).
15. Ehud. A family or clan name of Benjamin in 1 Chron.
8 : 6. Arabic clans are sometimes named from heroes. Gera.
A son or grandson of Benjamin, i.e. one of the leading clans or
divisions of the tribe (Gen. 46: 21; 1 Chron. 8:3, 7). Shimei,
who cursed David, belonged to this clan (2 Sam. 16: 5). Left-
handed. Thus seemingly were warriors of Benjamin generally
(20 : 16 ; 1 Chron. 12:2). A present. The Hebrew word denotes
a contribution of tribute probably in products of the country
since bearers brought it (v. 18). 44

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 3:20

him a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length ;
and he girded it under his raiment upon his right
17. thigh. And he offered the present unto Eglon king
18. of Moab : now Eglon was a very fat man. And when
he had made an end of offering the present, he sent
19. away the people that bare the present. But he him
self turned back from the 1 quarries, that were by
Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O
king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood
20. by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him ;
and he was sitting by himself alone in his 2 summer
1 Or, graven images. 2 Heb. upper chamber of cooling.
16. Of a cubit length. The word translated cubit is gomed,
found only here, a measure of uncertain length, probably of
twelve or thirteen inches. Under his raiment upon his right
thigh. An unsuspected place of concealment since the weapons
were regularly carried on the left side ; but Ehud was left-handed.
17. A very fat man. The mention of this fact here anticipates
the part it plays in the story.
18. The present. See v. 15. The people. A considerable
retinue of bearers evidently accompanied him.
19. He himself turned back. From the retinue, with which
he had gone some distance. Quarries. A word of uncertain
meaning. Probably carved stones of some nature are intended,
possibly the cromlech or circle of stones thought to be indicated
in the name Gilgal and identified by some as the stones as
cribed by tradition as set up by Joshua. Gilgal. See 2:1. I
have a secret errand unto thee. The message sent by Ehud to
the king given in the form of a direct statement. His own
entrance is described in the following verse. The ruse was that
he had a divine communication (v. 20) which could only be con
veyed in private. It worked perfectly. The king commanded
his attendants to retire and granted Ehud a private audience.
20. The audience. And he was sitting, etc. His complete
isolation is emphasized, and the place of the interview, the roof
45

3 .21 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

parlour. And Ehud said, I have a message from God
21. unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud
put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his
22. right thigh, and thrust it into his belly : and the haft
also went in after the blade ; and the fat closed upon
the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his belly ;
23. and *it came out behind. Then Ehud went forth
into the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon
24. him, and locked them. Now when he was gone out,
his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the
doors of the parlour were locked; and they said,
Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, be
hold, he opened not the doors of the parlour ; there-
1 Or, he went out into the antechamber.

or upper story chamber, is given. These descriptive touches
heighten the picture and explain the escape.
22. The man was so fat, the weapon, two-edged, so sharp, and
the thrust so strong that the handle followed the blade and the
weapon was left in the wound. And it came out behind. I.e.
the weapon passed through him. The sentence, however, is
of very doubtful meaning. The marginal reading, " He [Ehud]
went out into the antechamber," has nothing to commend it.
The most probable meaning is that the dirt (the feces) went out
through the natural passage. This is said to be the effect of
such a wound.
23, 24. Porch. The rendering of a word of unknown meaning.
We only know that Ehud left the room and that he also locked
the door (the door was double, of two leaves). Probably he went
through the usual entrance, since the servants seem to have seen his
departure. Surely he covereth his feet. A euphemism. " Surely
he relieveth himself in the cabinet of his summer chamber."
25. Till they were ashamed. I.e. in perplexity and confusion,
46

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 3:29

fore they took the key, and opened them: and, be
hold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed
beyond the l quarries, and escaped unto Seirah.
27. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew
a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the
children of Israel went down with him from the hill
28. country, and he before them. And 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
2 against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass
29. over. And they smote of Moab at that time about
1 Or, graven images. l Or, toward Moab.
till they could endure the suspense no longer. The key. An
eastern lock or bolt, made of wood, may be closed by the hand,
but requires a key to open it.
26. Quarries. See v. 19. Some have supposed that these
stones were boundary marks between the territory of Moab and
Israel. Seirah. The site of this place is unknown. It must
have been somewhere in Mt. Ephraim.
V. 27 is a description of the muster, and w. 28-29, a descrip
tion of the action after the muster.
27. He blew a trumpet. I.e. sounded the alarm and thus
summoned the warriors (cf . 6 : 34 ; 1 Sam. 13:3; Amos 3:6;
Ezek. 33 : 3 ff.). Eglon's assassination put Israel in danger.
Hill country of Ephraim. (2: 9; 4: 5.) The portion of mountain
ous country from the neighborhood of Jerusalem northward to
its termination at the plain of Esdraelon.
28. This verse is somewhat repetitious of the previous one.
Some find, therefore, marks of a double narrative, but v. 27 may
be taken descriptive of the muster, and v. 28 of the action im
mediately following. They . . . took the fords of Jordan. Thus
cutting off the means of escape into the territory of Moab.
47

3 : 30 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man
RD 30. of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab
was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And
the land had rest fourscore years.
3. Shamgar, 3 : 31
R 31. And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which
smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox
goad : and he also saved Israel.
29. Every lusty man, and every man of valour. I.e. all were
stout and valiant men. Not one escaped ; they slew them all.
The land seems to have been garrisoned by Moabite soldiers.
30. Moab was subdued. The concluding Deuteronomic
formula (cf. 8: 28; 11 : 33). A conquest of the land of Moab is
not to be inferred. Fourscore years. I.e. two generations, the
longest period of peace mentioned in Judges.
The episode of Shamgar, v. 31, since no period of judgeship is
assigned to him and since he is entirely ignored in 4 : 1 , appears like
an afterthought in the Book of Judges, later not only than the
Deuteronomic authorship, but later than the editorship which
inserted the minor judges. The paragraph seems to have come
from some one who repudiated Abimelech as a judge of Israel
and added Shamgar to make the number twelve. The name of
the judge was derived apparently from 5 : 6 (which see), even as
that of Othniel, 3 : 9, was derived from the tradition given in 1 : 13.
The basis of the story of the slaughter of six hundred Philistines
with an ox goad is unknown. The exploit is one similar to those
of Samson (15 : 14 ff.) and of David's heroes, especially Shammah,
the son of Agee (2 Sam. 23 : 11 f.). It has even been conjectured
that the similarity of the name of the latter to Shamgar sug
gested the assignment to him of a similar exploit. The introduc
tion of the Philistines in this early period appears, however, out
of place since the enemies of Israel then were the Canaanites (see
chap. 4). The Philistines appear later near the reign of Saul.
31. An ox goad. The ox goad was a wooden stick with an
iron point which might serve as a spear ; but that six hundred
were really slain with such a weapon is improbable.
48

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 4 : 1

4. Deborah and Barak, Chaps. 4, 5
4. And the children of Israel again did that which was RD
evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead.

Chaps. 4, 5. The deliverance through Deborah and Barak is
related in two narratives, one of prose (chap. 4), the other a
triumphal song (chap. 5). According to the first, which has the
Deuteronomic introduction, the children of Israel, having again
apostatized after the death of Ehud, were severely oppressed for
twenty years by Jabin, the Canaanite king of Hazor, when Deb
orah, a prophetess of Mt. Ephraim, instigated Barak of Naph
tali to lead a revolt. This Barak did successfully. Collecting
a force of ten thousand men from Zebulun and Naphtali, he
attacked and signally defeated Sisera, the commander of the
army of Jabin, near the river Kishon. Sisera in flight sought
refuge in the camp of some friendly Kenites and was treacher
ously slain by the wife of the sheikh. The poem, chapter five,
celebrates this victory, but differs in these important details :
(1) Jabin is not mentioned; (2) Sisera appears as a king and
other kings are joined with him; (3) the tribes who furnish the
warriors for the battles are not only Zebulun and Naphtali, but
also Ephraim, Machir {i.e. Manasseh), Benjamin, and Issachar;
and Reuben, Gilead {i.e. Gad), Dan, and Asher are reproached
for not assisting. All Israel thus appears involved except the
southern tribes, Judah and Simeon. There is also no mention
of Levi. (4) The details of the death of Sisera are also different.
In chapter four he is slain asleep ; in chapter five while standing
upright. The prose narrative contains also inconsistencies within itself.
In vv. 9 f. the center of the revolt is at Kedesh, clearly Kedesh-
naphtali, the home of Barak. Near this Kedesh the Kenites are
encamped (v. 11). But in v. 13 the headquarters of Sisera are
Harosheth, a town of the plain of Esdraelon, near the river Kishon.
In harmony with this, the rendezvous of Barak's men, in vv.
15 f., is Mt. Tabor and from thence they march against Sisera.
Jabin also has no part in the battle and is not mentioned in
connection with the defeat. Considering all these facts, it is
probable that in chapter four two conflicts with the Canaanites
E 49

4:2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king
of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of
whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of
the l Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto
1 Or, nations.
have been confused : one confined perhaps to the tribes of Zebu
lun and Naphtali, in which Jabin, King of Hazor, took part, the
seat of which was near to Hazor in the north; and the other,
celebrated in the song, in which Sisera was the leader of the enemy
and which arose from a confederacy of the Canaanites of the
plain of Esdraelon and adjacent parts against the Israelites of
Central and North Palestine, whose leaders and deliverers were
Deborah and Barak. The former conflict gave rise to the record
in Josh. 1 1 : 1-9, where Jabin appears as the head of a con
federacy of Canaanitish kings whom Joshua defeated at the
Waters of Merom. The appearance of the Kenites in connection
with each is probably not due to any such original connection,
but to a harmonizing editor. Originally the Kenites probably
had no part in the northern conflict.
The conflict of Central Palestine was unquestionably one of
great historic moment. Under Sisera the Canaanites were
clearly getting the upper hand of Israel ; and had he prevailed,
the development of Israel would have been greatly retarded.
The result of the contest seems to have been very decisive, for,
although the cities of the plain of Esdraelon may not have become
an integral part of Israel until later times, yet we never read of
the Canaanites again taking a stand against Israel. Their
defeat was as decisive as crushing.
4 : 2. Jabin. Cf. vv. 7, 17 ; Josh. 11 : 1 ; see also above. King
of Canaan. The Deuteronomic editor ascribed a political unity
to Canaan as well as to Israel. Historically there was no king
of Canaan, i.e. a single sovereign ruling the whole land. The
government was that of independent municipalities, each one
of which had its own king. Hazor. Near Kedesh, west of Lake
Merom, not identified (cf. 2 Kgs. 15:29; Josh. 19:36). The
captain of whose host was Sisera. A harmonizing statement
which arose from the confusion of two conflicts (see above).
So

inn d\j\jjs. Or j uDGES 4 : 5

3. the Lord : for he had nine hundred chariots of iron ;
and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children
of Israel.
4. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, je
5. she judged Israel at that time. And she 1 dwelt under
the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el
1 Or, sat.
Sisera in reality had no connection with Jabin. Harosheth.
Cf. vv. 13, 16; not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament,
and generally identified with el-Harithiyeh, some ten miles north-
northwest of Megiddo. Of the Gentiles. I.e. a town of non-
Israelitish inhabitants.
3. Chariots of iron. See 1 : 19. These instruments of war
fare enabled Sisera to control the plain. Thotmes III records
924 chariots taken in the battle of Megiddo, where the Egyptians
won a great victory over a group of Asiatic allies led by the king
of Kadesh in the fifteenth century B.C.
4. Deborah. Also the name of Rebekah's nurse (Gen. 35 : 8).
The word means " bee." A prophetess. I.e. a. woman moved
by divine inspirations. The term is applied to Miriam (Exod.
15:20), Huldah (2 Kgs. 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), and
the wife of Isaiah (Isa. 8:3). Lappidoth. A name of doubt
ful meaning not occurring elsewhere. She judged Israel. Acted
as an arbitrator of disputes. The people came to her somewhat
in the same manner as they are represented in Exod. 18 : 13 as
coming to Moses ; only the number who sought her need not have
been very large, since Israel was not then unified.
5. And she dwelt. May also be rendered sat, held her court.
The palm tree of Deborah. The later name of the tree, derived
from its association with Deborah. Some have supposed it identi
cal with the tree beneath which Rebekah's nurse, Deborah, was
said'to have been buried, below Bethel, north of Jerusalem (Gen.
35:8). The residence beneath the tree was not accidental. The
tree was without doubt regarded as sacred through the abode
of a divinity through whom the prophetess might derive inspira
tion. Even at the present time certain trees in Palestine are
Si

4:6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

in the hill country of Ephraim : and the children of
6. Israel came up to her for judgement. And she sent
and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-
naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord, the
God of Israel, commanded, saying, Go and draw unto
mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men
of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebu-
7. lun ? 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
8. hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with
me, then I will go : but if thou wilt not go with me, I
9. 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 the Lord shall sell Sisera
into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and
10. went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebu
lun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there
went up ten thousand men at his feet : and Deborah
revered as the dwelling places of spirits or divinities, and votive
offerings are placed on their branches. Ramah. Modern er-Ram,
north of Jerusalem. The hill country of Ephraim. See on 3 : 27.
6. Barak. The word means " lightning." Not elsewhere in
the Old Testament as a proper name but the same as the Car
thaginian Barcas. Kedesh-naphtali. Northwest of Lake Merom.
The place still retains its old name. Tabor. Southwest of the
Sea of Galilee, a natural base of operations against the Canaanite
cities of the plain of Esdraelon.
7. Kishon. The stream traversing the northern portion of
the plain. This exhortation of Deborah is phrased according to
the result of the encounter; also the words of v. 9.
10. Kedesh. As a rendezvous is agreeable to the story of the
conflict with Jabin (see above). S2

ixiri ijOOjv OF JUDGES 4: 16

n. went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had sev- R
ered himself from l the Kenites, even from the chil
dren of Hobab the 2 brother in law of Moses, and had
pitched his tent as far as the 3 oak in Zaanannim, which
12. is by Kedesh. And they told Sisera that Barak the JE
the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
13. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even
nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that
were with him, from Harosheth of the 4 Gentiles, unto
14. the river Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak,
Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath de
livered Sisera into thine hand : is not the Lord gone
out before thee? So Barak went down from mount
15. Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the
Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and
all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak ;
and Sisera lighted down from his chariot, and fled
16. away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the
!1 Heb. Kain. See Num. 24:22. 20r, father inlaw. 80r, terebinth.
* Or, nations.
11. Heber. Representing a Kenite family, he had separated
himself from his brethren who dwelt in the southern part of
Judah (see 1 : 16) and had migrated to Northern Palestine. The
oak in Zaanannim. More correctly the oak of Bezaanannim,
mentioned also in Josh. 19 : 33. This verse seems to belong to
the story of Jabin. It is probably an editorial note introductory
to v. 17, written, then, after the fusion of the two stories.
14. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? Has not Jehovah
prepared the way for the victory?
15. The Lord discomfited. The foe were panic-stricken by
Jehovah. The phrase is frequently used to describe Israel's rout
of an enemy (cf. Exod. 14: 24; Josh. 10: 10; 1 Sam. 7: 10).
16. Harosheth of the Gentiles. See on v. 2.
S3

4 : 17 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the
1 Gentiles : and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge
of the sword ; there was not a man left.
17. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of
Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was
peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house
18. of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet
Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to
me ; fear not. And he turned in unto her into the tent,
19. and she covered him with a rug. 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
20. gave him drink, and covered him. And 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
21. there any man here ? that thou shalt say, No. Then
Jael Heber's wife took a tent-pin, and took an ham
mer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote
the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into
the ground ; for he was 2 in a deep sleep ; so he swooned
22. and died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera,
1 Or, nations. 2 Or, in a deep sleep and weary; so he died.
17. Jael. The name means " mountain goat." Heber the
Kenite. See on v. 11.
19. Bottle of milk. Skin of curdled milk, which in Bedouin
encampments is often found at the tent door.
21. Tent-pin. The sharp wooden pin used to hold a tent cord.
Hammer. Probably the heavy wooden mallet with which the
tent-pins are driven. This driving is the work of Arab women.
The method of slaughter seems cumbersome. But if accustomed
to hold and strike the pin, it probably seemed more natural and
safer than to crush his head with a single blow.
S4

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5 : 1

Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come,
and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest.
And he came unto her ; and, behold, Sisera lay dead,
23. and the tent-pin was in his temples. So God sub- RD
dued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before
24. the children of Israel. And the hand of the children
of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the
king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king
of Canaan.
5. Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam
on that day, saying,
23 f. The Deuteronomic conclusion.
Chap. 5. The Song of Deborah is the most ancient complete
piece of writing in the Old Testament, and was composed at the
time of the victory which it celebrates. This contemporary origin
appears in the natural and vivid description of that event and
nothing else, no long enduring circumstances are its background
and nothing of a later age is reflected, while marks of its own time
are evident in the silence concerning Judah, in the limited number
of the warriors of Israel, who are only 40,000 (v. 8), in the mention
of Machir for Manasseh (v. 14), and Gilead for Gad (v. 17). The
fresh vigor of the poem likewise favors this date. The song is,
then, a most precious historical document. A bond of union be
tween the tribes in the worship of Jehovah is revealed, and a lack
also of all political unity, since each tribe seems to have acted
independently. Their numerical strength also was small. Judah
was separated from the rest. No mention also is made of Simeon
and Levi. The Israel which acts or to which appeal is made is
that which later formed the northern kingdom. The land oc
cupied west of the Jordan was the hill country of Ephraim and
stretches to the north in Galilee. The great plain was still in the
hands of the Canaanites.
The poem is often assigned to Deborah as its author, but the
reasons are not very cogent. No decision can be given. While
the song is ancient and illustrates the fact that in early Israel,
55

5:2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

' 2. For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,
For that the people offered themselves willingly,
Bless ye the Lord.
as in the case of other peoples, literature had its beginnings in
songs, yet it is marked with a certain artistic construction.
It opens with a call to bless Jehovah for heroic devotion (v. 2),
invoking the attention of kings (v. 3) and describing the mani
festation of Jehovah in a storm (vv. 4 f.). The prelude attests
the thorough religious character of the song. Then comes in vv.
6-8 a description of the desolation of the land, as overrun by hos
tile bands so that traffic ceased and villages were abandoned, with
an interlude in vv. 9-1 1 calling upon travellers to rehearse the
deeds of Jehovah, thus preparing for the main theme, which
follows after a passionate introduction in v. 12. Vv. 13-18
describe the muster or response to the call to arms, enumerating
the contingents which came and the tribes who made no response.
In the battle, described in the following verses (19-22), a storm
and the flooded waters of the stream Kishon seem to have played
a significant part. A vivid description of the death of Sisera
(vv. 23-27) is introduced, with a curse upon Meroz, who lent no
assistance, and a blessing on Jael, who treacherously slew him.
The manner of his death is described in detail. This description
is matched by an antistrophe in vv. 28-30, picturing the anxious
thoughts of the warrior's mother and her attendants awaiting
in vain his return, and in v. 31 an appropriate and pious and
patriotic wish closes the poem. Many of the words of this
song do not occur elsewhere, and are of doubtful meaning. The
text also has suffered much in transcription. Some lines there
fore are very obscure and the renderings of the English and other
versions are little more than guesses.
1. The introduction by the Deuteronomic editor. Day is
used in the same meaning of time as in English.
2. Another rendering for the first line, which contains rare
words, is For that long hair is loosed in Israel with reference to
Nazirite vows of warriors dedicating themselves to Jehovah as
though the war were a peculiarly religious one. But the rendering
of the text is better. Jehovah is to be praised because the leaders
were at hand to lead and because the people freely volunteered.
56

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5:5

3. Hear, O ye kings ; give ear, O ye princes ;
I, even I, will sing unto the Lord ;
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4. Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,
Yea, the clouds dropped water.
5. The mountains 1 flowed down at the presence of the
Lord,
Even yon Sinai at the presence of the Lord, the God
of Israel. 1 Or, quaked.
3. For similar invocations cf. Gen. 4:23; Num. 23:18, of
the heavens, Isa. 1:2; Deut. 32 : 1. The rulers here addressed
would be those of adjacent peoples, perhaps of the vanquished
foes. 4, 5. In the battle the Israelites were assisted by a storm (vv.
20, 2 1) , hence in anticipation Jehovah is here described as manifesting
himself in a thunder storm. This is a frequent way of describing
the presence of deity in the Old Testament ; Jehovah appears on
Mt. Sinai in thunders and lightning and a thick cloud, Exod. 19:16;
through a storm he answers and delivers one in distress, 2 Sam. 22 :
8 ff. ; Ps. 18 : 7 ff. ; he spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, Job
38 : 1. Ps. 29 is a description of a thunder storm. Cf. also
Ps. 97 : 2 ff. ; Mic. 1 : 2 ff.
4. Jehovah is thought of as dwelling on Mt. Sinai or Horeb (cf.
1 Kgs. 19), and coming from thence to the help of Israel against
Sisera by the way of Mt. Seir, the land of Edom, which lies south
east of Judah, and a great storm, accompanies him. From this
verse are derived the parallel passages, Deut. 33:2 f . ; Hab.
3 : 3 I- ; Ps. 68 : 8 f.
5. Flowed down. I.e. streamed with water. Yon Sinai.
If retained in the text, Jehovah's presence or the storm was felt
even in distant Sinai. 57

5 : 6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

6. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, x the high ways were unoccupied,
And the travellers walked through 2 byways.
7. 3 The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,
Until that I Deborah arose,
That I arose a mother in Israel.
8. They chose new gods ;
Then was war in the gates :
1 Or, the caravans ceased. 2 Heb. crooked ways. 8 Or, The villages were unoccupied.
6. A description of the insecurity of the times. Shamgar
the son of Anath. Not an Israelitish judge who preceded De
borah and Barak, the usual interpretation, because Shamgar as a
judge is an afterthought derived from this passage (cf. 3:31)1
but a foreign oppressor. The name in both its elements is non-
Israelitish; the second, Anath, is the name of a Canaanitish
goddess; the first, Shamgar, has not been so clearly identified.
Some find in it a Babylonian name, others a Hittite name.
In the days of Jael. Jael can only refer to the heroine of vv. 24 ff.,
but it is difficult to understand why her name should be mentioned
in connection with the preceding desolation. The words dis
turb the metre of the Hebrew lines and are probably a gloss.
The high ways were unoccupied. Better the margin, the caravans
ceased. This was because of foreign marauders. In peaceful times,
long before the period of the judges, there was constant intercourse
between the towns of Palestine through travelling merchant
men. And the travellers, etc. Persons compelled to go through
the country were obliged to resort to circuitous and unfrequented
routes. 7. The rulers ceased. Better the margin, The villages were
unoccupied. Unwalled towns were either deserted through fear or
desolated by marauders.
8. The first two lines, as given, mean that at this time Israel
departed from the worship of Jehovah, choosing other gods, and
suffered from the attacks of enemies. But the Hebrew text is very
obscure. Another rendering is The sacrifices to God {or gods) ceased
58

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5: n

Was there a shield or spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel ?
9. My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
1 That offered themselves willingly among the people :
Bless ye the Lord.
10. Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,
Ye that sit on rich carpets,
And ye that walk by the way.
11. 2 Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing
water,
There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,
Even the righteous acts 3 of his rule in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.
1 Or, Ye thai offered yourselves willingly among the people, bless &v. 2 Or, Because
of the voice of the archers . . . there let them rehearse. l Or, toward his villages.
and barley bread failed, i.e. the people were oppressed with famine.
Cf. for the failure of sacrifices under shortage through drought,
Joel 1 : 13. Barley bread was the common food of the country.
Was there a shield, etc. The people must not be thought of
as entirely destitute of weapons. The expression is hyperbolic.
Forty thousand. This moderate and without doubt historic
estimate of Israel's warriors is in striking contrast to the arti
ficial numbers of Exod. 12:37; Num. 1 : 46 ; 2:32.
Vv. 9-1 1 constitute an interlude ; v. 9 is a repetition of the
motive of v. 2.
10, 11. The text of these verses, like that of the first two lines
of v. 8, is so corrupt and obscure that many scholars refuse to
attempt a translation. Accepting the one given, an appeal is
made, with the background of peace and prosperity, to travellers,
those riding on tawny asses, silting on saddle cloths, and those walk
ing on the way, to rehearse, far from the tumult of archers, among
such peaceful companies as gather at watering places, the acts
of Jehovah's deliverance, i.e. those celebrated in this song. Then
the people of the Lord went down to the gates. I.e. then the war
59

12 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

12. Awake, awake, Deborah ;
Awake, awake, utter a song :
Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son
of Abinoam.
13. ^hen came down a remnant of the nobles 2 and the
people ;
The Lord came down for me 3 against the mighty.
14. Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in
Amalek ;
1 Or, Then made he a remnant to have dominion over the nobles and the people ;
the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty. 2 Or, as otherwise read, the
people of the LORD came down for me against (or, among) the mighty. ' Or, among.
began. This line with such a meaning suggests that the previous
lines beginning with v. 10 originally described the preparations
for war. In that case their original form has been irrevocably
lost. 12. A call to sound the battle cry summoning the tribes to
war. Lead thy captivity captive. Go forth to take prisoners.
Instead of captive the original permits the translation captors.
With that rendering Barak is summoned to seize those who have
carried away captives from Israel. The prominence given in .
such warfare to taking prisoners, especially defenceless boys and
girls, is seen in v. 30, where Sisera is expected with the booty of
young women. Cf. also the picture of the barter of captives in
Joel 3 : 3 where a boy is given for a harlot and a girl for wine.
13. The text of this verse is also very obscure. The transla
tions of the RV. both in text and margin have little in their
favor. The Hebrew text requires emendation, and the most
probable rendering is :
Then Israel came down like noblemen;
The people of Jehovah came down for him like heroes.
Thus the lines are a general description of the rally of Israel,
which is given in detail in the following verses. For him may
refer either to Barak or Jehovah.
14. Whose root is in Amalek. I.e. those who were settled in the
60

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5 : 15

After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples ;
Out of Machir came down l governors,
And out of Zebulun they that handle 2 the marshal's
staff.
15. And 3 the princes of Issachar were with Deborah ;
As was Issachar, so was Barak ;
1 Or, lawgivers. 2 Or, the staff of the scribe. ' Or, my princes in Issachar.
part of Mt. Ephraim wrested from the Amalekites (cf. 12: 15).
But such a figurative use of the word root is very doubtful and in
place of the noun with its possessive ending {whose) a verb such
as is supplied in the English versions is needed. The Greek text
also by omitting a single letter reads valley in place of Amalek.
The next line, also, since it is without meaning, requires slight
emendation and the two together may be rendered :
Out of Ephraim they marched to the valley {i.e. the plain where
the battle was fought).
Thy brother Benjamin among thy people.
The tribe of Benjamin was of close kinship with that of Ephraim.
In Hebrew poetry pronouns of the second and third person are
occasionally used interchangeably. Machir represents the tribe
of Manasseh. In Gen. 50 : 23 he is the son of Manasseh, and in
Josh. 17: 1, also by implication in Num. 26: 29, 1 Chron. 7: 14,
his first-born, i.e. Machir, was either the earliest or most impor
tant clan of the tribe. In Josh. 17:1 and 1 Chron. 7 : 14 he is
called " the father of Gilead," i.e. his home was in Gilead, east
of the Jordan. But in this passage he is clearly located with
Ephraim and Benjamin, west of the Jordan (cf. v. 17), hence the
proper inference that the migration of Machir into the region east
of Jordan was subsequent to the period of this song. Mar
shal's. The word, more properly rendered in the margin scribe,
is probably a gloss and therefore should be omitted. The staff is
the symbol of authority.
15. The princes of Issachar. The more natural rendering
is that of the margin, my princes in Issachar, but that of the
text is allowable, and it is difficult to see why the princes should
61

5 : 16 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.
By the watercourses of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
16. Why satest thou among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks ?
At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
17. Gilead abode beyond Jordan :
And Dan, why did he remain in ships ?
be called my princes. The next line reads like an anti-climax.
The repetition of Issachar is also singular. Hence since Issachar
is not mentioned in some ancient versions and since Barak was
from Naphtali, that tribe may be substituted for Issachar. The
two lines may be read :
Issachar's princes were with Deborah
And Naphtali was with Barak.
Into the valley. The plain, cf. v. 14. They rushed, etc. I.e.
they followed Barak. By the watercourses, etc. At this point
begins the description of those who refused to respond to the
call for the war. Another rendering of these opening words is
in the divisions of Reuben with reference to different tribal divi
sions. The expectation of some help from Reuben, which dwelt east
of the Dead Sea far from the field of action shows how strong the
bond, especially of religion, was between the tribes of Israel.
Resolves. Better, as in the last line of the following verse search
ings. The final couplet of each verse should be read alike. The
second one probably is a repetition through copyist's error.
16. Satest. The original has the force of being idle, refusing
to help. The pipings. The calls of the shepherds to their
flocks. 17. Gilead. The region east of the Jordan, north and south of
the Jabbok. It was the home of the tribe of Gad for which it here
stands. Abode. In the sense remaining still, refusing to aid.
Dan. The portion of the tribe which settled north of Lake Merom
is meant. Hence the migration described in chap. 18, had already
62

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5:21

Asher sat still at the l haven of the sea,
And abode by his creeks.
18. Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto
the death,
And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
19. The kings came and fought ;
Then fought the kings of Canaan,
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo :
They took no gain of money.
20. They fought from heaven,
The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21. The river Kishon swept them away,
1 Or, shore.
taken place. The mention of their remaining or, better, sojourning
in ships, i.e. dwelling perhaps among seafaring people, shows that
the Danites had already then become in some way closely con
nected with their neighbors the Phoenicians. The tribe of Asher
dwelt immediately adjacent to the Phoenicians, and were thus,
like Dan, thought of as having contact with the sea. Neither of
these two distant northern tribes nor those east of the Jordan
responded to the call to assist their kinsmen.
18. In striking contrast with the unresponsive tribes just men
tioned were Zebulun and Naphtali. The mention of Naphtali
here is against its substitution for Issachar in v. 15 (see above).
19. Kings of Canaan. The unsubdued Canaanite cities, of
which there were many (cf. chap. 1), were generally ruled each by
its own king. These kings were united under Sisera against Israel.
In Taanach. The battle was in the plain in the immediate vicin
ity of Taanak, near the streams adjoining Megiddo (cf. 1 : 27).
20. A poetical description of the intervention of Jehovah in
a powerful rain storm which brought disaster upon the enemy
(v. 21). A rain storm signally assisted the English at the battle
of Crecy. 21. Kishon. The second river of Palestine, some thirty-five
63

5:22 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

That ancient river, the river Kishon.
0 my soul, 1 march on with strength.
22. Then did the horsehoofs stamp
By reason of the pransings, the pransings of their
strong ones.
23. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof ;
Because they came not to the help of the Lord,
To the help of the Lord 2 against the mighty.
1 Or, thou hast trodden down strength. * Or, among.
miles in length, which drains the plain of Esdraelon. In summer
it is an insignificant stream, but in winter it overflows the surround
ing country, turning it into a morass. This is evidently what
happened through a rain storm at the time of the battle. The
rising waters impeded the chariots of the Canaanites and the
army became panic-stricken before the fierce attack of the He
brews ; and many soldiers while fleeing lost their lives in the swollen
stream. " The fate of Sisera's army finds a parallel in the battle
between the French and Turks, near Tabor, on April 16, 1799,
when many of the latter were drowned in attempting to pass the
morass in their flight." Ancient. The word thus rendered is of
very doubtful meaning, and no certain one can be given. O my
soul, etc. An expression of the intense exultation of the poet at
the thought of the great victory. But it seems to many out of
place here, and the line is usually regarded as corrupt, and fre
quently left untranslated.
22. Pransings. Better, galloping. The verse is descriptive of
the confusion of the chariot corps in their flight. Cf . Nah. 3 : 2 f.
23. The emphasis placed upon the failure of the inhabitants
of Meroz to render assistance and the position of the curse in the
poem shows that the reference is not to a non-participation like
that mentioned in vv. isb-17, but something more blameworthy.
The juxtaposition with the blessing of Jael to which the curse is
a foil suggests that the people of Meroz allowed fugitives to es
cape, perhaps Sisera. The location of Meroz is entirely unknown.
Angel of the Lord. Cf. 2 : 1. Against the mighty. Better is
64

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 5 : 27

24. Blessed l above women shall Jael be,
The wife of Heber the Kenite,
Blessed shall she be 1 above women in the tent.
25. He asked water, and she gave him milk ;
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26. She put her hand to the 2 nail,
And her right hand to the workmen's hammer ;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote
through his head,
Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
27. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay :
At her feet he bowed, he fell :
Where he bowed, there he fell down 3 dead.
1 Or, of. 2 Or, tent-pin. 8 Or, overpowered.
the marginal reading among the mighty. The enemy would not
have been distinguished with the epithet mighty.
24. The wife of Heber the Kenite. These explanatory words
are regarded by many as a gloss derived from 4: 17. They
interrupt the Hebrew parallelism. Women in the tent. Tent-
dwelling, Bedouin women.
25. Butter. Curdled milk, parallel with milk in the previous
line. Cf. 4 : 19. Lordly dish. Literally a dish of nobles, i.e. a
large fine dish.
26. This verse must be interpreted poetically. Jael struck
Sisera either with a heavy tent-pin or a heavy hammer or mallet.
The word is different from that in 4 : 21, but it may have been the
same utensil. In the next line Sisera is a gloss. The two lines
may be rendered, She smote, crushed his head,
Shattered, pierced his temple.
He was standing when she struck him.
27. Descriptive of how " Sisera went down on his knees, fell
prostrate, and lay there dead."
f 65

5:28 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

28. Through the window she looked forth, and cried,
The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,
Why is his chariot so long in coming ?
Why tarry the x wheels of his chariots ?
29. Her wise ladies answered her,
2 Yea, she returned answer to herself,
30. Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil ?
A damsel, two damsels to every man ;
To Sisera a spoil of 3 clivers colours,
A spoil of 3 divers colours of embroidery,
Of 3 divers colours of embroidery on both sides, on
the necks of the spoil ?
1 Heb. steps. 2 Or, (Yet she repeateth her words unto herself). ' Or, dyed
garments. 28-30. The poet turns from this scene, to show us Sisera's
mother anxiously awaiting her son's victorious return.
28. Looked. The force of the original is not only to look, but
to overhang. The verb cried, which occurs only here, is a word of
uncertain root meaning, better taken as a synonym of look. Lat
tice is a synonym of window. His chariot, a collective noun, his
chariot troop. Wheels. Marg. steps, the sound made by blows,
here the hoof beats of the chariot horses for which the mother of
Sisera was listening.
Through the window she looked forth and peered,
The mother of Sisera through the lattice —
Why delays his chariot troop to come?
Why tarry the sounds of his chariots?
29. With a slight change in the first word :
The wisest of her princes answers her,
Yea, she herself repeals her words to herself.
The second line means that the mother of Sisera keeps repeating
to herself either her anxious forebodings or the consolation of the
princes given in v. 30.
30. Embroidery on both sides. Literally two pieces of varie-
66

i±lJi BOOK OF JUDGES 6 : I

31. So let all thine enemies perish, 0 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. RD
5. Gideon and his son Abimelech, Chaps. 6-9
6. And the children of Israel did that which was evil in RD
the sight of the Lord : and the Lord delivered them
gated stuff. On the necks of the spoil. The text gives also
for the neck of the spoiler or by the change of a single letter for the
neck of the queen. But the verse seems to have suffered through
the repetitions of words in transcription. It probably originally
consisted of only four lines, and, removing repeated words and lit
erally translating with an added letter giving his neck, read,
Are they not finding, dividing the spoil,
A wench, two wenches for each man?
Spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,
A variegated piece or two for his neck ?
31. Them that love him. Better after the Greek and Syriac
versions, them that love thee. The possessive his with might arose
probably by corruption. But let thy friends be as the sun when he
riseth in might.
The section dealing with Gideon is the most thrilling of all
the stories of Judges. The hero Gideon is portrayed in fascinat
ing lines. He appears as an humble peasant threshing grain in a
wine vat, and is visited by the angel of Jehovah. He is of
marked strength and courage, and also of human doubt and hesi
tation. God grants him wondrous signs, and yet he is a hero of
faith ; and through faith as well as stratagem he obtains a great
victory. For sermonic purposes no story of Judges is equal to
that of Gideon.
The narrative is long and complex, composed of the interfacings
of J and E, with later annotations. The evidence of two original
stories is clear when we compare 7 : 23-8 : 3 with 8 : 4-21. Both
passages give a conclusion of the war against Midian, but they
67

6:2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2. into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand
of Midian prevailed against Israel : and because of Mid
ian the children of Israel made them the dens which
are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strong
3. holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the
Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the chil-
do not together represent one continuous narrative. In one,
tribal hosts are pursuing the Midianites and the chiefs of Midian
are Oreb and Zeeb, who fall into the hands of the Ephraimites. In
the other, Gideon, to avenge a family wrong, with three hundred
men, apparently of his own clan Abiezer, is pursuing the Midi
anites, and the kings who fall into his hands are Zebah and Zal-
munna. These differences reveal a diversity of authorship and
provide a basis for expecting evidences of two united and edited
narratives in the account of the events previous to the war.
6 : 1-6. This account opens with the usual Deuteronomic intro
duction. Israel sins and is delivered into the power of the Midi
anites, who overrun all the land, compelling the people to take
refuge in caves and fastnesses. This oppression is described so
vividly and at such unusual length that the Deuteronomic author
not unlikely found some such description in his source JE.
1. The usual formula of the Deuteronomic author. Midian.
An Arab tribe reckoned as a son of Abraham by Keturah,
Gen. 25 : 1-6. Of it were the merchantmen who kidnaped Joseph,
Gen. 37:28; and Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, Exod.
2 : 15-21. A town of the name Midian, according to the ancient
geographer Ptolemy, was on the side of the Gulf of Akabah, oppo
site the traditional site of Sinai. This would indicate the principal
settled home of the tribe, but from the Old Testament references
the tribe was largely nomadic, frequenting the Sinaitic peninsula
and the territory to the northeast, including even that of Moab. In
8 : 24 they are called Ishmaelites.
2. Dens. Hiding-places. The word is of uncertain deriva
tion. 3. When Israel had sown. The invasion was not for per
manent conquest, but only for plunder. The Amalekites. See
3 : 13. The children of the east. A term used frequently of the
68

JJV/V-'l-. Vl

JDGES 6 : 9

4. dren of the east ; they came up against them ; and they
encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of
the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sus-
5. tenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For
they came up with their cattle and their tents, they
came in as locusts for multitude ; both they and their
camels were without number : and they came into the
6. land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low
because of Midian ; and the children of Israel cried
unto the Lord.
7. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried EJ
8. unto the Lord because of Midian, that the Lord sent
a prophet unto the children of Israel: and he said
unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel,
I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you
9. forth out of the house of bondage ; and I delivered
you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of
Bedouin or pastoral people to the east and northeast of Palestine,
v. 33; 7: 12; 8: 10; Gen. 29 : 1 ; Job 1:3; 1 Kgs. 4=3°; Isa.
11:14; Jer. 49:28; Ezek. 25 : 4,10.
4. Gaza. The most southerly of the Philistine cities, men
tioned to show the wide extent of the devastation.
7-10. This admonition is so different from the usual writing of
the Deuteronomic school that, as mentioned, it came from another
writer than the author of the preceding verses, either Es given above,
or a late annotator. The abrupt appearance of a prophet sug
gests the latter ; but its incompleteness, lacking a positive accusa
tion, and the affinity with Josh. 24:1-15; 1 Sam. 7:8; 10:
18 f. ; 12 (all E passages), and its appropriate connection with
vv. 25-32 as its sequel argue for a quotation rather than an
annotation. 8-10. I brought you, etc. The redemption from Egypt and
from those who hindered the settlement of Israel in Canaan is
given as the ground of the obligation to serve Jehovah only.
69

6: io THE BOOK OF JUDGES

the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them
out from before you, and gave you their land;
io. and I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; ye
shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
ye dwell: but ye have not hearkened unto my voice.
J n. And the angel of the Lord came, and sat under the
1 oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash
the Abiezrite: and bis son Gideon was beating out
wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
10r, terebinth.
The former thought is expressed in the preface to the ten com
mandments, Exod. 20 : 2 f. Cf. also 2:1; 1 Sam. 10: 18; Hos.
13 : 4. Amorites. See 1 : 34.
11-24. The call of Gideon is through an unrecognized angel of
Jehovah with whom Gideon converses somewhat at length, and
as he offers his divine guest a meal, the angel turns it into a
sacrifice consumed by fire issuing from the rock. Gideon then
knows that his visitor is divine and fears for his life, but re
ceives the assurance that he will not die and erects then an
altar unto Jehovah. This narrative came from the school of
J. To that school belong stories of similar manifestations of
deity in a human form, such as the appearance of the angel
of Jehovah to Hagar (Gen. 16 : 7-14) ; of the three men who
represent Jehovah to Abram (Gen. 18: 1-15); of the angels who
rescued Lot (Gen. 19 : 1-28) ; of the divine man who wrestled
with Jacob (Gen. 32 : 23-33) ; 0I the divine captain who appeared
unto Joshua. The story of the annunciation of the birth of
Samson (Judg. 13 : 3), where likewise the angel of Jehovah appears,
belongs also to the same source.
11. The angel of the Lord. See 2:1. The oak. A sacred
tree (see 4:5) in Ophrah known to the writer. This tree be
longed to Joash. Ophrah. Exact site unknown, from the story
of chap. 9 evidently not far from Shechem. The Abiezrite. Of
the clan of Abiezer which belonged to Manasseh, v. 15; Num.
26:30; Josh. 17:2. In the winepress. Instead of threshing
70

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 6 : 17

1 2. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said
unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man
13. of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my lord,
if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ?
and where be all his wondrous works which our fathers
told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up. from
Egypt ? but now the Lord hath cast us off, and de-
14. livered us into the hand of Midian. And the Lord
1 looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and
save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I
15. sent thee ? And he said unto him, Oh Lord, where
with shall I save Israel ? behold, my 2 family is the
poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's
16. house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will
be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as
17. one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found
1 Or, turned towards. 2 Heb. thousand.
the wheat on the usual exposed place, where the wind would
carry off the chaff, Gideon beat his sheaves in the wine vat —
the rock-hewn receptacle in the vineyard and thus secluded.
13. Gideon repudiates the salutation of the angel that
Jehovah is with him. That thought appears unreasonable in
view of the present distress.
14. And the Lord (Jehovah) looked upon him. The angel or
messenger is here directly identified with Jehovah. In this thy
might. Gideon's strength. In v. 12 he is addressed as a mighty
man of valour, i.e. a stalwart hero. We are to think of Gideon mak
ing an impression upon the angel through his physique.
15. Similar self-depreciation appears in the story of Moses,
Exod. 3:11; 4:10; 6:12; and of Saul, 1 Sam. 9:21. Such
protestations must not be taken too literally. The subsequent
narrative shows that Gideon's family was neither an obscure one
nor he a mean person. 7i

6 : 18 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

rje grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that it is thou
J 18. that talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee,
until I come unto thee, and bring forth my * present,
and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until
19. thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made
ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of
meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the
broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the
rje 20. 2 oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said
unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes,
and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.
J 21. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth
the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched
the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went
up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the
Rp unleavened cakes ; and the angel of the Lord departed
1 Or, offering. * Or, terebinth.
1 7. Then shew me a sign, etc. These words, implying that the
visitor is a supernatural being, anticipate vv. 2 1 f . and hence are to
be considered as a gloss. The narrative is improved by their omission.
19. Cf. Abraham's preparation for the entertainment of his
similar guests, Gen. 18 : 6-8. Unleavened. Because prepared
so quickly. An ephah. This measure, approximately a bushel,
must be taken like our indefinite word quantity. The cakes were
abundant, matching the supply of meat represented in the kid.
20. Angel of God. This, instead of angel of Jehovah as else
where in the narrative, suggests that the verse is an insertion
introduced by some one who would make of the presentation of the
repast a formal sacrifice. Its omission does not mar the narrative,
The pouring of the broth, like the barrels of water poured on
the sacrifice of Elijah on Mt. Carmel (1 Kgs. 18 : 33-35), heightens
the miracle of the fire, v. 20.
2 1 . And the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. These
72

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 6:24

22. out of his sight. And Gideon saw that he was the
angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord
God ! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of the Lord
23. face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be
24. unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then
Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called
it l Jehovah-shalom : unto this day it is yet in Ophrah
of the Abiezrites. 1 That is, The LORD is peace.
words are another gloss derived from 13 : 20. The angel still
remained, for Gideon addresses him in the next verse.
22. O Lord God, lit. O Lord Jehovah. Gideon now recognizes
the angel as Jehovah and addresses him thus directly. Cf.
the use of Jehovah in vv. 14, 16. Gideon feared for his life because
the Hebrew notion was that no man could see God and live.
Cf. 13 : 22 ; Gen. 16:13; 32 : 30 ; Exod. 33 : 20; Isa. 6 : 5.
24. Built an altar, etc. The statement of this verse properly
concludes the story of Gideon's call through the angel. At the
time when the story was written there was an altar at Ophrah
bearing the name of Jehovah-shalom, Jehovah is peace, i.e. well
disposed. Whether Gideon had anything historically to do
with its origin, whether he really felt himself thus called by an
angel even as Joan of Arc did by the Virgin, or whether the story
was a tale that grew up in connection with the altar to account for
its existence is now impossible to determine. The law in ancient
Israel was that altars were to be erected to Jehovah in every
place where he caused his name to be remembered, Exod.
20 : 24. A remarkable experience might then give rise to
a place of worship or from a place of worship might arise
a story of a remarkable experience. Probably the latter
rather than the former occasioned the stories connected
with the sanctuaries at Bethel, Gen. 28 : 11-22 ; 35 : 1-7, 9-15;
Peniel, Gen. 32:24-30; Mahanaim, Gen. 32:1-2; Hebron,
Gen. 13:18; Beersheba, Gen. 21:33. Altars bearing memorial
names are mentioned in Gen. 33: 20; 35: 7; Exod. 17: 15.
73

;25 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

E2 25. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord
said unto him, Take thy father's bullock, 'even the
1 Or, and.
25-32. After his call Gideon receives at night from Jehovah a
command to destroy the altar of Baal and he does so, receiving
through the incidents of the act the name Jerubbaal. This episode
is an interlude in the narrative. Its underlying thought is that the
land must be cleansed from Baal worship before the attack upon
the enemies can begin. That this section is not an immediate
continuation of vv. 11-24 is clear, since they contain a command
to erect an altar unto Jehovah (v. 26), but according to v. 24 an
altar had just been erected. The command also to destroy the
altar of Baal (v. 25) would naturally have come through the angel
visitor if the narratives are a unit. The whole tenor of vv. 25-
32 is not that of J. In v. 1 1 the holy tree of Ophrah on the land
of Joash is the sacred spot on which Jehovah appears, and there
is no intimation that the people are engaged in wrong or idola
trous worship for which calamities have befallen them. It is
a story of the people oppressed by Midian without its cause being
revealed and Gideon summoned to be their deliverer. On the
other hand, these verses logically follow vv. 7-10. The warning
of the prophet addressed to the people as a whole naturally
prepares the way for the specific revelation given to Gideon.
In its original and complete form the admonition doubtless ter
minated with an upbraiding for the worship of Baal and a declara
tion that for this the people had been delivered into the hands of
their enemies, and hence the first step in any restoration to divine
favor and in any deliverance must come through the abolition
of Baal worship.
25. The same night. In the present connection the night
following the interview with the angel, but originally it was
the night following the prophet's warning (see above). Thy
father's bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old.
The text is corrupt. Some read thy father's fat bullock (fat
taking the place of second, in Heb. the two words being much
alike) and attempt no restoration of the remaining words.
Others, following the suggestion of v. 27 and omitting the word
74

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 6:30

second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the
altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the
26. Asherah that is *by it: and build an altar unto the
Lord thy God upon the top of this strong hold, 2 in
the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and
offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah
27. which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten
men of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken
unto him : and it came to pass, because he feared his
father's household and the men of the city, so that he
28. could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And
when the men of the city arose early in the morning,
behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the
Asherah was cut down that was 3 by it, and the second
bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
29. And they said one to another, Who hath done this
thing? And when they inquired and asked, they
said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out
1 Or, upon. 2 Or, with that pertaining to ii. z Or, upon.
second, which is wanting in the Greek translation, read ten men
of thy servants and a bullock seven years old. No reason, however,
can be given for the command to take a seven-year-old bullock.
And throw down the altar of Baal that thy fattier hath. The
altar belonged to the town (vv. 28 ff.). Joash, Gideon's father,
was its custodian. Baal represents a Canaanite or foreign
god and the Asherah the wooden pillar which customarily stood
by the altar of a Baal (see 3:7).
26. Upon the top of this strong hold. The altar is to be
erected in a new place upon a hilltop. In the orderly man
ner. Either a corruption or a technical term not understood :
some interpret with orderly layers of stone. The second bul-
75

6 : 31 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

thy son, that he may die: because he hath broken
down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down
31. the Asherah that was * by it. And Joash said unto
all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal?
R or will ye save him ? he that will plead for him, 2 let
E2 him be put to death 3 whilst it is yet morning : if he
be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath
32. broken down his altar. Therefore on that day he
called him 4Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against
him, because he hath broken down his altar.
1 Or, upon. ' Or, shall be put to death; let be till morning; if &V. * Or, before
morning. * That is, Let Baal plead.
lock. Again the word second is to be omitted or read fat. The
offering was one of consecration, dedicating the new altar to
Jehovah. 31. Will ye plead for Baal? or will ye save him? I.e. will ye
take up his quarrel? or will ye vindicate him? Immediately
following these questions of Joash were originally the words : If he
be a god let him plead for himself. Joash would rescue Gideon by
the proposal, " Leave the guilty one to suffer divine vengeance."
The writer, however, meant his words to be taken in irony, im
plying that Baal was no god, cf. 1 Kgs. 18:21-39. The in
tervening words He that will . . . morning, are an interruption
and a gloss by some one who felt that an advocate of Baal either
that morning or the morning of the following day should be put
to death (cf. Deut. 13 : 6-1 1).
32. This verse explains the meaning of Gideon's name, Je-
rubbaal, to wit, Let Baal contend, as though a name of defiance
against Baal and connected with the destruction of his altar.
This whole story of the destruction of the altar of Baal, however,
we have seen is late and of a religious motive and thus without
historic foundation. Jerubbaal, however, was a name of Gideon,
8 : 29, 35 ; 9:1, 16. Why he bore it is unknown. Its meaning
is either Baal pleads, i.e. contends for one, or Baal founds; and
Baal meaning Lord was in early times in Israel the equivalent
76

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 6:36

33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the E
children of the east assembled themselves together;
and they passed over, and pitched in the valley of
34. Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord x came upon J
Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was
35. gathered together after him. And he sent messengers r'e
throughout all Manasseh ; and they also were gathered
together after him: and he sent messengers unto Rp
Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and
36. they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto E
1 Heb. clothed itself with.
of Jehovah. Such names compounded with Baal were then not
unusual. Eshbaal, Merib-baal, were the names of son and grandson
of Saul, 1 Chron. 8 : 33 f ., 9 : 39 f. ; Beeljada (Baal-iada), of a son
of David, 1 Chron. 14:7. Elsewhere Bosheth, meaning shame,
and El, meaning, god, are substituted for Baal in these names,
2 Sam. 2:8; 4:4; 5:16. This was because Baal gradually
ceased to be used of Jehovah, but only of heathen deities (cf.
3:7). Vv. 33-35 represent several sources, v. 33 belonging in the
main to E7 v. 34 to J, and v. 35 to RiE and RP.
33. Cf. vv. 1 f. Passed over. Crossed the Jordan. Valley of
Jezreel. The broad deep vale east of Jezreel which descends to the
Jordan, the natural gateway from the Jordan into the fertile plain
of Esdraelon. 34. For the endowment of Gideon with the Spirit, cf. 3 : 10.
The clan Abiezer follows him, cf. v. 11. This is agreeable to the
narrative of J, see above and 8:3.
35. Manasseh. West Manasseh is meant. The second half
of this verse anticipates 7 : 23, and hence is probably an editor's
gloss. 36-40. Gideon asks that his call may be proved by the miracles
of a wet and a dry fleece. From the use of God instead of
Jehovah (vv. 36, 39 f.) this section cannot have come from J,
hence it may be assigned to E. 77

6:37 THE B00K 0F JUDGES

God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou
37. hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the
threshing-floor ; if there be dew on the fleece only, and
it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast
38. spoken. And it was so : for he rose up early on the
morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wringed
39. the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. And
Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be kindled
against me, and I will speak but this once: let me
prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let
it be 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.
rje 7. Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people
that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the
36. As thou hast spoken. This cannot originally have re
ferred to the visit of the angel of Jehovah (vv. 11-24), because
in these verses (36-40) the name of deity throughout is God.
Gideon also after the wondrous sign of the fire, whereby he knew
that Jehovah had directly spoken to him (vv. 21-23) would not
be expected to ask for another sign. The " speaking," then, is
one not preserved in our story, probably according to the manner
of E, a vision of the night for which was substituted the admoni
tion of the prophet and the night call of Jehovah for the destruc
tion of the altar of Baal (see above, vv. 7-10, 25-32).
37. On the threshing-floor. A hard, exposed place well suited
for Gideon's test.
39. Gideon asks that the test may be repeated in a reverse
form, as though perchance the gathering of the dew upon the
fleece might have been due to natural causes.
7 : 1-8. Gideon and the assembled people now proceed against
the Midianites, but Jehovah tells him that the people are too
78

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 7:3

spring of * Harod ; and the camp of Midian was on the
north side of them, 2 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 hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against
3. me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now
therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people,
saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him
return and 3 depart from mount Gilead. And there

1 That is, Trembling. See v. 3. 2 Or, from the hill of Moreh, onwards in the
valley. a Or, go round about.

many for a deliverance through them not to occasion self-
pride, and Gideon dismisses all who are faint-hearted and
more than two-thirds return home, leaving 10,000 men. But
these, Jehovah says, are still too many, and they are reduced
to three hundred chosen through their lapping water
like a dog. With these Gideon is to conquer the Midianites.
As this narrative now stands it cannot well have come from J
or E. The exaggerated religious motive rules the former out,
and the use of Jehovah militates against the latter, hence scholars
assign it to an editor.
1. The spring of Harod. Only mentioned here ; usually identi
fied with 'Ain Jalud at the foot of Mt. Gilboa. The hill of Moreh.
I.e. the hill of the teacher or diviner, hence a place where com
munications were believed to be received from God, usually
identified with Neby Duhy, about four miles distant from the
spring. But these identifications of Harod and Moreh are un
certain. They both are derived from the statement of 6 : 33,
that the Midianites were in the plain of Esdraelon, but the only
Moreh mentioned elsewhere is in the neighborhood of Shechem,
Gen. 12:6; Deut. 11:30. Hence some hold that this verse
represents a source which placed the camp of the Midianites
in the neighborhood of Shechem.
3. Whosoever is fearful and trembling. The dismissal of
such is according to the law of Deut. 20 : 8. Mount Gilead. The
79

7:4 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

returned of the people twenty and two thousand ; and
there remained ten thousand.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yettoo
many ; bring them down unto the water, and I will try
them for thee there : and it shall be, that 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 Lord said unto
Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his
tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself ;
likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to
drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting
their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men :
but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their
knees 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

reading Mount Gilead is clearly a mistake, since it represents the
district of Central Palestine east of the Jordan. Either read
Mount Gilboa, see v. 1, or leave untranslated as unintelligible.
5. The modes of drinking are described : first, that of those
who, lying prostrate, put their mouths directly to the water and
drink like a dog ; and secondly, those who kneel and raise the water
in their hands to their mouths.
6. Putting their hand to their mouth. These words are either
the gloss of some one who did not understand the passage, and
should be struck out ; or they belonged originally at the end of
the verse.
7. Why the preference was given to the men who lapped is
not evident. Perhaps their mode of drinking was that of rude,
fierce men, hard fighters. The name of Caleb who was the hard
fighter of south Judah means dog (cf. 1 : 20).
80

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 7:11

8. the people go every man unto his place. 1 So the peo
ple took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets : and
he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent,
but retained the three hundred men : and the camp
of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord E
said unto him, Arise, get thee down 2 into the camp ;
10. for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou
fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down
11. to the camp : and thou shalt hear what they say ; and
afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go
down 2 into the camp. Then went he down with
Purah his servant unto the outermost part of the
1 According to some ancient versions, St they took the victuals of the people.
8 Or, against.
8. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trum
pets. With slight changes in the Hebrew word rendered victuals
we may translate, So they took the pitchers of the people in their
hands and their trumpets. This explains how the army of three
hundred had so many pitchers or jars and trumpets or horns, see
vv. 16 ff. They took those of the people who went home.
9-15. Gideon in spite of the divine command is afraid to
attacITat once the Midianite camp and hence, likewise by divine
command, reconnoitres the camp and receives a sign of great en
couragement in overhearing a soldier's dream and its interpreta
tion. This use of the dream bears the mark of coming from E.
9. The same night. As the narrative now stands the night
immediately following the selection of the army of three hundred.
Arise, get thee down into the camp. These words, as the follow
ing clause shows, are a command to attack at once the camp
of Midian.10. But if Gideon is afraid to make the attack at once, he is to
go down with his servant and hear the talk of the camp. Thereby
he will be encouraged and strengthened to make the attack, v. 11.
G 81

7 : 12 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

rjb 12. armed men that were in the camp. And the Midi
anites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east
lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude ; and
E their camels were without number, as the sand which
13. is upon the sea shore for multitude. And when Gideon
was come, behold, there 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 camp
of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it
that it fell, and turned it upside down, that the tent
14. lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is
nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash,
a man of Israel : into his hand God hath delivered
Midian, and all the host.
12. This verse appears like an editorial annotation, reflecting
6 : 3> S> which see.
13. Gideon's encouragement comes through hearing a dream
and its interpretation. Dreams figure very largely in the Old
Testament as means of divine revelation. Compare especially
the dreams connected with the story of Joseph, Gen. 37: 5-10;
40 : 5-19 ; 41 : 1-32. And, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled,
etc. The dream is of a round, hard, flat ash-cake of barley meal,
rolling into the camp, striking a tent, and overturning it. The
words that it fell and that the tent lay along are wanting in certain
Greek texts and should be struck out. Read then, and came unto
the tent and smote it and turned it upside down. The cake of barley
bread symbolizes the tillers of the soil, and thus the men of Israel
whose land was being plundered; the ten symbolizes the nomad,
and thus the invader the Midianites.
14. This verse has also suffered editorial expansion. Orig
inally it read, This is nothing else than the men of Israel, into their
hand God hath delivered all the host. A specific person was not
referred to in the barley loaf, but as mentioned a social class, the
agriculturists, and hence the men of Israel and not their leader.
Host. Better rendered camp. 82

-.i-i-i.; i.wOjv Or JUDGES 7 ; 18

15. And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of
the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he
worshipped ; and he returned into the camp of Israel,
and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into
16. your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the JE
three hundred men into three companies, and he
put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty
17. pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. And he
said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise : and, be
hold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp,
18. it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow
the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye
the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and
say, For the Lord and for Gideon. Rp
16-22. Gideon makes a night attack whereby the Midianites,
through the crashing of jars, the flashing of torches, the blowing
of trumpets, and shoutings, become panic-stricken, slay one an
other, and flee. The jars, the torches, the trumpets, and the
shoutings are an excessive combination and suggest the union
of two stories, in one of which the panic was caused by the
crashing jars and flashing torches and war cries and in the other
by the trumpets sounding an attack in the darkness. The former
is assigned to E, the latter to J.
16. Three companies. Such a division is frequently men
tioned in connection with fighting, 9 : 43 ; 1 Sam. 11:11; 13:17 f. ;
Job 1:17. And he put into the hands of all of them trumpets
(horns) and empty pitchers (jars) with torches within the pitchers
(jars). This combination of the two narratives (see above)
makes their hands more than full. Two hands would be required
to convey a jar containing a torch, so covered as to keep the light
invisible and yet burning.
18. And say, For the Lord and for Gideon. An editorial note
suggested by v. 20. In the attack in which the noise was made by
blowing the trumpets there would be little place or use for shout
ing. 83

7 : 19 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

JE 19. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him,
came unto the outermost part of the camp in the
beginning of the middle watch, when they had but
newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets,
and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their
20. hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets,
and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their
left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to
blow withal : and they cried, l The sword of the Lord
21. and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his
place round about the camp: and all the host ran;
22. and they shouted, and 2 put them to flight. And they
blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set
every man's sword against his fellow, and against
all the host : and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah
1 Or, A sword for cVe. f Another reading is, fled.
20. Again the combination of two narratives is clear. The
sword. Probably an insertion. The battle-cry of the host who
broke their jars and waved their torches was, For Jehovah and
for Gideon.
21. And they stood every man in his place round about the
camp. The attacking force did not advance, but remained stand
ing either blowing the trumpets or waving the torches and shout
ing. (The statement probably belongs to the narrative of the
latter strategy.) The remainder of the verse describes the action
of the Midianites. There is no change of subject. It should be
rendered, And all the host awoke and sent up a wild cry and fled.
22. Such a panic as is here described, in which the men of a
camp or army attack one another, appears also in the description
of the rout of the Philistines by Jonathan and his armor-bearer,
1 Sam. 14 : 20, and in that of the overthrow of the hordes which
invaded Judah in the days of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 20 : 23, and
in prophetic outlooks, Ezek. 38: 21; Hag. 2: 22; Zech. 14: 13.
Beth-shittah, Zererah, Abel-meholah, and Tabbath. These four
84

l-JUi BOOK OF JUDGES 7 ; 24

toward Zererah, as far as the 1 border of Abel-meholah,
23. by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were gathered E
together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out R™
24. of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. And E
Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country
of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and
take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah,
2 even Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were
gathered together, and took the waters as far as
1 Heb. lip. 2 Or, and also.
places, mentioned in connection with the flight, have not been
satisfactorily identified. They were probaby on the road into
the Jordan valley, either from the plain of Jezreel or from the
vicinity of Shechem, according to the location assigned to the
camp of Midian (see v. 1), or the places were in the valley itself.
Abel-meholah is frequently placed ten miles south of Beth-shean
(see 1 : 27), and Zererah has been thought miswritten for Zeredah,
the same as Zarethan, much farther south in the valley of the Jor
dan near Adam, Josh. 3: 16, modern ed-Damieh, where the main
road has always crossed the Jordan.
23-25. The men of Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, and Ephraim
arelaow summoned to pursue the fleeing Midianites, and the
Ephraimites slay the princes of Midian. This section is in the
main from E.
23. Naphtali and Asher. The appearance of these two tribes
in the story is probably due to some late annotator. They were
too distant to be concerned with a Bedouin invasion in the terri
tory of Manasseh.
24. The flight of the marauders southward leads them into the
territory Ephraim, hence the men of that tribe are summoned
to cut off their retreat by seizing the waters, i.e. the crossings of
any stream. The one particularly referred to is without doubt
the Wady Farah, a tributary of the Jordan. The fords of the
Jordan may also have been meant. The location of Beth-barah
is unknown. 85

7:25 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

25. Beth-barah, 1 even Jordan. And they took the two
princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew
Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the
rjb winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they
brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon be
yond Jordan.
E 8. And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast
thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when
thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did
2. chide with him sharply. And he said unto them, What
have I now done in comparison of you? Is not the
gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the
3. vintage of Abiezer? God hath delivered into your
'Or, and also.
25. The rock of Oreb and the winepress of Zeeb were two
localities whose names in the writer's day preserved the remem
brance of the places where the princes were slain. Their location
is unknown. The rock of Oreb is mentioned in Isa. 10 : 26 and the
victory over Midian in Isa. 9:4; Ps. 83:9-12. Oreb means
" raven," and Zeeb, " wolf." And pursued Midian. These
words are closely connected with those following and with them
are an editorial note inserted to bring this narrative into harmony
with that of 8 : 4 ff.
8 i. 1-3. Ephraim was the leading tribe of Northern Israel and
always very jealous of its rights. A similar quarrel is related in
12 : 1-6. This paragraph, to which v. 29 belongs, concludes E's
story of the pursuit of Midian.
1. The men of Ephraim are represented as angry because they
had not participated in the war from the beginning. The idea
doubtless was that then they would have received more booty.
2-3. Gideon cleverly says that in the capture of the princes
of Moab the Ephraimites have received even better spoil than that
which fell to his own followers, the men of Abiezer, who began the
war. 86

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 8:6

hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb : and what
was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their
1 anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
4. And Gideon came to Jordan, 2 and passed over, he, and
the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet
5. pursuing. And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give,
I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow
me ; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah
6. and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. And the princes
of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna
now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto
> Heb. spirit. ' Or, to pass.
4-21. Gideon with three hundred men pursues the Midianites.
He asks food for his wearied host of the towns of Succoth and
Penuel. The rulers of those cities, doubting his success, refuse.
Later he wreaks upon them terrible vengeance. He captures the
kings of Midian, and since they had slain his brethren, he orders
his son to kill them. The boy is unwilling and Gideon slays them
himself. Thus the war is ended. This conclusion, as mentioned,
differs so widely from that of 7 : 23-8 : 4, that it must come from
another hand, and its vivid naturalness points at once to J
rather than E.
4. Three hundred. From the three hundred of this story
probably grew the legend of the sifting down of the followers of
Gideon to that number (7 : 2-7).
5. Succoth. The location is uncertain; usually identified
with Tell Deir Alia, east of the Jordan and about a mile north of
the Jabbok. Zebah and Zalmunna. A witticism is expressed in
these names as vocalized in the Hebrew text ; they mean " vic
tim" and "protection refused." This is a reflection of their
fate. In the other narrative the leaders of the Midianites are
Oreb and Zeeb (7 : 25).
6. Princes. More correctly rendered officials, those who
held military or civil offices, distinguished thus from the elders
who were the heads of families. The address of these men is
87

8:7 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

7. thine army? And Gideon said. Therefore when the
Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine
hand, then I will 1 tear your flesh with the thorns of the
8. wilderness and with briers. And he went up thence to
Penuel, and spake unto them in like manner : and the
men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth
9. had answered. And he spake also unto the men of,
Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will
break down this tower.
10. Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and
Rp their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all
that were left of all the host of the children of the
east : for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand
11. men that drew sword. And Gideon went up by the
J way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah
and Jogbehah, and smote the host ; for the host was
1 Heb. thresh.
quite inconceivable if the great rout of the Midianites had
already taken place. In this narrative (J) the rout must have
occurred later.
7. Then will I tear, etc. A fearful punishment is threatened,
see v. 16.
8. Penuel. The town associated with the story of Jacob's
wrestle with the angel (Gen. 32 : 24-30). It must then have been
near the Jabbok and evidently was not far from Succoth, but
the exact site is uncertain.
10. The location of Karkor is unknown. One hundred and
twenty thousand. This great number, utterly unhistorical, is a
mark of an annotation by a writer of the late Priestly school.
n. By the way of them that dwell in tents, i.e. by a caravan
route, leading to the district of tent-dwelling Arabs east of
Nobah and Jogbehah. The former of these names appears in
Num. 32 : 42 as that of a clan of Manasseh, which gave its name
88

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 8 : 15

12. secure. And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he
pursued after them; and he took the two kings of
Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and 1 discomfited all
13. the host. And Gideon the son of Joash returned from
14. the battle from the ascent of Heres. And he caught
a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired
of him : and he 2 described for him the princes of
Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven
15. men. And he came unto the men of Succoth, and
said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom
ye did taunt me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and
Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give
1 Heb. terrified. 2 Or, wrote down.
to Kenath, modern Kanawat, which lies far to the northeast of Suc
coth and Penuel, and need have no connection with the Nobah here
mentioned which then remains an unknown place. Jogbehah has
been identified with Khirbet el- Gubeihat, northwest of Rabbath Am
mon and not far from the river Jabbok. And smote the host.
In this connection we place the night attack with jars and torches
which has been transferred and combined with the other account
in •}". 16-22. For the host was secure. The camp of the Midian
ites rested at night without expecting an attack.
13. From the ascent of Heres. This phrase is of uncertain
meaning in the Hebrew. Accepting the translation given it
may imply that Gideon returned to Succoth by some unexpected
route in order to surprise the town. The location then would be
in the neighborhood of Succoth.
14. He described. I.e. wrote down. This casual mention of
writing shows that when this story was written, in the ninth
century B.C., the art of writing must have been common in
Israel. The princes . . . and the elders. See v. 6.
15. Behold Zebah and Zalmunna. These kings, whose slaugh
ter might have been expected immediately on their capture, were
kept alive as a witness against the men of Succoth and Penuel.
89

r.6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

16. bread unto thy men that are weary? And he took
the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness
and briers, and with them he 1 taught the men of
17. Succoth. And he brake down the tower of Penuel,
18. and slew the men of the city. Then said he unto
Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were
they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered,
As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the
19. children of a king. And he said, They were my breth
ren, the sons of my mother : as the Lord liveth, if ye
20. had saved them alive, I would not slay you. And he
said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them.
But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared,
21. because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zal
munna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us : for as the
1 Some ancient authorities read, threshed. See v. 7.
16. And with them he taught. We should here follow the
Greek and Latin versions and render threshed after v. 7 instead of
taught. He dragged or trampled these men naked over thorns
and briers ; a fearful form of death by torture frequently men
tioned by Greek authors.
17. The threat of v. 9 is fulfilled.
18. Gideon asks respecting the death of his brothers. What
manner of men. Literally, Where are the men whom ye slew?
Gideon calls the kings to an account for the death of his brothers.
Their answer shows that they expected blood revenge to be
inflicted upon themselves. Tabor. Not Mt. Tabor or its village
north of the plain of Esdraelon, since too remote from the home
of Gideon, but an unknown place. The word may be a corruption
of Thebez (9 : 50), which was in the neighborhood of Shechem.
20. Gideon's request of his son was an honor to the young
man and an ignominy to the captives.
21. The prisoners desire to be spared the disgrace of being
slain by a youth and perhaps also the pain of an unskilful exe-
90

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 8:24

man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and
slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents
that were on their camels' necks.
22. Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou E or RJE
over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son
also : for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian.
23. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you,
neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall
24. rule over you. And Gideon said unto them, I would J
desire a request of you, that ye would give me every

cution. And took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.
Riding camels are still often adorned with strings of shell and
metal objects.
Vv. 22. f. interrupt the narrative. They are either misplaced
or an ecTitorial insertion. If the former, they are a conclusion of
8 : 1-3 (E) ; if the latter, they were inserted by some one (per
haps R1*) who desired to offset the impression conveyed by
9 : 1 ff., that Gideon ruled as a king.
23. On the motive of Gideon's refusal cf. 1 Sam. 8:7; 10 : 19;
12:17, 19. " The condemnation of the kingdom as in principle
irreconcilable with the sovereignty of Yahweh, the divine king,
appears to date from the last age of the kingdom of Israel, those
terrible years of despotism, revolution, and anarchy which inter
vened between the death of Jeroboam II and the fall of Samaria,
when history seemed to write large the words of Yahweh by
a prophet of the time : Thou saidst give me a king and princes ;
I give thee a king in my anger and take him away in my fury
(Hos. 13: 10 f.) " {Moore).
Gideon fashions out of the spoils taken from the Midianites an
idol which, preserved at Ophrah, becomes an object of worship.
This continues the narrative of J, (v. 21).
24. Unto them. In the present connection this seems to refer
to the men of Israel (vv. 22 f.) ; but originally the reference must
have been to Gideon's fellow-warriors who possessed the spoil.
Such a request from Gideon as leader and chief was both reason-
9i

8:25 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

man the * earrings of his spoil. (For they had golden
25. earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they
answered, We will willingly give them. And they
spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the
26. earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the golden
earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven
Rp hundred shekels of gold; beside the crescents, and
the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the
kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were
j 27. about their camels' necks. And Gideon made an
ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah :
RD and all Israel went a whoring after it there : and it be-
28. came a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. So
1 Or, nose-rings.
able and customary. Earrings. The word means also nose
rings, but it is doubtful whether these were worn by men. Ish
maelites. I.e. in customs and manner of life ; they were nomads,
children of the desert. In race according to Gen. 25 : 2, 12 ff.
the Midianites were not Ishmaelites.
26. A thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold. About
seventy pounds weight. This seems excessive to some, who omit
the thousand as a gloss. The Midianites, however, were traders
and hence would have considerable wealth, which as nomads they
would carry with them in the form of jewels. The second half
of the verse reads like an editorial addition.
27. An ephod. An idol of some kind; mentioned with the
teraphim (17: s; 18: 14, 18, 20); used as a means of inquiring
of Jehovah (1 Sam. 14 : 18 ; 23 : 6, 9 ; 30 : 7). There was one at
the sanctuary in Nob (1 Sam. 21:9). The same word ephod is
also used to designate some kind of a priestly garment (cf . 1 Sam.
2: 18, 28; 2 Sam. 6: 14) especially in P of the garment of the
high priest (Exod. 28: 6-14). As an idol the ephod symbolized
Jehovah. And all Israel went a whoring. Cf. 2: 17. The
seat of the idol became a popular place of unlawful worship. This
92

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 8:32

Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and
they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had
rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
29. And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in E
30. his own house. And Gideon had threescore and ten Rp
sons of his body begotten : for he had many wives.
31. And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also
bare him a son, and he 1 called his name Abimelech.
32. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age,
and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father,
in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ' Heb. set.
is the judgment of the Deuteronomic editor who wrote the second
half of this verse and the following one. And it became a snare,
etc. Cf. 2 : 3. The ruin which befell the house of Gideon (9 : 5)
is interpreted as due to his erection of the ephod.
29. This verse is out of place. Its original position was in all
likelihood after 8:3.
8 : 30-35, as an introduction to chap. 9, consists of two parts :
vv. 30-32 are from the priestly editor (Rp), who added the story
of Abimelech to the Deuteronomic Book of Judges and wrote
these verses to explain who Abimelech was (9 : 1 ff.) ; vv. 33-
35, on the other hand, are the Deuteronomic editor's substitute for
his omission of the story of Abimelech (see Introduction, p. 13).
30. Threescore and ten sons. Cf. Abdon's seventy sons and
grandsons (12:14); Jair's thirty sons (10:4); Rehoboam's
twenty-eight sons and threescore daughters (2 Chron. 11:21).
Many wives. An evidence of wealth and power.
31. And his concubine that was in Shechem. Beside his
wives, inmates of his own home and harem, Gideon entered into
a form of matrimonial alliance with a free woman who, according
to an ancient custom, remained with her own parents and whose
child therefore would be reckoned as belonging to her family.
Her son was thus regarded a Shechemite in contrast to the
other sons of Gideon (9 : 1-3). Abimelech. The name means
93

8:33 THE B00K 0F JUDGES

RD 33. And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that
the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring
after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.
34. And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord
their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of
35. all their enemies on every side : neither shewed they
kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon,
according to all the goodness which he had shewed
unto Israel.
E 9. And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem
" Melek (the god-king) is my father " or " Father of Melek."
There is no reference in the name to the kingship of Gideon.
33. And went a whoring. On this figure to express apos
tasy from Jehovah, cf. 2:17. Baalim. Cf. 2: n. Baal-berith.
" Baal of a Covenant " : the local god of Shechem. The Deu
teronomic editor has assumed that the worship of this god by the
Shechemites represented a defection of the Israelites. But from
the narrative of the following chapter it is clear that the Sheche
mites were Canaanites. Some have supposed that the word cov
enant in the name of the god indicated a desire to bring the Is
raelites and the Canaanites into a covenant relationship.
35. Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal.
Here again the misdeeds of the Canaanites of Shechem, related
in chap. 9, are referred to as chargeable to the men of Israel.
" Chapter 9. After the death of Gideon, who seems to have ruled
as a king, his son Abimelech the Shechemite persuaded his kinsfolk
to exert themselves in his behalf that he might succeed to the
authority of his father. This attempt, through its appeal to the
racial prejudice of the Shechemites, was successful. All the other
sons of Gideon, save one, having been slain, the men of Shechem
made Abimelech king (vv. 1-6).
~Jotham the escaped son of Gideon then from the heights over
looking the city of Shechem delivered a taunting fable predicting
the destruction of Abimelech and his abettors (vv. 7-21).
For three years Abimelech ruled. Then a party within She
chem rose against him. A civil strive ensued in which the city
94

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9 : 1

unto his mother's brethren, and spake with them, and
with all the family of the house of his mother's father,
of Shechem and many of its citizens were destroyed, and Abimelech
likewise perished, slain in the siege of the neighboring city of
Thebez (vv. 22-57).
This narrative bears no marks of Deuteronomic editorship
and seems to have been taken from JE and added to the
book of Judges by the priestly editor. The story has been
commonly regarded as a unit, yet recently it has been divided by
scholars between J and E, vv. 26-41 being assigned to the former
and vv. 1-23, 25, 42-55 to the latter, with vv. 24, 56 f. being assigned
to RJ*. The evidences of the two narratives are not very pro
nounced. The grounds for finding them are the two accounts
of the origin of hostilities between Abimelech and the Shechemites."
" In vv. 22-25 an evil spirit sent by God stirs up the Shechemites ;
their armed bands rob all who pass through their territory;
in vv. 26-29 a family of newcomers headed by Gaal incite a revolt
by appeals to race pride and hatred. The sequel of the first
of these is found in vv. 42-45 ; Abimelech lays an ambush against
the city and destroys it; that of the second is found in vv. 30-
41." A reflection of real events may be seen in these narratives.
The turmoil and strife between Israelites and Canaanites at
Shechem is probably historical. We have a glimpse of early politi
cal conditions in Palestine. The story as a whole is also a little
drama of moral retribution. It contains material which under
Greek influences might have been wrought into a powerful tragedy.
1. Abimelech. Cf. 8:31. Jerubbaal. Another name for
Gideon (cf. 6 : 32 ; 7:1; 8:29). Went to Shechem. The young
man seems to have been at his father's house at Ophrah. She
chem is the modern Nablus, a town of importance with some
eighteen thousand inhabitants, about twenty-eight miles almost
directly north of Jerusalem, in a valley flanked on the north by Mt.
Gerizim and on the south by Mt. Ebal. It was a trade center of
importance, and is conspicuous in Old Testament narratives.
According to the usual interpretation of Gen. 34, it was attacked
by the tribes of Simeon and Levi, who in turn were nearly de
stroyed for their outrages. According to Josh. 24 : 1, Joshua
assembled there the tribes of Israel just before his death and the
95

9:2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2. saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of
Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons
of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons,
rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember
3. also that I am your bone and your flesh. And his
mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the
men of Shechem all these words : and their hearts in
clined to follow Abimelech ; for they said, He is our
4. brother. And they gave him threescore and ten pieces
of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith
Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, which followed
bones of Joseph were buried there (Josh. 24:32). There also
in later history the northern tribes assembled to choose their king,
1 Kings 12:1. Whatever may have been the earlier history of
the town, its inhabitants at the time of Abimelech were predom
inantly Canaanites. (Cf. v. 28, where they are appealed to as
men of Hamor.) Mother's brethren . . . house of his mother's
father. Abimelech addressed first his nearer kinsfolk and the clan
to which his mother's father belonged, asking an intercession in
his behalf with the people of Shechem.
2. Threescore and ten persons, rule over you. These words
are rhetorical. They mean that an authority divided among the
sons of Gideon is not to be considered. One among them must
be chosen. Let that one be me, says Abimelech, since I am your
bone and your flesh. This was an appeal to family and race
prejudice which was successful (v. 3).
3. He is our brother. Of Canaanite stock through his mother
and thus of the same race as the men of Shechem.
4. Threescore and ten pieces of silver. A silver shekel may be
reckoned at about sixty cents. The purchasing power of silver
was much greater than at present. Out of the house of Baal-
berith. Cf . 8 : 33. The money was either from the public treas
ury of the temple, the accumulation of gifts and votive offerings
(such treasuries are mentioned in connection with the temple
at Jerusalem, 1 Kgs. 15: 18; 2 Kgs. 18: 15), or from family
funds stored for safe keeping in the temple. Vain and light fel-
96

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9:7

5. him. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah,
and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being
threescore and ten persons, upon one stone : but Joth-
am the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left ; for he hid
himself.
6. And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves
together, and all x the house of Millo, and went and
made Abimelech king, by the 2 oak of the 3 pillar that
7. was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham,
1 Or, Belh-millo. ' Or, terebinth. * Or, garrison.
lows. Worthless and reckless men, ready to commit any crime.
Through this following Abimelech slew his brothers at Ophrah
(v. 5).
5. Upon one stone. This implies that the sons of Gideon were
taken alive and slain like sacrificial animals (cf. 1 Sam. 14: 33).
A primitive Semitic sacrifice was the application of blood (without
fire) to the altar or sacred stone. Possibly the wanton followers
of Abimelech made this butchery as a human sacrifice to a god.
6. Millo. The designation of a citadel in Jerusalem (2 Sam.
5: 9; 1 Kgs. 9: 15, 24; n : 27; 1 Chron. 11:8; 2 Chron. 32 : 5),
and here without doubt the citadel of Shechem (cf. v. 20). The
house of Millo then would represent the family or authority having
control of the fortress of the city. By the oak of the pillar.
Trees were revered by the early Hebrews as sacred to a deity
(cf. 4 : 11). This oak is mentioned in Gen. 35 : 4 and Josh. 24 : 26.
The pillar was the sacred stone, the mazzebah, which belonged
to the sanctuary at Shechem. Tradition assigned the erection
of the stone to Joshua (Josh. 24: 26). Such stones were acces
sories of the early sanctuaries of the Hebrews (cf. Gen. 28: 18;
31 : 45, 51 f. ; Exod. 24 : 4). When the law of the central sanc
tuary was promulgated in the book of Deuteronomy, they, together
with worship at high places, were forbidden (Deut. 16 : 22). The
choice of a ruler which involved a covenant was naturally made at
a sanctuary. 7-15. Jotham, the escaped son of Gideon, is represented as hav
ing uttered a taunt against the men of Shechem in the fable that
H 97

9:8 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and
lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them,
Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may
8. hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to
anoint a king over them ; and they said unto the olive
9. tree, Reign thou over us. B ut the olive tree said unto
them, Should I leave my fatness, 1 wherewith by me
they honour God and man, and go to wave to and fro
1 Or, which God and man honour in me.
the trees, having vainly sought the olive and the fig and the vine to
rule over them, turned at last to the bramble and made him their
king. The meaning of the fable is that good and useful citizens
are unwilling to leave their fruitful callings to assume political
office, and that the choice of rulers falls upon worthless members
of society. The fable does not directly mirror the circumstances
under which Abimelech was chosen king. Hence it was probably
taken by the writer from current folklore as well suited to the
narrative, into which it fits with telling force. A similar brief
fable is given in the reply of Jehoash king of Israel to Amaziah
king of Judah, where the thistle asked of the cedar his daughter
for his son (2 Kgs. 14 : 9).
7. He went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim. Jotham,
having learned that Abimelech had been made king, is represented
as stationing himself on the top of the neighboring Mt. Gerizim
and there uttering his prophetic taunt. Some assume that he
actually summoned the citizens to the mountain and then at a
safe distance above them (the top is 900 feet high) uttered his
words. This is of course possible. The episode is, however,
more likely a dramatic embellishment of the story than a real
occurrence. The writer is introducing a bit of prophecy (see
w. 16-20). He uses fable and Jotham as the vehicle of its utterance,
instead of bringing upon the scene, as the later writers were wont
to do, a man of God. That God may hearken unto you. May
God hear your prayers as you listen to my words.
9. My fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man.
From the olive tree came oil, fatness, not only very widely used in
98

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9 : 13

10. over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree,
11. Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said
unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good
12. fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees ? And
the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign
13. over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I
leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go
14. to wave to and fro over the trees ? Then said all the
trees unto the 1 bramble, Come thou, and reign over
15. us. And the l bramble said unto the trees, If in truth
ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your
1 Or, thorn.
the preparation of food, as a substitute for butter, and in lamps
for illumination, but also used in anointing as a symbol of honor.
Cf. the anointing of priests (Exod. 29 : 7 ; Lev. 8: 12; 10: 7;
21:10; Num. 35 : 25 ; Ps. 133 : 2 f.), and kings (1 Sam. 10: 1 ;
16 : 13 ; 2 Kgs. 9 : 3), and guests (Ps. 23 : 5 ; 45 : 7 ; Luk. 7 : 46).
Oil likewise was poured upon stones where God was supposed to
dwell (Gen. 28 : 18 ; 35 : 14) and was an ingredient of certain sacri
fices (Exod. 29 : 23 ; Lev. 6 : 15, 21 ; 7 : 10 ; Num. 6:15; 8:8).
To wave to and fro. I.e. to rule over the trees.
n. My sweetness and my good fruit. " Figs are not only
a delicious luxury but one of the food staples of the country."
13. My wine which cheereth God and man. The exhilira-
tion which comes from wine is viewed as desirable. God should
here be rendered gods. The writer has the notion of a plurality of
gods and of their partaking in some way of the libations which
were poured out to them (cf. Num. 15:5, 7, 10).
14. The bramble. A thorny shrub from two to six feet in
height with insignificant flowers and small berries. The fruitful
and useful trees having refused the offer of the kingship, resort
is had to brushwood, contemptible in size and useless. This thorn
bush symbolizes Abimelech. Gideon, according to 8: 22 f., may
be seen in the fruitful trees of the forest.
15. Then come and put your trust in my shadow. To speak
99

9 : 16 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

trust in my shadow : and if not, let fire come out of
the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
16. Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly,
in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have
dealt well with Jerubbaal and bis house, and have
done unto him according to the deserving of his hands ;
17. (for my father fought for you, and 2 adventured his
life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18. and ye are risen up against my father's house this day,
and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons,
upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of
his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, be-
19. cause he is your brother ;) if ye then have dealt truly
and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this
day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also
20. rejoice in you: but if not, let fire come out from
Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and
the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the
men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and de-
1 Or, thorn. ! Heb. cast his life before him.
of sitting under the shadow of the contemptible straggling thorn
bush is the acme of irony, illustrating the absurdity of seeking
protection through the kingship of a worthless member of society.
And if not, let fire, etc. But after such a one had been made king,
while powerless to protect, he had power to destroy. The protec
tion of the bramble was a mockery, but destruction awaited those
who did not submit to his authority. The cedars of Lebanon.
The most stately trees of the forest in contrast to the thorn 'cugh,_
16-21. A moral judgment is passed upon the conduct of the
Shechemites. Their ingratitude and frightful wrong to the house
of Gideon are laid bare. Their doom likewise is declared. Having
made a bramble king, a fire from the bramble shall destroy them,
100

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9:2s

21. vour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled,
and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abime
lech his brother.
22. And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.
23. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and
the men of Shechem ; and the men of Shechem dealt
24. treacherously with Abimelech : that the violence done R™
to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might
come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abime
lech their brother, which slew them, and upon the
men of Shechem, which strengthened his hands to
25. slay his brethren. And the men of Shechem set E
liers in wait for him on the tops of the mountains
and in the conflagration the bramble shall likewise be destroyed.
The writer had clearly in mind the disastrous results to Shechem
which attended the reign of Abimelech and his own untimely end.
21. Jotham is not heard of again. Beer. This place is un
known. The word means " well," and places of that name would
be frequent. Some in this connection have thought of Beeroth
north of Jerusalem (Josh. 9 : 17; 2 Sam. 4:2); others of the
well-known Beersheba in southern Judah.
22. Over Israel. There is nothing in the story of Abimelech
to show that his rule extended beyond Shechem and adjacent
cities, hence the phrase over Israel, or this entire verse, is from the
hand of some annotator.
23. And God sent an evil spirit. Not necessarily a spirit
intrinsically evil, but a spirit who produced evil results. Cf.
the evil spirit which troubled Saul (1 Sam. 16:14; 18:10;
19 : 9) and especially the spirit which became " a lying spirit "
in the mouth of Ahab's prophets (1 Kgs. 22 : 22). God is repre
sented as sending these spirits to occasion the undoing of men. In
this instance the spirit caused the men of Shechem to act in bad
faith toward Abimelech.
24. This verse is probably an editorial comment.
25. For him. I.e. to the disadvantage or injury of Abimelech.

9 : 26 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

and they robbed all that came along that way by
them : and it was told Abimelech.
J 26. And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren,
and went over to Shechem : and the men of Shechem
27. put their trust in him. And they went out into the
field, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the
grapes, and x held festival, and went into the house
of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abime-
28. lech. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abime-
1 Or, offered a praise offering.
The men of Shechem encouraged highway robbers, who from the
tops of the hills plundered all who passed by. Shechem was fa
vorably located for such violence, being at the juncture of two
important routes of trade. This brigandage may have interfered
with tolls which Abimelech was accustomed to collect. And it was
told Abimelech. The sequel to this sentence appears in v. 42.
26-33. This story is independent of the preceding narrative,
although it serves to show how a spirit of discord arose between the
Shechemites and Abimelech. Gaal, whose former home is not given,
accompanied by his family, takes up his residence in Shechem,
and, gaining the confidence of the men of the place, foments a
revolt against the authority of Abimelech. Of this defection
Abimelech is apprised by messengers from Zebul, the governor of
the city, who counsels a night march to the vicinity of Shechem,
and a morning demonstration against the city.
26. Ebed. This word means slave; the more probable name
was ' Obed, " worshipper," with reference to some god.
27. And they went out into the field. It was the season of the
vintage when the people were accustomed to go from the city
into their vineyards and gather the grapes and tread them into
wine. This was a joyous occasion. The people feasted together,
and since such festivities partook of a religious character, they
entered the temple of their god and there, doubtless under the
influence of Gaal, they cursed Abimelech.
28. Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9 : 3I

lech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him ?
is not he the son of Jerubbaal ? and Zebul his officer ?
serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem:
29. but why should we serve him? And would to God
this people were under my hand ! then would I re
move Abimelech. And he said ' to Abimelech, In-
30. crease thine army, and come out. And when Zebul
the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son
31. of Ebed, his anger was kindled. And he sent mes-
1 Or, of.
serve him? The contrast is between Abimelech and the Shechem
ites. The former as a half Israelite is unworthy to be the ruler
of men of pure Canaanite stock. Is not he the son of Jerubbaal?
Is not Abimelech of Israelite descent ? As his Canaanite blood
had served to procure him the kingship (vv. 2 f.), so now his Is
raelite blood becomes a pretext for his rejection. His represen
tative, Zebul, is also referred to with contempt. Serve ye the men
of Hamor the father of Shechem. This command bids the people
to find a ruler in one of their own race. Hamor was the reputed
founder of Shechem (cf. Gen. 34: 2). Another rendering of the
Hebrew text is : Did not the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his officer
(formerly) serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem? Why
then should we serve him (Abimelech) ? This son of an Israelite
and his agent formerly were subject to us of Canaanite stock ; why
should we serve him now ? Thus by appeal to racial prejudice
Gaal sought to undo Abimelech.
29. Gaal urges that if he were in command of the people he
would remove the upstart Abimelech. He would likewise bid
him defiance {and I would say is the correct rendering, after the
Greek version, in place of, and he said). Like a true demagogue
Gaal, having inflamed his hearers against Abimelech, seeks to
elevate himself to office.
30. The ruler of the city. Zebul, called in v. 28 Abimelech's
officer, evidently ruled the city as the deputy of Abimelech.
31. Craftily. The word thus rendered is more probably the
1 103

9:32 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

sengers unto Abimelech 1 craftily, saying, Behold,
Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to
Shechem ; and, behold, they 2 constrain the city to
32. take part against thee. Now therefore, up by night,
thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait
33. in the field : and it shall be, that in the morning, as
soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon
the city: and, behold, when he and the people that
is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou
do to them 3 as thou shalt find occasion.
34. And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were
with him, by night, and they laid wait against She-
35. chem in four companies. And Gaal the son of Ebed
went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the
city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that
36. were with him, from the ambushment. And when
Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there
come people down from the tops of the mountains.
And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the
1 Or, in Tormah. 2 Or, oppress the city on thy account. 8 Heb. as thine hand
shall find.
name of the place where Abimelech resided, i.e. at Arumah.
They constrain the city. Literally, they besiege the city. This
is not agreeable to the context. Hence by a slight change in the
Hebrew text read, they are stirring up the city against thee.
34-41. Abimelech follows the counsel of Zebul. He marches by
night toward Shechem, and dividing his forces into four companies,
lies in concealment not far from the city (v. 34). In the morning
when Gaal with Zebul was standing at the entrance to the gate
of the city, the troops of Abimelech reveal themselves (v. 35).
Gaal detects their movement, but Zebul says, Thou seest the
shadow of the mountains as if they were men (v. 36). He implies.
that Gaal is full of foolish or cowardly fear. But when Gaal diss-
104 *

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9:42

37. mountains as if they were men. And Gaal spake
again and said, See, there come people down by the
1 middle of the land, and one company cometh by the
38. way of 2 the oak of Meonenim. Then said Zebul unto
him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who is
Abimelech, that we should serve him ? is not this the
people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray,
39. and fight with them. And Gaal went out before the
40. men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And
Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and
there fell many wounded, even unto the entering of
41. the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and
Zebul drave out Gaal and his brethren, that they
42. should not dwell in Shechem. And it came to pass
1 Heb. navel. 2 That is, the augurs' oak, or terebinth.
cerns with sureness the advance of the troops (v. 37), Zebul then
bids him fulfil his braggart boast and march forth against Abim
elech (v. 38). This he does with disastrous consequences.
He and his followers are driven back into the city. (The fight
seems to have been a petty affair, since none were slain, v. 40.)
Abimelech withdraws to his residence at Arumah; but Zebul
drives Gaal and his kinsmen out of Shechem (v. 41).
37. By the middle of the land. Read as in the margin Navel
of the Land. This is the proper name of an unknown locality.
Equally unknown is the situation of the oak of Meonenim, i.e.
the oak of the augurs or diviners. The oak of Moreh, i.e. the
oak of a teacher or diviner, near Shechem is mentioned in Gen.
12:6. Whether this sacred tree was identical with the one here
mentioned cannot be determined.
42-45. This narrative (from E) is a continuation of vv. 22-25.
The revolt of Gaal (just related) seems to have been a minor episode
in the reign of Abimelech and to have preceded the more serious
defection, which manifested itself in the brigandage related in
v. 25 and resulted in the destruction of Shechem.
io.5

9:43 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

on the morrow, that the people went out into the field ;
43. and they told Abimelech. And he took the people,
and divided them into three companies, and laid wait
in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people
came forth out of the city; and he rose up against
44. them, and smote them. And Abimelech, and the
companies that were with him, rushed forward, and
stood in the entering of the gate of the city : and the
two companies rushed upon all that were in the field,
45. and smote them. And Abimelech fought against the
city all that day; and he took the city, and slew

42. On the morrow. From the connection this would be the
day after the repulse of Gaal and his adherents. But that story
has been finished with the mention of the retirement of Abim
elech to Arumah and the expulsion of Gaal from Shechem
(v. 41). This verse (42) is then either a harmonizing gloss from
R^ or this morrow is to be connected with v. 25, and must not
be taken too literally. The report of the highway robberies
having been brought to Abimelech (v. 25), then on the morrow {i.e.
the next time) when the men of Shechem purposed to go out into the
field, i.e. into the country for robbery {and it was told Abimelech), he,
it is to be assumed, proceeded against them according to the strat
agem and result described in the following two verses, 43 f.
Abimelech divided his forces into three companies, placing them
in ambush near Shechem. Then when the expedition, intent on
highway robbery, had come out of the city into the country,
Abimelech with one company (the Hebrew text by mistake has
the plural companies) took his position at the entrance of the
city gate to check any fellow-townsmen who might come forth
to assist the expedition and likewise to prevent their retreat into
the city. The other two companies in the meanwhile attacked
the expedition itself, which was completely defeated.
45. Abimelech fought the entire day against Shechem, which
he finally took, slaughtering, after the manner of Israelitish war
fare, all of the inhabitants. He likewise destroyed the buildings.
106

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 9 : 49

the people that was therein: and he beat down
the city, and sowed it with salt.
46. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard
thereof, they entered into the hold of the house of
47. Elberith. And it was told Abimelech that all the
men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and
all the people that were with him; and Abimelech
took ' an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from
the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder :
and he said unto the people that were with him,
What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I
49. have done. And all the people likewise cut down
1 Heb. the axes.
And sowed it with salt. Abimelech symbolically devoted the
place to utter desolation. A salt land was unfruitful and un
inhabitable (cf. Deut. 29 : 23 ; Jer. 17:6; Ps. 107 : 34). Shechem,
however, if thus completely destroyed had too advantageous
a situation to remain long desolate. It was an important place
early in the kingdom (1 Kgs. 12 : 1) and was rebuilt and fortified
by King Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 12 : 25).
46. The tower of Shechem. Either a place outside of
Shechem, the site of the temple of El-berith, or a stronghold
within the city, an acropolis, in which was located the temple
of El-berith and which became the final refuge of the men of
Shechem. Those who hold this latter view generally assign vv.
46-49 to J, since v. 45 gives a final summary of the destruction of
Shechem, and elsewhere in E, in vv. 6 and 20, the apparent name of
the citadel of Shechem is Millo. The hold. An excavated cham
ber of some sort ; perhaps in the rock behind the temple. The
word occurs also in 1 Sam. 13 : 6. Elberith. " God of covenant."
The same as Baal-berith mentioned in 8 : 33 ; 9:4.
48. Mount Zalmon. The exact location of this hill is unknown.
The name means shade, shadow. 107

9:50 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and
put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon
them ; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem
died also, about a thousand men and women.
50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped
51. against 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 themselves
52. in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower. And
Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against
it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn
53. it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper
millstone upon Abimelech's head, and brake his skull.
54. Then he called hastily unto the young man his ar-
mourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and
kill me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him.
And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
r 55. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was

50. Thebez. Identified with modern Tubas, about 13 miles
northeast of Shechem, on the road to Beth-shean. The kingdom of
Abimelech clearly embraced other cities besides that of Shechem,
and those discontented with him were not confined to the latter place.
53. An upper millstone. The upper stone of a hand mill,
with which women were accustomed to grind grain. It might
weigh twenty-five or thirty pounds.
54. His armourbearer. Leaders usually had personal at
tendants of this kind : so Gideon, 7:11; Jonathan, 1 Sam. i\ : 6 ;
Saul, 1 Sam. 16 : 21 ; 31:4; Goliath, 1 Sam. 17:7. The request
of Abimelech is to be compared with that of Saul, 1 Sam. 31 : 4.
55. This verse with its allusion to the men of Israel is probably
from the hand of an editor who drew no racial distinction between
the parties concerned in the strife about Abimelech; and yet
since the revolt against Abimelech had been a Canaanite defection
108

THE BOOK OF JUDGES io : I

56. dead, they departed every man unto his place. Thus RJE
God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he
did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren :
57. and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did
God requite upon their heads : and upon them came
the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
6. Tola, 10 : 1-2
10. And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola RPorJE
the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar ;
and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
(cf. v. 28), his supporters would have been naturally Israelites,
and hence the editor wrote better than he knew.
The section 10 : 1-5 and the account of the minor judges
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (12 : 8-15), having no marks of Deu
teronomic editorship, as already mentioned (see p. 13), are late
additions to the Book of Judges coming from the hand of the
priestly editor (Rp), either his own composition or that of the
compiler of JE (RJE). The notices of these judges, whose lives
were colorless and without any exploits, were introduced to give
a certain symmetry to the history of the period of the judges,
making their number twelve and providing seventy years for
the chronology. The minor judges themselves were undoubtedly
originally clans, and are an illustration of the personification
(common among the Hebrews and other ancients) of peoples,
tribes, and families, whereby each of them was imagined to have
sprung from an ancestor bearing its name and hence in modern
usage called an eponym. Thus the tribes of the desert east of
Palestine traced their descent from Ishmael and his sons, whose
names they bore, and the children of Israel from Israel and his
sons. From the sons of the ancestor of a tribe came tribal
clans and families. In some instances, it is true that a his
torical person has given his name to a tribe or family, but these
are very rare compared to the reverse.
1. Tola and Puah both appear in the genealogy of Issachar as
109

10 : 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2. And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and
died, and was buried in Shamir.
7. Jair, 10:3-5
B-ForjE 3. And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he
4. judged Israel twenty and two years. And he had
thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had
thirty cities, which are called x Hawoth-jair unto this
1 That is, The towns of Jair. See Num. 32 : 41.
names of his sons (Gen. 46 : 13 ; 1 Chron. 7 : 1), i.e. clans (cf. Num.
26 : 23). Historically they were such, and out of them were the
names of the judge and his father derived. The meanings of
the names are interesting: Tola signifies a worm producing a
crimson dye, and Puah a plant producing the same. Dodo, not
mentioned elsewhere in connection with Issachar, appears as the
name of the father of one of David's heroes (2 Sam. 23 : 9, 24).
Shamir. Not identified, but since Tola was of the tribe of Issachar,
it must naturally be placed in the northwestern portion of the hill
country of Ephraim, adjoining the plain of Esdraelon, into which
the territory of Issachar extended.
2. And was buried in Shamir. A similar notice is given in
the case of the other minor judges. Tombs of these judges, the
reputed founders of the clans bearing their names, were un
doubtedly shown in later times.
3. Jair. This judge is derived from the son of Manasseh, the
reputed conqueror of the district of Hawoth-jair in Gilead, the
rich and hilly district belonging to Israel east of the Jordan (cf.
Num. 32:41; Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30; 1 Chron. 2:22 f. ; 1
Kgs. 4: 13). Like Tola, Jair is the name of a clan.
4. And he had thirty sons. Cf. the thirty sons of Ibzan
(12 : 9) and the forty sons and thirty grandsons of Abdon (12 : 14).
Thirty ass colts. The ass was highly esteemed as a riding animal
and was used by people of rank (cf. 1 : 14 ; 5 : 10; 1 Sam. 25 : 20;
2 Sam. 17 : 23 ; 19 : 26 ; Zech. 9 : 9). And they had thirty cities
which are called Hawoth-jair unto this day. The word Hawoth

THE BOOK OF JUDGES io : 6

5. day, which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died
and was buried in Kamon.
8. Jephthah, 10 : 6-12 : 7
6. And the children of Israel again did that which was RD
evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baalim, and
means primarily a group of tents and then secondarily a group
of permanent dwelling towns. These of the district of Jair were
variously reckoned : in Deut. 3. 14 at 60 ; in 1 Chron. 2 : 22 at 23 ;
and here at 30 to correspond with the sons of Jair. The
sons of Jair represent families or branches of the clan of Jair.
Hawoth-jair is in the northern portion of Gilead.
5. Kamon has not been identified.
The story of Jephthah, 10: 6-12 : 7, relates the deliverance of
Israel, especially that part which dwelt in Gilead east of the Jordan,
from the oppression of the Ammonites. This so-called oppression
was in reality not of great significance in the life of the people, and
Jephthah appears as the hero simply of one of those border
struggles which often must have taken place between the eastern
tribes and their neighbors of Ammon and Moab. The main interest
also of this tale lies neither in the personality of Jephthah nor in
any striking exploit of his, but in his vow whereby his daughter
was sacrificed unto Jehovah (11:34-40). To the custom of
the yearly celebration of her untimely fate is probably due the
preservation of the story.
In composition this tale exhibits some of the same complexity
which we have found in the story of Gideon. The introduction
(10:6-18) is of unusual length. It opens with the usual Deu
teronomic formula that the children again did that which was
evil . . . and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and
he sold them . . . into the hand of the children of Ammon. And
they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel . . . eighteen years
(vv. 6-8a) . This much, allowing for a possible annotation in v.
6 (which see), is perfectly regular. But in vv. 8b-i6, Deuter
onomic regularity and phrases are lacking except in the words
so that Israel was sore distressed (9b) and the children of Israel
cried unto the Lord (10a), hence we have here in all probability
in

10 : 6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

R the Ashtaroth, and the gods of * Syria, and the gods of
Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the chil-
1 Heb. Aram.
the work of the priestly editor (Rp). He has added to the Deu
teronomic introduction not only his own annotations, but some
earlier introductory material (of E2) taken from JE, especially
vv. 10-16 in the main. With chap, ii commences the story
proper of Jephthah. In this is a striking discrepancy. After the
call of Jephthah (given in ii : i-ii) comes his message to the king
of Ammon (n : 12-28). But the message itself was plainly not
originally addressed to the king of Ammon, but to the king of
Moab. Chemosh in v. 24 is the god of the Moabites and not of
the Ammonites. Balak in v. 25, as there stated, is the king of
Moab. The towns mentioned in v. 26 anciently belonged to
the Moabites (cf. Num. 21 : 26 ff.). All the historical recapitula
tion of these verses was originally concerning Moab, and the
passage has been plainly harmonized to the circumstances of a
war with the Ammonites by substituting Ammon for Moab in
vv. 12, 13, 14, 27, 28 and by adding in v. 15 nor the land of the
children of Ammon. Hence this section is either the insertion
and adaptation of material originally foreign to the story of
Jephthah or else two different traditions are embedded in the
narrative. Suggestions of this appear elsewhere : Jephthah's
residence in 11 : 3 is at Tob, but in 11 : 34 at Mizpah; the war in
11:30-31 is a single campaign, but in 12:2 of considerable
duration ; certain verses seem out of place in their present context
e.g. 11 : 11b, 29, 33. We have, then, as the preferable conclusion,
although there is not much choice between them, two Jephthah
narratives. According to one, a fugitive son of a harlot is sum
moned to Gilead to deliver the land from the Ammonites, which
he does, and then inflicts a crushing defeat upon the complaining
Ephraimites (11 : i-na, 29, 33 ; 12 : 1-6). According to the other
account Jephthah lives at Mizpah in Gilead. In a war with the
Moabites, having fruitlessly endeavored to ward off the conflict
by an embassy, he makes a fatal vow in the event of securing
victory. He conquers and by the term of his vow he must
sacrifice his only child to Jehovah (11: nb-28, 30-32, 34-40).

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 10:8

dren of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines ; and RD
7. they forsook the Lord, and served him not. And the
anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he
sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the
8. hand of the children of Ammon. And they vexed and
oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen
years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were Rp
The compiler retained the victory over the Ammonites because
the Moabites had already in his narratives suffered defeat at the
hand of Ehud. While the grounds for assigning either narrative
to J or E are not very decisive, to E is assigned the second
because the material of the messages to the king of Moab (11:12-
28) is derived from the narratives of E in Numbers (20: 14;
21 : 21-27), and the story of the sacrifice of the only child is
parallel to that of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) also
from E. The first narrative then would come from J, to which
as a writing of the southern kingdom naturally belongs the story
of the disastrous defeat of the Ephraimites.
6. Baalim and the Ashtaroth. Cf. 2:11, 13. And the gods
of Syria, etc. The editor who introduced this catalogue wished
to illustrate the Baalim and the Ashtaroth.
7. Into the hand of the Philistines. The introduction is thus
designed not simply for the story of Jephthah but also for that of
Samson (cf. 13 : 1). But the words are out of place preceding the
reference to Ammon and hence are probably a gloss. The
children of Ammon. The reputed descendants of Lot (Gen.
19:38). Their territory was east of the eastern tribes of Israel
with Rabbah-ammon as their chief city. Both Saul and David
contended with them (1 Sam. 11:1-11; 2 Sam. 10:1-14; I2:
26-31). They are frequently mentioned by the prophets
(Amos. 1:13; Zeph. 2:8; Jer. 49 : 1-6 ; Ezek. 25 : 1-7), and their
general attitude was that of hostility towards Israel.
8. That Year. These words are meaningless in their present
connection. They are from the earlier narrative which probably
mentioned a single catastrophe and not a long oppression. Eigh
teen years. This chronological statement is from the Deuter
onomic editor. Omitting that year, read, And they vexed and
1 113

10 : 9 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

beyond Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in
9. Gilead. And the children of Ammon passed over Jor
dan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin,
RD and against the house of Ephraim ; so that Israel was
10. sore distressed. And the children of Israel cried unto
E2 the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee,
even because we have forsaken our God, and have
11. served the Baalim. And the Lord said unto the
children of Israel, Did not I save you from the Egyp-
Rp tians, and from the Amorites, from the children of
12. Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians
E2 also, and the Amalekites, and the ' Maonites, did op
press you ; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out
1 The Sept. has, Midianites.
oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years, all the children of
Israel that were beyond Jordan in the land of the Amorites which is
Gilead. In the land of the Amorites. The land which had
been taken by Israel from the Amorites- (cf. 11: 19-23; Num.
21 : 21-26). Gilead. Usually the territory north of Moab ex
tending from Heshbon to the Yarmuk, sometimes the country
as far south as the Arnon ; here the east Jordanic possessions of
Israel. 9. Nothing elsewhere in the narrative reveals the presence
of the Ammonites west of the Jordan. Indeed their aggression
is plainly confined to Gilead. Hence we have here as well as in
8b the gloss of a later editor who desired to heighten the op
pression of the Ammonites.
1 1 f . The list of oppressors following the Egyptians is a strange
medley given upon no principle of order or of history beyond
that of a certain contact with Israel, and is probably from the
priestly editor (Rp). The children of Ammon are derived from
the story of Jephthah, the Philistines from the story of Samson
and the narratives of Saul and David. The Amalekites are
mentioned with the Midianites in the story of Gideon (6 : 3, 33).
114

THE BOOK OF JUDGES io : 18

13. of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served
14. other gods : wherefore I will save you no more. Go
and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let
15. them save you in the time of your distress. And the
children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned :
do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee ;
16. only deliver us, 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.
17. Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, RD
and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel
assembled themselves together, and encamped in
18. Mizpah. And the people, the princes of Gilead, said
one to another, What man is he that will begin to
fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be
head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
But the Amorites, although conquered by Israel (cf. v. 8), never
oppressed them. Neither also did the Zidonians, the inhabitants
of Zidon, a city on the coast north of Tyre, who represent the
Phoenicians; nor the Maonites, the inhabitants of Maon, a city
south of the Dead Sea, who appear in Chronicles as enemies of the
kings of Judah (cf. 2 Chron. 20:1; 26:7). Some, however,
remembering the story of Gideon, substitute, after certain Greek
versions, Midianites for Maonites. The Hebrew text of v. 11 is
slightly corrupt and the construction of the two verses should
be made uniform. Did not the Egyptians and the Amorites . . .
and the Maonites oppress you?
14. Cf. Jer. 2:28; Deut. 32:37.
17 f. The close of the Deuteronomic introduction. The
substance is drawn from the following narrative. Mizpah.
Not the Mizpah in Benjamin frequently mentioned (cf. 20 : 21 ;
1 Sam. 7:5 ff. ; 10: 17), but one not identified in Gilead (cf.
n : n, 29, 34; Hos. 5 : 1). Many places might bear the name,
"5

II : i THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J H. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of
R valour, and he was the son of an harlot : and Gilead
2. begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons;
and when his wife's sons grew up, they drave out
Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit
in our father's house ; for thou art the son of another
3. woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and
dwelt in the land of Tob : and there were gathered
vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
4. And it came to pass after a while, that the children of
which indicates an eminence, meaning outlook-point, watch-
post (cf. Gen. 31 : 49).
1 1 : 1-1 1. The story of the call of Jephthah through the summons
of the elders of Gilead for assistance in their war with the Ammonites
is in striking contrast to that of the call of Gideon so fraught with
marvels (6: 11 ff.). The whole narrative in its freedom from
wonders bears the marks of an early authentic tale of history.
1. The son of an harlot. Jephthah's birth was far less honor
able than that of Abimelech, who was the son of a concubine
(8 : 31), because the son of a harlot would be fatherless. And
Gilead begat Jephthah. The personification of a land as a father
with the verb begat is a late usage. Hence this sentence and also
the following verse are late glosses, arising from a misinterpreta
tion of the adjective Gileadite (v. 1) and the words his brethren
(v. 3) and the sentence Did ye not hate me and drive me out of my
father's house (v. 7).
3. His brethren. Not the sons of his father, who was unknown,
but his countrymen, members of his mother's tribe. Tob.
Mentioned also in 2 Sam. 10 : 6, a region north or northeast of Gilead.
Its exact situation is unknown. And there were gathered vain
fellows, etc. Driven from home Jephthah took to the life of a
freebooter, even as David, when compelled to flee from Saul,
and led a band of needy and reckless men with whom he made
forays (cf. 1 Sam. 22 : 1 f. ; 23 : 1-5 ; 25; 27 : 2).
4. After a while. Some time after Jephthah had been forced
into exile. 116

THE BOOK OF JUDGES n : io

5. Ammon 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
6. land of Tob : and they said unto Jephthah, Come and
be our chief, that we may fight with the children of
7. Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gil
ead, Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my
father's house ? and why are ye come unto me now when
8. ye are in distress ? And the elders of Gilead said unto
Jephthah, Therefore are we turned again to thee now,
that thou mayest go with us, and fight with the children
of Ammon, and thou shalt be our head over all the in-
9. habitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the
elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight
with the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them
10. before me, shall I be your head ? And the elders of
Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord shall be 1 wit-
1 Heb. hearer.
5. The elders. The heads of families or clans, those upon
whom the conduct of the war devolved.
6. Come and be our chief. The invitation is to an extraor
dinary authority, a kind of dictatorship.
7. Jephthah meets the invitation to leadership with a refer
ence to his banishment. The elders had no reason to expect help
from him.
8. Therefore are we turned again to thee now. The elders
admit the charge that they had banished Jephthah. Therefore
they have turned to him now and seek to make him their leader,
that thus the past may be forgotten or righted.
9. Shall I be your head? A question is not required by the
Hebrew text. Better to translate I shall be your head. Jephthah
repeats the proposition that there may be no misunderstanding.
10. The agreement is solemnly ratified by an appeal to Je-
117

Ii;il THE BOOK OF JUDGES

ness between us ; surely according to thy word so will
ii. we do. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead,
and the people made him head and chief over them :
E and Jephthah spake all his words before the Lord in
Mizpah.
12. And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the
children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with
me, that thou art come unto me to fight against my
13. land? And the king of the children of Ammon
answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because
hovah as a witness. He will see to it that the elders shall keep
their word (cf. Gen. 31 : 49 f.).
11. And the people made him head and chief over them.
This was presumably done by an assembly at Mizpah. And
Jephthah spake all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. The
reference is to Jephthah's vow related in vv. 30 f . This vow was
made at the sanctuary of Jehovah at Mizpah (cf. 10: 17).
1 2-28. Jephthah demands of the king of Ammon his reason for
warring against Gilead (v. 12). The king of Ammon replies that
when the people of Israel came out of Egypt they seized the terri
tory of the Ammonites extending from the Arnon unto the Jabbok,
and now they should even restore peaceably that territory (v. 13).
To this Jephthah replies that the people of Israel had not taken
this land from the Ammonites, but from the Amorites, who had
forcibly opposed the peaceable passage of Israel through the land,
and therefore had Jehovah delivered the Amorites into the hand
of Israel, who thus became possessed of this territory. The
Ammonites then should not seek to deprive Israel of the fruit of
their conquest. Even as the Ammonites held that which their
god (Chemosh) had given them, so Israel rightly held whatever
Jehovah had given them. Moreover Israel had possessed this
land for three hundred years, and the Ammonites had not re
claimed it during that period. The king of Ammon then was in
the wrong.
As already mentioned, this message was originally composed
as an address to the king of Moab. The land in question, from
118

rt__t_ Jiuuis. ut JUDGES 11:15

Israel took away my land, when he came up out of
Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jor
dan: now therefore restore those lands again peace-
14. ably. And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the
15. king of the children of Ammon : and he said unto him,
Thus saith Jephthah : Israel took not away the land of
the Arnon to the Jabbok according to Num. 21 : 24, had origi
nally belonged to the Moabites who had been dispossessed by
the Amorites, who forced them to dwell south of the river Arnon.
The Moabites might well have laid claim to the land of Gilead
as their ancient possession, and Jephthah's reply to them would
have been appropriate : to wit, that Israel had it by right of con
quest as a gift from Jehovah, even as Moab had their present
territory as a gift from Chemosh their god, and moreover their
ancient king Balak the son of Zippor, who reigned when Israel
took this territory from the Amorites, never fought with Israel
to regain this territory, neither had any of their kings during
three hundred years asserted a claim for it. All this could have
been fitly said to a king of Moab, but not, as far as we are aware,
to a king of Ammon. The conquest of Israel on their entrance
into Canaan extended to the border of Ammon, but no further
(Num. 21 : 24). According to Deut. 2 : 19, Israel was not to have
the land of Ammon for their possession. The home of Ammon
bordered Gilead on the east.
13. Arnon. Modern Wady Mo jib, a valley with a stream
emptying into the middle of the Dead Sea on the east. The valley
is about seventeen hundred feet deep and some two miles across
at the top, with only a narrow width of a few hundred feet at the
bottom. Like an enormous trench cutting across the plain east of
the Dead Sea, it served as a natural boundary line. The Jabbok
is f orty-five'miles north of the Arnon, emptying into the Jordan. It
bisected the territory of Israel east of the Jordan. Its valley is
very fertile. And unto Jordan. I.e. the western boundary of this
disputed territory was the river Jordan.
15. According to Deut. 2:9, 19 the children of Israel were
commanded as they approached the land of Canaan not to molest
either the Moabites or the Ammonites. 119

u:i6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

16. Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon : but
when they came up from Egypt, and Israel walked
through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to
17. 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 hearkened not. And
in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab : but
18. he would not : and Israel abode in Kadesh. Then he
walked 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 they pitched on the other
side of Arnon ; but they came not within the border
19. of Moab, for Arnon was the border of Moab. And
Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites,
the king of Heshbon ; and Israel said unto him, Let
us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place.
20. But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his
16. Through the wilderness unto the Red Sea. These words
admit of no satisfactory explanation. One would expect, from
the Red Sea through the wilderness. Kadesh. Often called Ka-
desh-barnea, the modern Ain-kadis, fifty miles south of Beersheba ;
according to the narrative of Numbers (JE) (cf. Num. 20 : 1-2 1 ;
Deut. 1 : 46), it was the rallying centre of the children of Israel dur
ing thirty-eight years of their sojourn in the wilderness.
17. The account of this message unto the king of Edom is
given in Num. 20: 14-21, but nowhere is there mention of such
message unto the king of Moab.
18. Israel, receiving no permission to traverse the territory of
Edom or of Moab, encompassed Edom on the south and Moab
on the east until they moved westward and came to the land of
the Amorites to the north of the Arnon (cf. Num. 21 : nb-13).
19 ff. The message to Sihon and his conquest are related
in Num. 21:21-24 aud Deut. 2: 24-37. Heshbon. Modern
Heshban, sixteen miles east of the Jordan, and slightly north in lati-

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 11:24

border: but Sihon gathered all his people together,
and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel
21. And, the Lord, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and
all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote
them : so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites,
22. the inhabitants of that country. And they possessed
all the border of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto
Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
23. So now the Lord, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed
the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should-
24. est thou possess them? Wilt not thou possess that
which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess?
So whomsoever the Lord our God hath dispossessed
tude from the northern extremity of the Dead Sea. Jahaz.
Exact site is unknown, but from references (cf. Num. 21: 23;
Deut. 1:2; Josh. 13:18; 21:36; Isa. 15:4; Jer. 48 : 21, 34)
it was not far north of the Arnon and near the wilderness on
the east.
22. Cf. v. 13, where the same boundaries are given except
that here the eastern boundary is mentioned, i.e. the wilderness.
In Num. 21 : 24 the eastern boundary of the kingdom of Sihon is
the children of Ammon. Here then they are either ignored or
placed in the wilderness, i.e. the desert east of Palestine.
23 f. These two verses state first that conquered territory is
obtained through the gift of the god of the conquering people,
and secondly that such a right of possession should be respected,
whether it comes through Chemosh or Jehovah. Israel should be
left in undisturbed possession of Gilead, even as the Ammonites
(Moabites) would claim the right to possess their own land in
peace. (Chemosh was the god of the Moabites, hence as men
tioned they were the original subject of this passage. The god
of the Ammonites was Milcom.) The teaching here is that Moab
was of the people of Chemosh just as Israel was of Jehovah. On the
inscription of Mesha king of Moab we read of the oppression of
Moab by Israel owing to the anger of Chemosh; of the restora-

I : 25 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

25. from before us, them will we possess. And' now art
thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor,
king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or
26. did he ever fight against them ? While Israel dwelt
in Heshbon and her x towns, and in Aroer and her
1 towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side
Rp/E of Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye
27. not recover them within that time ? I therefore 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. Ammon. Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon
hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he
sent him.
1 Heb. daughters.
tion to Moab through Chemosh of territory conquered by Israel ;
of the command to the king of Moab by Chemosh to war against
Israel. Chemosh thus stands to the Moabites exactly in the same
relation as Jehovah is represented in the Old Testament as stand
ing to Israel. Such a belief in the reality and power of the gods of
other peoples as expressed here by Jephthah was common in early
Israel (cf. 2 Kgs. 3:27). But later through the teachings of
the prophets these gods were esteemed as things of nought.
25. Balak the son of Zippor. The king who reigned in Moab
at the time of Israel's conquest of Gilead (cf. Num. 22 : 2 ff.).
The argument is that Balak the great king of the past did not
endeavor to conquer this territory from Israel and how much less
then should the present inferior king of Ammon (Moab) engage
in such an undertaking.
26. Heshbon (cf. v. 19) and her towns. I.e. and the villages
governed from Heshbon. Aroer. Modern Arair on the northern
bank of the Arnon. Three hundred years. A round number. The
sum, however, of the years of oppression and rest recorded up to
the oppression of the Ammonites equals 301 (see p. 16). This

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 11:32

29. Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, J
and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed RJE
over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he J
30. passed over unto the children of Ammon. And Jeph- E
thah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou
wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into mine
31. hand, then it shall be, that l whatsoever cometh forth
of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in
peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the
32. Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. So
Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon
to fight against them ; and the Lord delivered them
1 Or, whosoever.
may then be the source of the 300. In that case the generation
of Joshua and the elders succeeding him is ignored ; and, since
Abimelech and the two minor judges Tola and Jair are included
in the reckoning, the three hundred years must be a gloss from the
priestly editor.
29. This verse properly follows v. na. The spirit of the Lord
came upon Jephthah (cf . 3 : 10) after he had been chosen head and
chief, and then he passed over Gilead and Manasseh collecting
his army, and then he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
The intervening words about Mizpah are from the compiler
RJ*. Manasseh. The tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the northern
part of the east-Jordanic territory of Israel.
30. And Jephthah vowed a vow. For other examples of vows
see those of Jacob (Gen. 28:20-22), Hannah (1 Sam. 1:11),
and Absalom (2 Sam. 15 : 7 f.).
31. Whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house . . .
I will offer it up for a burnt offering. Instead of whatsoever and
it we should read, as in the margin, whosoever and him. Jephthah
will offer as a burnt offering unto Jehovah the first person who
will come forth from his house to meet him, i.e. some one of his
own household. Whom it should be is left for Jehovah by the
123

II : 33 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J 33. into his hand. And he smote them from Aroer until
thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto
1 Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the
children of Ammon were subdued before the children
of Israel.
E 34. And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house,
and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him
with timbrels and with dances : and she was his
only child; beside her he had neither son nor
35. daughter. And it came to pass, when he 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
36. mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. And

1 That is, The meadow of vineyards.

event to determine. Human sacrifices were not unknown nor
abhorred, though probably quite rare in early Israel, as the story
of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) and the question of the
prophet, " Shall I give my first-born for my transgression"
(Mic. 6 : 7) show. By the later prophets they were utterly con
demned. 33. Aroer. Not the one on the Arnon (v. 26) but an Aroer
east of Rabbah of the children of Ammon mentioned in Josh. 13 : 25.
Minnith, Abel-cheramim. The locations of these places are un
known. 34. With timbrels and with dances. I.e. dancing to the ac
companiment of tambourines played by herself and the dancing
women with her. It was customary for women thus to celebrate
victories (cf. Exod. 15 : 20; 1 Sam. 18 : 6 f.).
35. He rent his clothes. An expression of great grief (cf.
Gen. 37:29; 2 Sam. 13:19,31; Job 1:20). Thou art one
of them that trouble me. A very strong expression in the
original. It has been rendered, " Thou, thou art become my
ruin."

124

LtitL i_00j<_ ur JUDGES n : 40

she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened
thy mouth unto the Lord; do unto 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
37. Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this
thing be done for me : let me alone two months, that
I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and
38. bewail my virginity, I and my companions. And he
said, Go. And he sent her away for two months:
and she departed, she and her companions, and be-
39. wailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it
came to pass at the end of two months, that she re
turned unto her father, who did with her according
to his vow which he had vowed: and she had not
40. known man. And it was l a custom in Israel, that the
daughters of Israel went yearly to 2 celebrate the
daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a
year. 1 Or, an ordinance. s Or, lament.
36. A verse of great dramatic force in revealing the resigna
tion and heroic disposition of Jephthah's daughter.
37. Bewail my virginity. That I am to die unmarried and
thus without the hope of children. This was the most coveted
possession of a Hebrew woman. In her case, since she was an
only child (v. 34), it meant the extinction of her father's house.
39. Who did with her, etc. There is a fine reticence in the
writer's forbearance in giving no details of the sacrifice. She had
not known man. She died a virgin. This statement emphasizes
the thought of v. 37.
40. To celebrate. Better lo lament. The parallel between
Jephthah's daughter and Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon,
125

12 : i THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J 12. And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and
passed x northward; and they 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 house upon thee with fire.
2. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were
at great strife with the chfldren of Ammon ; and when
I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand.
3. And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life
in my hand, 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
R the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said,
Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst
J 5. of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh. And the
1 Or, to Zaphon.
who according to one legend was sacrificed to the Greek goddess
Artemis, has been often pointed out^ There is no ground for the
adoption of the interpretation that Jephthah did not really sacrifice
his daughter, but that her fate was only that of perpetual virginity.
1. Northward. A movement of the Ephraimites in this direc
tion implies that certain details of the story (of J) are lacking.
Otherwise the word is to be rendered as the name of a place,
unto Zaphon, mentioned in Josh. 13: 27, in the eastern valley
of the Jordan near Succoth (cf. 8 : 5).
4. Because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gil
eadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.
The cause of the battle, according to the natural interpretation of
these words, is the insult offered to the Gileadites in the declara
tion that " they were not a tribe, but a crew of runagate Ephra
imites ; they had no tribal lands of their own, but lived by suffer-
126

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Gileadites took the fords of Jordan 1 against the Ephra-
imites : and it was so, that when any of the fugitives
of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead
said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite ? If he said,
6. Nay ; then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth ;
and he said Sibboleth ; for he could not frame to pro
nounce it right ; then they laid hold on him, and slew
him at the fords of Jordan : and there fell at that time
of Ephraim forty and two thousand.
7. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Rp
Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of
the cities of Gilead. 1 Or, toward Ephraim.
ance in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh." But ample
cause is given for the battle in vv. 1-3, without this one, and the
word fugitives in Hebrew does not lend itself to the interpretation
of runagates. It means survivors, those who have escaped. There
was nothing also in the situation or descent of the Gileadites to
provoke such a taunt. The sentence is plainly then a gloss which
arose from a copyist wrongly introducing the words the fugitives
of Ephraim said (later expanded) from the next verse.
5 f . The Ephraimites, having suffered defeat, turned homeward
in flight across the Jordan, where they were intercepted, and be
trayed by their pronunciation of the word Shibboleth, beginning
with sh, which they pronounced sibboleth, i.e. with s (the word
means an ear of corn) ; but any other beginning with the same letter
would have served equally as well. Such a ruse to detect an
enemy has often been successfully tried. " In the Sicilian Vespers,
March 31, 1282, the French were made to betray themselves by
their pronunciation of ceci e ciceri; those who pronounced the c
as in French {sesi e siseri) were hewn down on the spot." Forty
and two thousand. From a historical point of view this number
is an exaggeration.
7. In one of the cities of Gilead. An impossible translation.
127

12 : 8 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

9. Ibzan, 12 : 8-10
rpo-je 8. Ajid after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel.
9. And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he sent
abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad
for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
10. And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
10. Eton, 12: 11-12
RporjE 1I# And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel;
12. and he judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebu
lunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of
Zebulun.
The Hebrew text has suffered in transcription. Probably the
original was in his city Mizpah in Gilead.
8. Ibzan of Beth-lehem. The Beth-lehem here mentioned is not
Bethlehem of Judah, the city of David which is distinguished in
Judges and Ruth by the affix Judah (cf . 17:9; 19 : 1, 18 ; Ruth 1 :
1 f.),but Bethlehem of Zebulun, mentioned in Josh. 19 : 15, modern
Beit Lahm, about seven miles northwest from Nazareth.
Ibzan is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament except
as Ezbon in 1 Chron. 7:7. (The genealogy of 1 Chron. 7 : 6 ff. is
when properly restored that of Zebulun and not of Benjamin.)
And thirty daughters he sent abroad. I.e. he made marriages
for them in other clans, or families, and in a similar way he ob
tained wives for his sons. This implies that Ibzan was a person of
much importance with whom marriage alliances were desirable.
Regarding Ibzan as originally a clan, the sons and daughters are
its numerous branches and connections. (Cf. the sons of Jair,
i°:3-5-) 11. Elon. In Gen. 46 : 14 and Num. 26 : 26 this name appears
as that of a son of Zebulun, i.e. as the name of a Zebulunite clan.
12. Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. Aijalon is only another
pronunciation of Elon. In Hebrew the consonantal text is iden
tical. The site of the place is unknown. 128

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 13 : 1

11. Abdon, 12: 13-15
13. And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite R*m3S
14. judged Israel. And he had forty sons and thirty sons'
sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and
15. he judged Israel eight years. And Abdon the son of
Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pir-
athon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the
Amalekites. 12. Samson, chaps. 13-16
13. And the children of Israel again did that which was rd
evil in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord delivered
them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
13. Abdon. The name occurs also in the genealogy of Ben
jamin (1 Chron. 8: 23, 30), and through the close relationship of
the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim there may be a connection
between its occurrence there and here, since Abdon's home
(v. 15) was in the territory of Ephraim. This Hillel doesnot occur
again in the Old Testament. Pirathonite. Of Pirathon: the
home also of Benaiah, one of David's mighty men (2 Sam. 23 :
30). Pirathon has been identified with the modern Ferata, six
miles southwest from Nablus, but it is possible that it should
rather be sought farther south in Benjamin.
14. The mention of Abdon's numerous posterity suggests that,
as in the case of the previous minor judges, he represented
originally a clan. Ass colts. These were honorable riding ani
mals (cf. 10: 4).
15. Land of Ephraim. The central tract of Western Palestine,
extending from the plain of Esdraelon on the north to Bethel on
the south, thus including the territory of Benjamin. In the hill
country of the Amalekites. No satisfactory explanation has yet
been given of the designation of a section of the land of Ephraim
as of the Amalekites (cf. 6:3).
Samson as a judge (chaps. 13-16) stands in striking contrast
to Ehud, Barak, Gideon and Jephthah. He is no leader of the
K 129

13 : 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2 . And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of
the Danites, whose name was Manoah ; and his wife

people but performs his exploits single-handed. His narrative also
is not a connected tale leading to one great event, but a series of
independent adventures mostly amours. He exhibits no set pur
pose of freeing his countrymen from their oppressors, but the injuries
which he inflicts upon the Philistines are in return for personal
wrongs. His career thus is ill adapted to convey a religious
lesson, but he was too striking and popular a character to be
omitted from the roll of Israel's deliverers. The source of the
stories of Samson is J.
13 : 1-25. This narrative with its divine announcement has
points of likeness with the call of Gideon. It probably arose from
the deep impression made by the exploits of Samson and hence
may be regarded as the latest of the tales concerning
him. The narrative is prefaced with the Deuteronomic intro
duction (v. 1). The angel of Jehovah, unrecognized, appears
unto the barren wife of the Danite Manoah, and promises her a
son whom she is to rear as a Nazirite. She relates this unto her
husband (vv. 2-7) . In response to the request of Manoah the angel
again appears and instructs Manoah and his wife how to bring
up the child (vv. 8-14). Manoah offers the angel a kid, which
he accepts only as a burnt offering unto Jehovah, in the flame of
which he disappears (vv. 15-20). Manoah and his wife recognize
the divine character of their visitor (vv. 21-23). Samson is
born and endowed with the spirit of Jehovah (vv. 24-25).
1. The brevity of this Deuteronomic introduction is to be
noted. There is no cry of Israel unto the Lord (cf. 3:9, 15;
4:3; 6:6; 10:10). Probably the writer recognized the in
adequacy of the deliverance wrought by Samson and shortened
accordingly his introduction. Philistines. Cf. 3:31.
2. Zorah. The modern Surah, about sixteen miles west of Jerusa
lem, on the northern side of the valley of Sorek, on the line of the rail
road to Jaffa ; on the opposite side of the valley to the south was
Beth-shemesh. Of the family of the Danites. The tribe of Dan
was very small, consisting of only a single clan (Num. 26 : 42) ;
only one son is assigned to Dan (Gen. 46: 23). The original
settlement was southwest from Jerusalem in the vicinity of Zorah
130

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 13:5

was barren, and bare not. And the angel of the Lord
appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold
now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou
shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore be
ware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink,
and eat not any unclean thing: for, lo, thou shalt
conceive, and bear a son ; and no razor shall come upon
his head : for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God

(cf. 1 : 34). Later the tribe sought a home in Northern Palestine
(cf. 18:1 f.). Manoah. This name, meaning "rest," occurs
only in this story. His wife was barren. As were Sarah,
Rebekah, Rachel, the mothers of the patriarchs, Hannah, mother
of Samuel, and Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. A child
thus born was regarded a peculiar gift of God, designed for some
high purpose.
3. The angel of the Lord. A manifestation of Jehovah in
a human form (cf. 2:1; 6:11).
4. Drink no wine nor strong drink. I.e. all intoxicating
beverages, whether made from grapes or from other fruits and
grains. Any unclean thing. Forbidden food : to wit, an animal
which had died of itself, or had been torn by wild beasts, or any
of solid hoof or which did not chew the cud, or a bird of prey,
or a fish without scales, or insects, except the locust (cf. Lev. n ;
Deut. 14).
5. No razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be
a Nazirite. A Nazirite was one consecrated to Jehovah primarily
through uncut hair and secondarily through the abstinence com
manded Manoah's wife and avoiding contact with the dead (cf.
the law, which is late, of Num. 6). These latter requirements
do not seem to have been observed by Samson. He ate honey
defiled by a carcass and thus unclean (14 : 8 f.), and he entertained
in a way which implies the use of liquor (14: 10), and stripped
the bodies of the dead (14: 19). The hair of the Nazirite was
left uncut as a sign that the powers of life were not being inter
fered with, but were wholly given to deity. No other lifelong
Nazirites except Samson and perhaps Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 1 : 28)
131

13 : 6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

from the womb : and he shall begin to save Israel out
6. of the hand of the Philistines. Then the woman came
and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto
me, and his countenance was like the countenance of
the angel of God, very terrible; and I asked him not
7. whence he was, neither told he me his name : but he
said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a
son ; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat
not any unclean thing : for the child shall be a Nazirite
unto God from the womb to the day of his death.
8. Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, Oh Lord, I
pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send
come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do
9. unto the child that shall be born. And God hearkened
to the voice of Manoah ; and the angel of God came
again unto the woman as she sat in the field : but Ma-
10. noah her husband was not with her. And the woman
made haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said

clearly appear in the Old Testament. As an early order Nazirites
are mentioned with the prophets in Amos 2: 11, but in later
periods men and women became Nazirites for a limited time
(Num. 6). And he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of
the Philistines. The writer sees in Samson a deliverer or judge,
but recognizes the incompleteness of his work. The complete
deliverance of Israel from the Philistines only came later, accord
ing to one source (E) through Samuel (1 Sam. 7 : 13 f .), according
to another (J) through Saul (1 Sam. 9 : 16) and David.
6. Man of God. The ordinary term for a prophet, a person
to whom God made revelations ; thus applied to Moses, Samuel,
Elijah, Elisha, and others, and frequently of unknown persons
(cf. 1 Sam. 2: 27; 1 Kgs. 13: 1 ff. ; 2 Kgs. 23:16 f.). Very
terrible. Exceedingly awe-inspiring, not necessarily an object of
terror. 132

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 13 : j.6

unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me
11. that came unto me the other day. And Manoah
arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man
and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto
12. the woman? And he said, I am. And Manoah said,
1 Now let thy words come to pass : what shall be the
2 manner of the child, and 3 what shall be his work ?
13. And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all
14. that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may
not eat of any thing that cometh of the 4vine, neither
let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean
thing; all that I commanded her let her observe.
15. And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray
thee, let us detain thee, that we may make ready a
16. kid for thee. And the angel of the Lord said unto
Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy
bread : and if thou wilt make ready a burnt offering,
thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew

1 Or, Now when thy words come io pass, what 6*c. 2 Or, ordering. 8 Or, how
shall we do unto him. 4 Or, grape-vine. See Num. 6 : 4.
12. Now let thy words, etc. I.e. when thy words come to pass,
how shall the boy be brought up and what shall he do ? The
following verses strangely enough do not answer this question,
but only repeat the directions already given to the mother re
specting her mode of life in anticipation of the birth of the child.
The prohibition respecting the fruit of the vine is amplified
so as to include grapes and raisins as well as wine (v. 14). This
is according to Num. 6 : 3 and may be an editorial addition.
15. Cf. the hospitality offered by Abraham to the three angels
(Gen. 18: 3 ff.) and by Gideon to the angel (6: 17 ff.).
16. For Manoah knew not that he was the angel of the Lord.
This sentence is out of place. It follows either the invitation of
v. 15, or better the question of v. 17.
133

13 : 17 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

17. not that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah
said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name,
that when thy words come to pass we may do thee
18. honour? And the angel of the Lord said unto him,
Wherefore askest thou after my name, seeing it is
19. x wonderful? So Manoah took the kid with the
meal offering, and offered it upon the rock unto the
Lord : and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and
20. his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the
flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that
1 Or, secret.
17. Manoah asks after the angel's name, supposing him to be
a man of God, so that if the event took place he might, in some way
not mentioned, honor him. Cf. the honor given to Samuel as
a foreteller (1 Sam. 9:6), and that of money probably promised to
Balaam (Num. 22 : 17 f., 37).
18. Seeing it is wonderful. Incomprehensible, beyond the
understanding of Manoah (cf. Gen. 32 : 29). This is an inti
mation of the deity of the speaker.
19. With the meal offering. These words here and in v. 23
are an editorial addition to make the sacrifice conform with
the ritual of the later priestly legislation, which required such
an offering with the burnt offering (cf. Num. 15 : 8f., P). Upon
the rock. A rock served as an altar for Manoah. Cf. the rock
used as an altar in 6 : 20 f . And the angel did wondrously.
The word angel is not in the original. The other words by a
slight change in the text give as the true rendering, And offered
it upon the rock unto Jehovah the wonder-worker. The reference
is to the marvel of the birth of the child and not to the mar
vel of the disappearance of the angel in the flame of the altar
(v. 20). And Manoah and his wife looked on. These words are
to be omitted. They are a copyist's error from the following verse.
20. For it came to pass. The correct translation is And it
came to pass, etc. Cf. the disappearance of the angel who ap
peared unto Gideon (6 : 21). 134

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 13:25

the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the
altar : and Manoah and his wife looked on ; and they
21. fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of
the Lord did no more appear to Manoah or to his
wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of
22. the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall
23. surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife
said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us,
he would not have received a burnt offering and a meal
offering at our hand, neither would he have shewed
us all these things, nor would at this time have told
24. such things as these. And the woman bare a son, and
called his name 1 Samson : and the child grew, and the
25. Lord blessed him. And the spirit of the Lord began
1 Heb. Shimshon.
22. We shall surely die, because we have seen God. The
notion was that if any one saw God he would die (cf. 6 : 22).
23. A woman's practical sense set over a man's theoretical
reasoning is seen in this reply.
24. Samson. There is no connection between the name
Samson and either the divine appearance announcing his birth
or the work which the child was designed to accomplish. The
name is a derivative from the Hebrew word shemesh, meaning
"sun." He was a sun's man. Adjacent to the home of his parents
was the town of Beth-shemesh, evidently from its name " house
of sun," a seat of the worship of the sun. Samson's name may
indicate nothing further than that he was a " sun worshipper";
but when his exploits are considered as well as > his name, it is hard
to believe that he like Hercules was not in some way a personi
fication of the sun. There is a certain parallelism between these
two men of strength. Each begins his career by strangling a
lion ; each perishes through the wiles of a woman ; each catches
wild beasts, although the beasts of Samson are only foxes.
25. And the spirit of the Lord began to move him. Cf. 3 : 10.
13S

i4 : i THE BOOK OF JUDGES

to move him in l Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and
Eshtaol.
14. And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman
2. in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. And

1 That is, The camp of Dan. See 18 : 12.

Samson began to manifest those outbursts of rage and great
strength exhibited in his later exploits. Mahaneh-dan. The
name means "camp of Dan." Zorah. Cf . v. 2. Eshtaol. Modern
Eshua about a mile and a half east of Zorah, with which it is
generally associated (cf. 16 : 31 ; 18 : 2, 11 ; Josh. 15 : 33 ; 19 : 41 ;
1 Chron. 2 : 53).
Chapters 14, 15. Samson, through the controlling spirit of
Jehovah, who will use him as an instrument to harass the Philistines,
contrary to the wishes of his parents seeks as a wife a Philistine
woman at Timnah. On his way to visit her he strangles a lion
in whose carcase bees lodge and store honey (14: 1-8). From
the circumstance of the honey so singularly placed Samson at
his wedding feast held at Timnah propounds, on a wager of thirty
suits of clothing, a riddle to his guests, which they are unable to
answer until they persuade his newly wedded wife to entice the
answer from her husband (14 : 9-18). Samson, to pay the wager
of clothing, slays and strips thirty Philistines and in anger returns
to his home, and his bride is given to another (14 : 19-20). Sam
son, finding that his bride has been given to another, captures
300 foxes and, by means of firebrands attached to their tails, 'sets fire
to the grain and orchards of the Philistines. They in turn burn
his wife and her father, and Samson then in revenge slays great
numbers of the Philistines (15 : 1-8). At this the Philistines in
vade Judah to seize Samson, and the men of Judah deliver him,
bound with ropes, to his enemies, but he bursts the ropes and with
the jawbone of an ass slaughters the Philistines (15 : 0-16). After
ward Samson thirsts, and God creates a cavity in which water
appears (15: 17-20). The original narrative has been obscured
by revision, especially by the introduction of Samson's parents in
14: 3 (the mother), 5 f. (the father and mother), 10 (the father).
14: 1. Timnah. Modern Tibneh, only some three and a half
miles southwest of Zorah and thus quite near the home of Samson.
136

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 14 : 4

he came up, and told his father and his mother, and
said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters
of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to
wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him,
Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy
brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest
to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines ? And
Samson said unto his father, Get her for me ; for she
pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew
not that it was of the Lord ; for he sought an occasion
against the Philistines. Now at that time the Phi
listines had rule over Israel.

In Josh. 19 : 43 it is reckoned as belonging to Dan ; in Josh. 15 : 10
as on the border of Judah; and in 2 Chron. 28: 18 it is among
the towns taken by the Philistines from Judah in the reign of
Ahaz. 2. Now therefore get her for me to wife. In ancient Israel
the choosing of the bride was the business of a man's father or
the head of the family (cf. Gen. 24 : 2 ff. ; 38 : 6 ; 28 : 1 ff. ; 21 : 21).
The woman became a member of her husband's family.
3. And his mother. An editorial gloss, as appears in the reply
where we have my people and not the plural pronoun our. The
feeling against foreign wives according to the patriarchal stories
was very strong in Israel. Abraham makes his servant swear
not to take a foreign wife for Isaac (Gen. 24 : 3), and Isaac charges
Jacob not to take a Canaanite wife (Gen. 28: 1), and Esau's
foreign wives were very grievous to his mother (Gen. 27:46).
Uncircumcised. A term of reproach applied repeatedly to the
Philistines (cf. 15: 18; 1 Sam. 14:6; 17 : 26, 36, etc.). The other
neighbors of Israel were kindred peoples who generally practised
circumcision. 4. The father and mother did not know that the persistent
love of their son for the Philistine woman was caused by Jehovah,
who sought the opportunity which would arise from this passion
to inflict evil upon the Philistines. 137

i4 : 5 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

5. Then went Samson down, and his father and his
mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of
Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against
6. him. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon
him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid,
R and he had nothing in his hand : but he told not his
J 7. father or his mother what he had done. And he went
down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased
8. Samson well. And after a while he returned to take
her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of
5. A young lion roared against him. Lions were very plenti
ful in ancient Palestine : David as a shepherd overcame one (1 Sam.
17 : 34 ff.) ; Benaiah slays one in a pit on a snowy day (2 Sam.
23 : 20) ; a lion slays the disobedient prophets (1 Kgs. 13 : 23) ;
lions harass the new settlers of northern Israel (2 Kgs. 17 : 25).
8 f . And after a while he returned to take her. The return
is not to Timnah but to Samson's home. The words to take her
are to be omitted as gloss, and with the glosses of father and mother
in the two previous verses have led to a complete misconception of
the original story. In its present form it reads as if Samson,
accompanied by his parents, goes down to Timnah, and while on
the way slays a lion, strangely enough unbeknown to his father
and mother, who are with him (v. 6). Then later on the three
are again on their way to Timnah, this time that Samson may
marry the woman ; and Samson slips away from his parents to
view the lion and returns to them with the honey, and his father
went down to the woman (v. 10), i.e. to arrange for the marriage.
In the original story the father and mother were not mentioned,
except in v. 9, where Samson meets them on his return home.
Samson first goes down alone to Timnah and on the way he slays
a lion. After remaining in Timnah awhile he returns to his
home, and on the way he views the carcase, takes and eats the
honey, and brings some of it to his parents at Zorah. Then
later on (v. 10) he goes again to Timnah unto the woman and
marries her, celebrating the union with a feast. His parents have
no part in his wooing and marrying the Philistine woman of
138

THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 14:11

the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees
9. in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took
it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went,
and he came to his father and mother, and gave
unto them, and they did eat : but he told them not
that he had taken the honey out of the body of the
10. Uon. And his father went down unto the woman:
and Samson made there a feast ; for so used the young
11. men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him,
that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
whom they so thoroughly disapprove (vv. 2 f .) and of whose divine
purpose they are ignorant (v. 4). A swarm of bees in the body
of the Uon. That the dead body in the hot sun and dry atmos
phere would soon shrivel and form a cavity in which bees might
assemble is not improbable; yet the appearance of the bees and
honey must be regarded as a wonder and be classified with the
other marvels of the stories of Samson.
10 f. Removing as a gloss the words his father, Samson goes
down to marry the woman and makes at her home a wedding
feast according to the custom of bridegrooms, who, like Samson,
contract a marriage with a woman who is to remain in her father's
house (cf. 8: 30). In an ordinary marriage the feast would be
at the bridegroom's home, where the bride would remain. This
is a plausible interpretation of v. 10; but v. n in the present
text can only mean : When the Philistines saw Samson, or
according to some Greek texts since they feared him (the two verbs
are very nearly alike in Hebrew), knowing his dangerous char
acter, they brought thirty men as a posse of constables to be
with him. But this statement is unnatural. Samson has not yet
become a mischief-maker to the Philistines. It is better by a re
arrangement of the clauses of the two verses and by slight changes
in the text to render : 10a. And Samson went down unto the
woman to take (marry) her. 11. And it came to pass when they
saw him that they brought him thirty companions to be with him,
10b. and they made a feast, for so used the young men to do. When
Samson came to marry the woman in her father's house, her
139

i4 : 12 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

12. And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth
a riddle unto you : if ye can declare it me within the
seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will
give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of
13. raiment : but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye
give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of
raiment. And they said unto him, Put forth thy rid-
14. die, that we may hear it. And he said unto them,
Out of the eater came forth meat,
And out of the strong came forth sweetness.
And they could not in three days declare the riddle.

friends, the Philistines, provided Samson with companions who
in an ordinary wedding would be his kinsmen, and these com
panions after an eastern custom furnished the feast.
12. Riddle. To propose a riddle, a knotty or dark saying,
has always been a favorite means of entertainment in the East.
The Queen of Sheba tested Solomon with riddles (1 Kgs. 10 : 1).
A perplexing moral problem is called a riddle (Ps. 49 : 4, dark say
ing). Samson's riddle (v. 14) called for the substitution of special
terms for general ones and required a knowlege of a beehive in a
lion's carcase or something similar for its solution. Seven days.
The customary duration of wedding festivities (cf. Gen. 29: 27).
Linen garments. Wrappers, sheetlike, rectangular pieces of cloth
of fine material worn at night upon the naked body (cf . Mark 14 :
51), or as a mantle over other clothing. Changes of raiment.
Apparel worn on festival and ceremonial occasions (cf. Gen.
45: 22; 2 Kgs. 5: 5).
14 f. Three days. This does not agree with the following
seventh day (v. 15) unless the riddle was propounded on the
fourth day, in which case there still remains the discrepancy
of the woman weeping seven days (v. 16). It is best to strike
out both statements of time as glosses (the first, though a gloss,
having originally been six) and render And when they could not
declare the riddle then it came to pass that they said, etc. The
Philistines in the original story seem to have realized from the
140

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 14: 19

15. And it came to pass on the 1 seventh day, that they said
unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may
declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy
father's house with fire : have ye called us to 2 impov-
16. erish us? is it not so? And Samson's wife wept
before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lov-
est me not : thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children
of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said
unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my
17. mother, and shall I tell it thee? And she wept
before him the seven days, while their feast lasted:
and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told
her, because she pressed him sore : and she told the
18. riddle to the children of her people. And the men of
the city said unto him on the seventh day before the
sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and
what is stronger than a lion ? And he said unto them,
If ye had not plowed with my heifer,
Ye had not found out my riddle.
19. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, R
1 The Sept. and Syriac have, fourth. ! Or, take that we have.
beginning that the riddle without special knowledge was insolu
ble, and applied at once to Samson's wife for the solution. Lest
we burn thee and thy father's house with fire. This was the
ultimate fate of the woman and her family. The Ephraimites
threatened Jephthah with a similar punishment (12 : 1).
18. Before the sun went down. Render more correctly,
before he went into the chamber. The Philistines spring the an
swer upon Samson just as he is about to retire that his dis
comfiture may be great. If ye had not plowed with my heifer.
This reply is in the form of a riddle.
19. Cf. v. 6. Samson's mighty deeds are represented as
141

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men
of them, and took their 1 spoil, and gave the changes
of raiment unto them that declared the riddle. And his
anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's
20. house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion,
whom he had used as his friend.
IS. But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat
harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid ; and
he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber.
2. But her father would not suffer him to go in. And
her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst
utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy com
panion: is not her younger sister fairer than she?
1 Or, apparel.
through the special influence of Jehovah (cf. 3: 10). Ashkelon.
One of the five cities of the Philistines, modern name the same,
on the seacoast, a couple of days' journey from Timnah. This
episode of movement to such a distant place and of the slaughter
of thirty Philistines to secure spoil with which to pay the wager
is the insertion of an editor. The latter half of the verse gives
the original sequel. Samson in furious rage leaves then and
there his wife, and she, deserted by her newly made husband,
against whom she had conspired, is given at once to his best man
(the friend of the bridegroom, Jn. 3: 29).
1. After a while. The anger of Samson cools, and he visits
his wife with the desire of assuming his rights as a husband.
In the time of wheat harvest. This statement of time is
given with reference to v. 5. Since young people in Palestine
are usually married in March this would be about two months
after the wedding. With a kid. A gift of reconciliation and
such a one as the husband of a woman who lived with her parents
would naturally bring on a visit to his wife : possibly, since
Judah promised a kid to Tamar (cf. Gen. 38: 17), the usual gift
in connection with the marital relations.
142

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 15:6

3. take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And Samson
said unto them, This time 1 shall I be blameless in
regard of the Philistines, when I do them a mischief.
4. And Samson went and caught three hundred 2 foxes,
and took 3 firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a
5. firebrand in the midst between every two tails. And
when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go
into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt
up both the shocks and the standing corn, and also
6. the oliveyards. Then the Philistines said, Who hath
done this ? And they said, Samson, the son in law of
the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and
given her to his companion. And the Philistines
1 Or, shall I be quits with. i Or, jackals. ' Or, torches.
3. This time shall I be blameless, etc. Samson exults in the
thought that in return for the wrong done to him in giving his
wife to another, he is free to inflict injury upon the Philistines.
4 f. The calm deliberation and cunning stratagem with which
Samson here works his revenge is in striking contrast to his
seizure by a divine frenzy. Three hundred foxes or jackals are
caught, and one hundred and fifty pairs with their tails tied
together and burning faggots attached are set loose, and the cut
and standing' grain is destroyed and the olive orchards suffer
likewise. This story is an invention of folklore, and hence is not
to be considered seriously in reference to the possibility of such
an occurrence. It has a remarkable parallel in a Roman ceremony
described by Ovid in which, at the festival of Ceres, the goddess
of grain, foxes with lighted torches tied to their tails were turned
loose in the circus. This Roman ceremony is explained by Ovid
as commemorating the burning of grainfields kindled by a wisp
of burning hay tied by a boy to a fox's tail. The coincidence
between this and the Samson story may be accidental, but
probably a common myth of great antiquity underlies each.
6. Her and her father. After the Greek and Syriac versions
143

i5 : 7 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
7. And Samson said unto them, If ye do after this man
ner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I
8. will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with
a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in
the cleft of the rock of Etam.
9. Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah,
10. and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of
Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And
they said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to
11. him as he hath done to us. Then three thousand men
of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam,
we should read Her and her father's house {i.e. family) (cf. the
destruction of the families of Dathan and Abiram, Num. 16:
27 ff., and Achan, Josh. 8 : 24).
7. Samson, although having wrought injury upon the Phi
listines for the wrong done him through his Philistine wife and
family, stands ready to avenge their cruel death. Under any
event the Philistines are to suffer.
8. Hip and thigh. A proberbial expression for complete
overthrow. Etam. Usually regarded the place of this name near
Beth-lehem (cf. 2 Chron. 11:6). But not far from Timnah and
Zorah (near Artuf ) is an almost vertical cliff with a large cave very
difficult and even dangerous of access which may well have been
the traditional refuge of Samson (Moore).
In addition to the marvels of Samson's strength the story of
15:9-17 has the usual exaggerations of a folktale. The Phi
listines seek Samson with an invading army (v. 9) , and the force
of Judah which summons him to surrender is three thousand men
(v. 11).
9. Lehi (cf. vv. 14-19). Site unknown. The word means
" jawbone," and the name was not unlikely given from the resem
blance of the rocks or cliffs of the place to the underjaw of an
animal. n. Three thousand men. Samson's strength is glorified
144

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 15:14

and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the
Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that
thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them,
12. As they did 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 Philis
tines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me,
13. that ye will not fall upon me 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
14. ropes, and brought him up from the rock. When
he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they
met him : and the spirit of the Lord came mightily
upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms be-

through the number of men thought necessary to take him.
Some explain the willingness of the men of Judah to deliver Sam
son by the fact that he was a Danite and hence they felt no obli
gation to protect him. But that does not appear in the narra
tive. The only apparent motive for their action is fear of damage
from the Philistines and an obligation to them as their rulers.
This in view of the outcome of their surrender of Samson would
not be felt by the writer as reprehensible. The Philistines are
rulers over us. This was the actual condition of affairs imme
diately preceding the kingship of Saul. What then is this that
thou hast done unto us ? Samson is charged through misconduct
toward the Philistines with subjecting the men of Judah to an
invasion. 12. Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
Upon this condition Samson, evidently confident of his own ulti
mate deliverance, is willing to be delivered to the Philistines.
13. New ropes. Cf. 16: 11. A precaution against the possi
bility of escape.
14. The spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him. As when
l 14S

15:15 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

came as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands
15. : dropped from off his hands. And he found a new jaw
bone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it,
16. and smote a thousand men therewith. And Samson
said, With the jawbone of an ass, 2 heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thou
sand men.
17. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of
speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his
hand ; and 3 that place was called 4 Ramath-lehi.
18. And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and
said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the
hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst,
1 Heb. were melted. 2 Heb. an heap, two heaps. s Or, he called that place.
1 That is, The hill of the jawbone.
he slew the lion (14 : 6) and the men of Ashkelon (14 : 19) (cf.
3 : 10).
15. A new jawbone. An old jawbone would have been brittle
and hence not adaptable as a weapon of great destruction.
16. Heaps upon heaps. The text of these words requires a
slight emendation. In the original they are a pun upon the
Hebrew word ass. To preserve this the couplet has been trans
lated : With the jawbone of an ass,
I assailed my assailants ;
With the jawbone of an ass
Have I slain a thousand men.
17. Ramath-lehi. I.e. " Jawbone-hill." Ramath is a com
mon place name meaning height or hill.
18 f. Samson, after his great effort in slaying the thousand
Philistines with the jawbone, is overcome with thirst, and as
though about to perish prays unto Jehovah, who cleaves a hollow
in which water gushes forth and his spirit is revived. The
146

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 16:2

19. and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. But
God clave the hollow place that is in 1 Lehi, and there
came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his
spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore 2the
name thereof was called 3 En-hakkore, which is in
20. Lehi, unto this day. And he judged Israel in the RD
days of the Philistines twenty years.
16. And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, J
2. and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites,
saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed R
him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of
1 Or, the jawbone. * Or, he called the name of. » That is, The spring of him that called.
spring which thus appears is named, " The spring of him that
calleth." This spring was in Lehi until the day of the writer.
All of this is a legend which arose in explaining a hollow and a
spring at Lehi. Since Lehi itself means jawbone, from that name
possibly came the entire story of Samson's adventures at Lehi.
En-hakkore means " The spring of the Partridge," as well as " The
spring of him that calleth," and this (Partridge-spring) was un
doubtedly the original name.
20. This Deuteronomic conclusion suggests that the remainder
of the story of Samson, chap. 16 (taken from JE), was added by.
the priestly editor.
16 : 1. The original of this verse, as witnessed by the Greek ver
sion, read and from thence Samson went to Gaza, thus closely con
necting this story with the preceding one. Gaza. The most
southerly of the Philistine cities, on the borders of the desert
towards Egypt. The modern town has the same name, and being
on the highway to Egypt is, like the ancient one, a city of impor
tance. The present population is some sixteen thousand. Gaza
is some thirty miles south of Samson's home at Zorah. He thus
had recklessly entered into the heart of the enemies' country.
2. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night
in the gate of the city. These statements do not harmonize with
the remainder of the verse, since if Samson's lodging was sur-
147

16:3 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, l Let be
3. till morning light, then we will kill him. And Sam
son lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid
hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two
posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them
upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of
the mountain that is before Hebron.
4. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman
2 in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her and
1 Or, When (or Before) the morning light. 2 Or, by the brook.
rounded and the city gate was watched, how could he without an
encounter have carried off the gates ? The words, then, seem to
be an interpolation designed to make the escape of Samson more
wonderful. The Philistines are represented as confident, the city
gates being closed, that Samson could not escape during the night.
They therefore quietly awaited his appearance in the morning, ex
pecting to have him at bay and kill him.
3. The doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts . . .
bar and all. The doors or leaves of the city gate moved on pins
set in sockets ; the bar extended across the doors into two posts
at the sides of the gate, and was in some manner locked. Sam
son removed the whole of this structure. Mountain that is before
Hebron. I.e. the hill which faces Hebron as one approaches
from Gaza. The distance between the two cities is some forty
miles; thus the feat was gigantic. Some have thought of a hill
near Hebron on the road to Gaza, which from its natural forma
tion was called the " Gates of Gaza." This, however, is doubtful,
since the narrative gives no such local connection.
4. The valley of Sorek. The fertile valley now known as the
Wady Surar, extending from near Jerusalem westward into the
coast plain. In it were the towns of Zorah, Timnah, and Beth-
shemesh. Sorek in Hebrew is the name of a choice variety of
grapes which probably grew abundantly in the valley.
5. And the lords of the Philistines. Five lords or rulers of
148

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 16:9

said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great
strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail
against him, that we may bind him to 1 afflict him :
and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred
6. pieces of silver. And Delilah said to Samson, Tell
me, I pray thee, wherem 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 2 green withes that were never dried, then shall
8. I become weak, and be as another man. Then the
lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven 3 green
withes which had not been dried, and she bound him
9. with them. Now she had liers in wait abiding in the
inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philis
tines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes,
as a string of tow is broken when it 4 toucheth the
1 Or, humble ! Or, new bowstrings. ' Or, new bowstrings. * Heb. smclleih.
the Philistines are mentioned in 3:3. The number is derived
from the five cities Ekron, Gath, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gaza.
Wherein his great strength. In harmony with the develop
ment of the story the rulers think his strength due to some magic
the secret of which may be discovered. Eleven hundred pieces of
silver. I.e. over a thousand shekels, an enormous sum, consider
ing the purchasing power of money in those days. A slave was
valued at only thirty shekels (cf. Exod. 21:32). Intrinsically a
shekel was worth sixty cents.
7. Seven green withes. I.e. seven fresh sinews such as
were used for bowstrings. These could be readily knotted and
would not easily break. Seven is a charmed number.
8. Brought up to her seven green withes. Delilah naturally
would not have fresh sinews at hand.
9. The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. The scare words
do not imply that the liers in wait rushed out. They probably
149

16:10 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

10. 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
ii. thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If
they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work
hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as
12. another man. So Delilah took new ropes, and bound
him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be
upon thee, Samson. And the Hers in wait were abid
ing in the inner chamber. And he brake them from
13. off his arms like a thread. And Delilah said unto
Samson, 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
14. my head with the web. And she fastened it with
the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon
thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and
plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.

remained in concealment each time when they saw that Samson's
strength remained.
12. Like a thread. In contrast to the rope.
13 f. The concluding words of Samson's directions have been
omitted (v. 13) and also the first part of Delilah's actions. These
may be restored from the Greek text as follows : And he said unto
her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web and mak-
est it fast with the pin then shall I become weak like another man-
And she made him sleep, and she wove the seven locks of his head with
the web, and she made it fast with the pin. The pin. This was the
wooden peg with which the weaver beat the woof tight and hard
into the warp. While Samson slept with his head near the loom,
Delilah wove his long hair into the warp with her fingers and beat
it up tight and hard. Samson was thus fastened with his hair in
a prostrate position. When he awoke he pulled up by his hair
ISO

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 16:19

15. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love
thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast
mocked me these three times, and hast not told me
16. wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to
pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and
urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.
17. And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There
hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have
been a Nazirite unto God from my mother's womb :
if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and
I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his
heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Phi
listines, saying, Come up this once, for 1 he hath told
me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines
came up unto her, and brought the money in their
19. hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees;
and she called for 2 a man, and shaved off the seven
locks of his head ; and she began to afflict him, and
1 Or, according to another reading, he had told her. 2 Or, the men.
the web and its support. The words the pin of are to be omitted
before the words the beam. They have come into the text through
a misunderstanding of the use of the pin.
16. Delilah finally succeeds in wresting the secret from Samson
by the same tactics by which his wife obtained the answer to the
riddle (14: 17).
17. And he told her all his heart. All that he knew. The
heart in Hebrew is frequently equivalent to the mind. A Nazirite.
Cf. 13 : 7-
19. And shaved off. The pronoun he should be supplied. The
man did the shaving. And she began to afflict him. Better after
Greek texts, and he began to be afflicted, i.e. he began to grow weak.
iSi

16 : 20 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

20. his strength went from him. And she said, The Philis- .
tines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his
sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and
shake myself. But he wist not that the Lord was
21. departed from him. And the Philistines laid hold
on him, and put out his eyes ; and they brought him
down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass;
22. and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit the
hair of his head began to grow again after he was
shaven.
23. And the lords of the Philistines gathered them to
gether for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their

20. And shake myself. Set himself free from the bonds
with which Delilah may be thought to have bound him (cf. v. 6),
since the Philistines would wish to know that his strength had
really departed before they appeared to seize him. The Lord was
departed from him. The presence of Jehovah was manifested in
Samson's strength. When his hair was cut, the divine presence
or spirit left him.
21. And put out his eyes. Assyrian monuments contain rep
resentations of the blinding of captives. The eyes of the captive
king Zedekiah of Judah were put out by the Babylonians (2 Kgs.
25 : 7). And they brought him down to Gaza. The Philistine
city, the farthest from his home. Jewish scholars saw in this a
punishment for his whoring in Gaza (cf. v. 1). And he did grind.
Grinding was woman's labor, therefore contemptible for a strong
man. 23. Dagon their god. The chief deity of the Philistines, men
tioned in the story of the capture of the ark (1 Sam. 5:2 ff.),
and occurring in the local name Beth-dagon (Josh. 15 : 41 ; 19 : 27.)
The name has been connected with the Hebrew word for fish
{dag) and also the word for grain {dagan). The latter is the more
probable derivation, and since the name occurs in the Amarna
tablets (1500 B.C.) and in inscriptions of Phoenicia and Baby
lonia, Dagon was probably an ancient Semitic god of agriculture
152

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 16:26

god, and to rejoice : for they said, Our god hath de- R
24. livered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when J
the people saw him, they praised their god : for they
said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy,
and the destroyer of our country, which hath slain
25. many of us. And it came to pass, when their 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 sport before
26. them: and they set him between the pillars. And
revered on the seacoast of Palestine and adopted by the Phi
listines when they entered Palestine. For they said. Literally
and they said. These words with the remainder of the verse are
an insertion. The feast was not called to celebrate the capture
of Samson, for that event, as is shown by the regrowth of his hair,
had taken place long before, but was a great sacrificial feast in
honor of Dagon. Rejoicing would be a feature of a sacrificial
feast of Dagon even as of Jehovah without reference to any spe
cial circumstance (cf. Deut. 12: 12, 18).
The following two verses, since the sight of Samson (v. 24)
naturally follows his call out of the prison house, must be trans
posed. Their present order is a copyist's mistake.
24. For they said. Better after the Greek translation, and
they said; since the following words, Our god hath delivered into
our hand, etc., are not the words of praise (the hallel shout, con
sisting of names and honorific titles of their god), but are " an
improvised hymn setting forth the reason and meaning of their
praises." The passage (Our god, etc.) in Hebrew contains five
words of a single rhyme.
25. When their hearts were merry. Doubtless with wine
(cf. 2 Sam. 13 : 28), although songs, music, dancing, trials of wit
and athletic sports may have formed a feature of their festivity.
That he may make us sport. That he may amuse us. How
Samson should amuse them, whether by song or dance or feats
of strength, is not indicated. Perhaps his presence as a blind
captive to receive their jeers would be sufficient.
iS3

16:27 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand,
Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the
27. house resteth, that I may lean upon them. 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,
28. that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson
called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remem
ber me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee,
only this once, O God, that I may *be at once avenged
29. of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson
took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the
house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his
30. right hand, and the other with his left. And Samson
said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed
1 Or, be avenged . . . for one of my two eyes.
26. The lad. The word is better rendered servant or attend
ant. There is nothing to indicate that he was not a grown man.
The pillars whereupon the house resteth. Many attempts have
been made to describe architecturally the building overthrown
by Samson. One who desires to make actual the occurrence may
think of a great hall connected with the temple, whose roof, as
well as its interior, was thronged with spectators viewing Samson
making sport for them before the building, perhaps in the space
in front of the temple. After his exhibition he was led unto the
two middle pillars of the building, possibly those within at its
centre, and pushing with his right hand upon one pillar and his
left hand on the other, he caused the great hall to collapse.
27. The Hebrew text suggests that mention of the presence
of the lords of the Philistines and likewise of the people on the
roof is an editorial addition. V. 30 does not mention the death
of any on the roof.
28. For my two eyes. The Hebrew text requires the trans
lation of the margin, for one of my two eyes. The death of the
1 54

j.i._i-< jtS'v^uJii. '^a j' ui^GES 16 : 31
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 more than
31. they which he slew in his life. 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. R
Philistines whom he may destroy will atone only for the loss of
one of his eyes, so great is his sense of injury and so great his
desire for revenge.
31. Zorah and Eshtaol. Cf. 13:2, 25. The recovery of
Samson's body and its burial by his kinsmen is a simple touch to
describe the regard of his own people for the hero.

I5S

C. THE APPENDIX, CHAPTERS 17-21
I. The Founding of the Sanctuary at Dan,
Chapters 17, 18
17: 1 J 17. And there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim,
E 2. whose name was Micah. And he said unto his
mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were
Chapters 17-21. This section of the Book of Judges consists of
the stories of the founding of the sanctuary at Dan and of the sin
of Gibeah. It shows no trace of Deuteronomic editing, and hence
the two stories come from the priestly editor (Rp). They were
presumably taken from the historical work JE and then edited and
joined as an appendix to the Deuteronomic Book of Judges at the
same time that chaps. 1-2 : 5 were prefixed as its introduction.
Chapters 17, 18. At Dan far to the north in Israel at the head
waters of Jordan was a famous sanctuary during the life of the
Hebrew nation. There Jeroboam placed one of the golden calves
(1 Kgs. 12 : 29). This story of the origin of this sanctuary differs
from the accounts of the origins of the sanctuaries at Beersheba,
Bethel, Mahanaim, and Penuel given in Genesis (21 : 31 ; 26 : 33 ;
28 : 12 ff. ; 32:2, 30), because this is not a mythical legend of di
vine appearances and patriarchal, but a flesh and blood tale of
real life.
A man Micah of Mt. Ephraim has a private temple with an
idol and he secures a Levite as a priest. The tribe of Dan, having
too narrow a territory, send forth spies to find a new dwelling place.
These spies chance in their journey upon Micah's temple and
priest, whom they recognize as an old acquaintance. They
inquire in regard to the success of their undertaking, and receiv
ing a favorable response, they come to the unprotected Phoeni
cian town of Laish, near the head waters of the Jordan. This
town they recommend their countrymen to seize as a new home.
An armed force of Danites march thither, and on their way they
156

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 17:2

taken from thee, about which thou didst utter l a
curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold,
1 Or, an adjuration.
plunder Micah's temple and persuade his priest to join them.
Having conquered and destroyed Laish, they make it their home,
which they call Dan, and set up there the idol of Micah.
The story contains the marks of the union of two narratives to
be assigned to J and E. In the former (J) Micah has a temple
in which are an ephod and teraphim (v. 5), and one of his sons is
priest, for whom he substitutes a wandering Levite from Beth-
lehem-judah (vv. 8-na, 12C-13). In the latter (E), from re
stored stolen silver Micah's mother has made for him a graven
image and a molten image which are in the house of Micah (vv.
2-4). A young man of Beth-lehem-judah, a Levite, is sojourning
there, i.e. in Mt. Ephraim, Micah's home (v. 7). This young man
was as one of Micah's sons and became his priest (vv. nb-i2ab).
Of the two conclusions of the narrative, 18 : 30 belongs to J and
18 : 31 to E. Elsewhere the marks of the two narratives are not
distinct and hence the narrative as a whole we assign to JE.
The antiquity of this narrative appears in the fact that it
contains no condemnation of the use of images in the worship
of Jehovah. As already intimated, the tale gives also a true bit
of history and an authentic glimpse of early conditions in Israel.
A well-endowed householder may have his own shrine with images
for the worship of Jehovah. (Cf. the ephod of Gideon, 8: 27.)
He may maintain at his own expense a priest. The priesthood
has become a profession already associated with the tribe of
Levi. The land of Israel and the adjacent country on the north
is so destitute of controlling and protecting authorities that an
armed force of a tribe in one district could leave its home, and,
marching through the country, take the property of people and
attack and destroy a peaceable and prosperous community.
This migration of a portion of the tribe of Dan took place soon
after the entrance of Israel into Western Palestine. In the song
of Deborah the tribe is mentioned as already in its northern
home (cf. 5 : 17).
17 : 1. The hill country of Ephraim. See on 3 : 27. Micah.
The Heb. has the longer form of the name Micayehu, here and in
157

17:3 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother
3. said, Blessed be my son of the Lord. And he re
stored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother,
and his mother said, I verily 1 dedicate the silver unto
1 Or, had dedicated.
v. 4, but elsewhere the shorter form, Micah. The word means,
" Who is like Yah {i.e. Jehovah) ? "
2-4. The general meaning of these verses is clear. From the
mother of Micah eleven hundred shekels of silver have been stolen
and she has cursed the thief. Her son, moved by the imprecation,
confesses the theft and restores the money. The mother there
upon blesses her son and dedicates the silver for an idol for
him. This purpose is carried out. The text, however, of these
verses is in disorder. In the Hebrew of the clause, And didst
also speak it in mine ears (v. 2) the it is lacking. The object of
the verb speak (literally say) perhaps as an expression impious
to the Jewish scribes has been omitted from the text. The last
clause of v. 3 is out of place. It follows / took it in v. 2. The
restoration of the silver also in v. 4 (where in the Hebrew the word
when does not appear) is a. repetition from v. 3 ; and the clause,
And his mother said (vv. 2 f.), has been repeated. The passage
should read : And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred
pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst
utter a curse and did also speak (i.e. say) . . . in mine ears, behold
the silver is with me. I took it. Now therefore I will restore it
unto thee. And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver
to his mother. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah.
I verily dedicate the silver into Jehovah from my hand for my son
to make a graven image and a molten image. And his mother took
two hundred pieces of silver, etc.
Eleven hundred pieces of silver. Cf. 16 : 5, where the same sum
is offered by each Philistine lord to Delilah. The possession of
such a sum by Micah's mother suggests that she was a widow.
Blessed be my son of the Lord (Jehovah) . A curse spoken against
the thief could not be unsaid, but it might be neutralized by a
blessing. Thus when a curse or calamity is to be averted a
blessing is desired (cf. Exod. 12:32; 2 Sam. 21:3). Curses
158

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 17 : 5

the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven
image and a molten image: now therefore I will
4. restore it unto thee. And when he restored the money
unto his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces
of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made
thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it
5. was in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had .
an house of 1 gods, and he made an ephod, and tera
phim, and 2 consecrated one of his sons, who became
1 Or, Cod . 2 Heb. filled the hand of.
and blessing were regarded in ancient Israel as having real power.
A graven image and a molten image. Only one image is meant.
It was a carved image overlaid with metal. Two hundred pieces
of silver. The dedication did not require that the entire sum
should be made into an idol, but only that which was sufficient
to make a worthy image. The founder. The smelter or silver
smith. 5. This verse continues v. 1, representing a different source
from w. 2-4. An house of gods. I.e. a temple. The ordinary
furniture for worship was an altar with pillars of stone and wood
adjoining. These required no building. A temple was erected
only in the case of some sacred object like the ark or an idol.
An ephod. An image representing Jehovah. See the one which
Gideon made (8 : 24-27). Teraphim (plural in form, but may be
translated as a singular noun). An idol of some sort, generally
regarded as that of an household deity, possibly used in connec
tion with ancestor worship. Rachel hid that (or those) of her
father's home under a camel's saddle (Gen. 31 : 19, 34). Michal,
the daughter of Saul, put one in the bed to represent her husband
(1 Sam. 19: 13, 16). Like the ephod, the teraphim was em
ployed in divination (2 Kgs. 23 : 24; Ezek. 21 : 21 ; Zech. 10: 2).
And consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In a
similar manner, when the ark was brought into the house of
Abinadab, one of his sons was set apart to keep the ark (1 Sam.
7 : 1). The sons of David held the office of priest (2 Sam. 8 : 18).
159

17:6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

R 6. his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel :
every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
E 7. And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-
judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and
J 8. he sojourned there. And the man departed out of

6. This verse is an editorial note (repeated in 18 : 1 ; 19:1;
21 : 25) to explain how such doings as those related in the story
of Micah were possible. The editor wrote after or within the
period of the monarchy when the establishment of a private temple
with idols and an ordinary citizen as a priest was unlawful.
The passage 17 : 7-13 is a combination of the two narratives
J and E. According to the latter narrative, to which v. 7 be
longs, the Levite whom Micah secured was one already living in
Mt. Ephraim. He was Micah's priest in the first instance, the
narrative (E) knowing nothing about the consecration of Micah's
son. According to J (vv. 8-13 in the main), a Levite from Beth-
lehem-judah seeking a home came to Mt. Ephraim and was gladly
employed by Micah as a priest in the place of his son. This
latter view, in connection with v. 5, is the one given by the section
as a whole. V. 7 in its present connection reads like an antici
patory summary of the detailed narrative which follows.
7. Beth-lehem-judah. So called to distinguish it from other
Beth-lehems, as the one in Zebulun (cf. 12: 8, 10); the modern
Beit Lahm, five miles south of Jerusalem, the home town of David.
The name means house of bread, descriptive of its f ruitf ulness ;
hence its other name Ephrathah (Mic. 5:2), meaning fruitful.
Of the family of Judah, who was a Levite. The young man be
longed to the tribe of Judah, but by profession he was a Levite;
i.e. he was especially trained to perform the office of a priest.
The tribes of Levi and Simeon, probably from their treacherous
conduct at Shechem (cf . Gen. 34 : 25-30, a tale of tribal history),
were early dispersed in Israel (Gen. 49 : 7b) and considerable rem
nants of both tribes settled in Judah. Many of the members of
the tribe of Levi followed the priestly calling ; and the word
Levite came to have a professional as well as tribal meaning.
And he sojourned there. I.e. dwelt as a stranger there. The
expression is used when one resides apart from his own family or
160

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 18 : 1

the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where
he could find a place : and he came to the hill country
of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
9. And Micah said unto him, Whence comest 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.
10. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be
unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten
pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and
11. thy victuals. So the Levite went in. And the
Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the E
12. young man was unto him as one of his sons. And
Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man
became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. J
13. Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do
me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
18. In those days there was no king in Israel : and in R/JE
tribe; hence there cannot refer to Beth-lehem-judah, since the
young man was of Judah, but to the vicinity of Micah's home.
8 f . These verses are a doublet of v. 7 and state how the Levite
happened to be in the vicinity of Micah.
10. A father. A title of respect given to prophets, priests,
and high officers of state. Joseph (also a young man) says, " God
hath made me a father unto Pharaoh " (Gen. 45 : 8). Ten pieces
of silver. Ten shekels of silver. The intrinsic value of a. shekel
is about sixty cents, but its purchasing power was much greater.
The offer of Micah was regarded as advantageous.
13. Micah feels great satisfaction in having one regularly
trained for the priest's office to minister in his temple. He is
confident now of prosperity.
18 : 1. In those days there was no king in Israel. An editorial
note belonging to the preceding chapter (cf. 17:6). Its place,
as the opening words of this chapter, is due to the influence of
the Latin version which gave it this wrong connection with the
M l6l

18 : 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an
R inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their in
heritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes
JE 2. of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their
family five men from their whole number, men of
valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the
land, and to search it ; and they said unto them, Go,
search the land: and they came to the hill country
of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged
3. there. When they were by the house of Micah, they
knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and
they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who
brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this
4. place ? and what hast thou here ? And he said unto
them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and

emigration of the tribe of Dan. And in those days. The days
when Micah had his temple and priest. For unto that day their
inheritance had not, etc. An infelicitious gloss to explain the
reason why the Danites were seeking new territory. The tribe
had received an inheritance west of Judah bordering on the land
of the Philistines, as we learn from the story of Samson (cf. 13:2).
They were, however, restricted in their territory through the
Amorites, who did not allow them to enter the coast plain (1 : 34).
Hence the narrowness of their land led a portion of them to seek
a new inheritance.
2. From Zorah, and from Eshtaol. See on 13 : 2, 25. And
they said unto them, Go, search the land. This statement with
the foregoing is redundant and is a mark of the union of two nar
ratives. 3. They knew the voice. They recognized the young man
the Levite by his dialect or pronunciation as belonging to their
section of the country, the southland of Judah and Dan. The
multitude of questions here asked and the double reply in the
following verse are further marks of the two sources (cf. v. 2).
162

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 18:7

5. he hath hired me, and I am become his priest. And
they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of
God, that we may know whether our way which we go
6. shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them,
Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein
ye go.
7. Then the five men departed, and came to Laish,
and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt
in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet
and secure ; for there was none in the land, possessing
1 authority, 2 that might put them to shame in any
1 Heb. power of restraint. 2 Or, that might do any hurt.
5. A temple such as Micah's would be a place not less of seek
ing divine responses than of worship. David made inquiries
through an ephod (cf. 1 Sam. 23 : 9 ff.).
6. Before the Lord (Jehovah) is your way wherein ye go.
You shall be prospered upon your journey.
7. Laish. Called Laish only in this chapter ; in Josh. 19 : 47,
Leshem. Mentioned very frequently in the Old Testament under
its later name of Dan. From Dan to Beersheba is a standard ex
pression to denote the extreme northern and southern limits of the
land of Israel. The exact site of Dan is in doubt : whether it was
the modern Tell el-Kadi, " hill of the judge " (Dan means judge)
or modern Banais, an hour's distance from the former place.
At the foot of the hill, el-Kadi, are two great springs which feed
the main source of the Jordan. Banias is about thirty miles east of
Tyre. The remainder of the verse is in disorder, corrupt, perhaps
owing to the union of the two sources. We should read : And {they)
came to Laish. Now the city dwelt in security after the manner of
the Zidonians, and they saw the people that were therein quiet and
secure {and there was no want of anything in the earth) (cf. v. 10)
possessing wealth, and they were far from the Zidonians and they had
no dealing with any man. In security. I.e. without fear. They
were a peaceful people quietly pursuing their own occupations.
After the manner of the Zidonians. The Zidonians, the inhabit-
163

18 : 8 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

thing, and they were far from the Zidonians, and had
8. no dealings with any man. And they came unto
their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol : and their
9. brethren said unto them, What say ye? And they
said, Arise, and let us go up against them: for we
have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good : and
are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to
10. possess the land. When ye go, ye shall come unto
a people secure, and the land is large : for God hath
given it into your hand; a place where there is no
want of any thing that is in the earth.
ants of Zidon, on the coast north of Tyre, represent the Phoeni
cians, an unwarlike, commercial people. The men of Laish were
of a similar peaceful disposition. Far from the Zidonians. Some
thirty miles, but considering the intervening rugged and hilly
country sufficiently far to be without protection from the Phoeni
cians. And had no dealings with any man. A surprising
statement of a people resembling the commercial Phoenicians.
A change of less than an entire Hebrew letter gives the reading,
and they had no dealings with the Arameans (Syrians). They had
no treaty relationship with their Aramean neighbors on the east
which might have afforded them protection, hence their position
was defenceless.
8. What say ye? Better, What have ye seen?
9. Let us go up against them. The words against them imply
that Laish was the object of the expedition, which hardly accords
with v. 2. Hence some read, Let us go up unto Laish, and also,
Be not slothful to go unto Laish.
10. For God hath given it into your hand. This sentence is
logically out of place, either by copyist's blunder or through the
unskilful weaving of sources together. One may transpose it and
the remainder of the verse with the preceding part of the verse.
Then joining with v. 9b we have, Be not slothful to go and to enter
in to possess the land, 10b. for God hath given it into your hand, a
place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth. 10a. When
ye go ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large.
164

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 18 : IS

n. And there set forth from thence of the family of
the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six
12. hundred men girt with weapons of war. And they
went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah :
wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto
13. this day: behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim. And
they passed thence unto the hill country of Ephraim,
14. and came unto the house of Micah. Then answered
the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish,
and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there
is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a
graven image, and a molten image? now therefore
15. consider what ye have to do. And they turned aside
thither, and came to the house of the young man the
12. Kiriath-jearim. One of the cities of the Gibeonite con
federacy (Josh. 9: 17), later celebrated as the abode of the ark
(1 Sam. 6:21; 7:1 ff.). Usually it is identified with the modern
Kuriet el-'enab (Abu Ghosh) some nine or ten miles west of Jeru
salem on the road to Joppa. The distance from the territory of
Dan was a small day's journey. Mahaneh-dan. The name
means " Camp of Dan." According to 13 : 25, a place of this
name lay between Zorah and Eshtaol. This then must have been
another place of the same name. Unto this day. When the story
was written the place was thus called. Behold, it is behind
Kiriath-jearim. This statement that it was behind {i.e. west of)
Kiriath-jearim is an editorial note.
14. An ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten
image. The mention of these four idols here and in v. 17, and of
three in vv. 18 and 20, is a mark either of the union of material
from different sources or of scribal annotation based on 17: 3-5
(which see).
15. This verse seems to hang in the air and from the mention
of the young man the Levite is probably from E (cf. 17:7, 11b,
12b), while the verses immediately preceding and following may
be assigned to J. It is not improbable that, according to E, while
165

18 : 16 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and asked him
1 6. of his welfare. And the six hundred men girt with their
weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan,
17. stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men
that went to spy out the land went up, and came in
thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod,
and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the
priest stood by the entering of the gate with the six hun-
18. dred men girt with weapons of war. And when these
went into Micah's house, and fetched the graven
image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten

the spies exchanged salutations with the Levite, the armed men
seized the idols of Micah. The narrative of J, on the other
hand, as given in vv. 16 ff., represents the armed men standing
guard at the gate of the village or compound of Micah, while the
five spies plunder the temple and persuade the priest, who is
presumably at the temple, to go along with them. Even unto
the house of Micah. These words are plainly a gloss.
17. And the priest stood. The mention of the priest here
in connection with the armed men at the gate is most easily
explained as a copyist's error. The sentence then would read,
And the six hundred men girt with weapons of war stood by the en
tering of the gate. But even this may be a copyist's repetition of
v. 16. 18. And when these. The word when is not expressed in the
Hebrew text. These may either refer to spies, or the six hundred
men. In the latter case 18a is the doublet of 17a and gives the
story of E (see v. 15).
The seizure of Micah's idol by the Danites was not an ordinary
robbery. It had a deep underlying religious motive. They were
going to found a new home in territory outside Israel and hence,
in their crude thought, not under the protection of Jehovah their
God. To bring this land under the protection of Jehovah they
needed some object in which he dwelt ; and what better one could
they have than the image through which success had been promised
166

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 18:25

19. image, the priest said unto them, What do ye ? And
they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay 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 priest unto
the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and
20. a family in Israel ? And the priest's heart was glad,
and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the
graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
21. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones
22. and the cattle and the goods before them. When
they were a good way from the house of Micah, the
men that were in the houses near to Micah's house
were gathered together, and overtook the children of
23. Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan.
And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah,
What aileth thee, 1 that thou comest with such a
24. company? And he said, Ye have taken away my
gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away,
and what have I more? and how then say ye unto
25. me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan
1 Heb. that thou art gathered together.
their spies on their journey (cf. v. 6) ? The writer of the story ex
presses no abhorrence of their deed ; on the other hand, in the vivid
narration of vv. 19 ff. his sympathies seem to be with the spoilers.
19. A father and a priest. See on 17 : 10.
20. The graven image. The Greek version adds, and the
molten image.
21. And put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before
them. The proper order of march for defence when the Danites
expected pursuit and attack from Micah and his neighbors.
22-26. This narrative of the fruitless pursuit of Micah and his
neighbors is exceeding graphic, especially so in the irony and ruth-
167

18:26 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us,
lest l angry fellows fall upon you, and thou lose thy
26. life, with the lives of thy household. And the chil
dren of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw
that they were too strong for him, he turned and
27. went back unto his house. And they took that which
Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and
came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure,
and smote them with the edge of the sword; and
28. they burnt the city with fire. And there was no
deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they
had no dealings with any man; and it was in the
valley that lieth by Beth-rehob. And they built
29. the city, and dwelt therein. And they called the
name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their
father, who was born unto Israel : howbeit the name
J 30. of the city was Laish at the first. And the children
of Dan set up for themselves the graven image : and
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of 2 Moses, he
and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites
1 Heb. bitter of soul. 2 Another reading is, Manasseh.
less defiance of the Danites (vv. 23, 25) and the pathetic though
useless appeal of Micah (v. 24).
28. Cf. v. 7. Beth-rehob. This place has not been surely
identified. All that we know about it is that it must have been
in the vicinity of Dan. Rehob is mentioned in Num. 13 : 21
as the northern limit of the exploration of Moses' spies. Beth-re
hob appears also as the name of an Aramean state (2 Sam. 10 : 6, 8).
30. Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses. This
Gershom is mentioned as the son of Moses in Exod. 2:22; 18:3.
The Hebrew text has a letter n written above the word Moses,
and by inserting it we secure the marginal reading, Manasseh.
168

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 19 : 1

31. until the day of the captivity of the land. So they E
set them up Micah's graven image which he made,
all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
H. The Sin of Gibeah and its Consequences,
Chapters 19-21
19. And it came to pass in those days, when there was JE
no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite so-
The change was suggested by some late reader who took offence
at the thought that an idolatrous shrine should have had a legiti
mate priesthood. Descent from the idolatrous king Manasseh
seemed more appropriate. Until the day of the captivity of the
land probably refers to the captivity of the people of northern
Galilee by Tiglathpileser in 734 (cf. 2 Kgs. 15 : 29).
31. All the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. That
there was a " house of Jehovah " at Shiloh, we learn from 1 Sam.
1 : 24; cf. 3 : 15. It is clear that this was a temple and not a
tent. When this temple was destroyed we do not know, but the
fact of its destruction is mentioned in Jer. 7: 12, 14; 26:9.
Shiloh, the modern Seilfln, lay in the territory of Ephraim, twelve
miles south of Shechem and about ten miles north-northeast of
Bethel. For biblical description of site see 21 : 19.
Chapters 19-21. This second narrative in the appendix relates
the events of a civil war directed against the tribe of Benjamin. A
certain Levite of the hill country of Ephraim goes to Bethlehem of
Judah to bring back his concubine who has deserted him. On the
return journey she is so maltreated by worthless men of Gibeah of
Benjamin that she dies. Hereupon the Levite calls on all the tribes
of Israel to avenge the outrage, and in the war which follows the
whole tribe of Benjamin is destroyed except six hundred men. In
order to provide these men with wives and thus preserve the
tribe from extinction, the Israelites send a punitive expedition
against the city of Jabesh-gilead, where they spare only four hun
dred virgins alive. These are given to the remnant of Benjamin.
The remaining Benjamites are instructed to seize wives from
among the daughters of Shiloh. 169

i9 : 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

journing on the farther side of the hill country of
Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-
2. lehem-judah. And his concubine played the har
lot against him, and went away from him unto her
father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there
3. the space of four months. And her husband arose,
In its present form this narrative comes from the post-exilic
period, as is shown by the language, the exaggerated numbers,
the exceptional unity of the tribes, and the conception of Israel
as a church. However, these indications of late date are confined
chiefly to 20: 1-21 : 14. The remaining portion (19; 21: 15 ff.)
is of the same general character as other parts of Judges, and in
the main seems to have been derived from J, although passages
from an E narrative apparently have been incorporated.
The late section is of little or no historical value, but the older
narrative doubtless points to an early event of importance in
which the tribe of Benjamin suffered severely. This must have
occurred much earlier than the position of the story in the Book
of Judges would suggest, since the tribe of Benjamin had cer
tainly recovered strength at the time of Saul.
19 : 1-9. An unnamed Levite has a concubine from whom he be
comes estranged and she returns to her father's house in Bethlehem.
Thither he follows to bring her back, and is gladly received and
entertained by the damsel's father, who persuades him to post
pone his departure repeatedly.
1. In those days, when there was no king in Israel. See on
17:6; 18:1; 21:25. Editorial, and connects this narrative
with the preceding story. Sojourning. See on 17: 7. On the
farther side of the hill country of Ephraim. Probably the northern
side. This description bespeaks a Judean point of view. A
concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. Thus this Levite is brought
into connection with Bethlehem as is the Levite in the preceding
narrative, cf. 17 : 7.
2. The text is dubious. Played the harlot against him is
not very agreeable to the context. The reading of the oldest
Gr., was angry with him, is perhaps original. Certainly it suits
the context far better. 170

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 19 : 5

and went after her, to speak x kindly unto her, to
bring 2 her again, having his servant with him, and
a couple of asses : and she brought him into her fa
ther's house : and when the father of the damsel saw
4. him, he rejoiced to meet him. And his father in law,
the damsel's father, retained him ; and he abode with
him three days : so they did eat and drink, and lodged
5. there. And it came to pass on the fourth day, that
they arose early in the morning, and 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
1 Heb. to her heart. 2 Another reading is, it, that is, her heart.
3. To speak kindly unto her. Cf. Gen. 34:3; Hos. 2: 14.
To bring her again is doubtless the original reading and is to be
preferred to that of the margin. She brought him into her
father's house should more likely read with the oldest Greek
version, he went to her father's house.
4. A guest enjoyed the privilege of staying three days and
three nights, and on the other hand his host might require
him to stay that length of time. The latter right was not fre
quently exercised, but from the words retained him and in
view of the host's subsequent actions, it seems to have been in
this case.
5. They arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart.
The last clause may better be rendered, he stood up to depart.
The subject of the first verb, they, probably refers to the guest
and his host as in the preceding verse. A departing guest was not
expected to partake of food before leaving in the morning, but
simply to bid his host adieu. Courtesy required that the host
also should rise early. We might expect a plural subject in the
second clause, since there were several in the party about to
set out. However, it was the place of the head of the little
company to give the signal to depart by rising, hence the singular
is really more suitable, cf. vv. 7, 8. Morsel of bread is becoming
modesty on the part of the host. Compare Gen. 18 : 5-8, where
171

ig : 6 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

6. afterward ye shall go your way. So they sat down,
and did eat and drink, both of them together: and
the damsel's father said unto the man, Be content,
I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart
7. be merry. And the man rose up to depart; but his
father in law urged him, and he lodged there again.
8. And 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 tarry ye until the day de-
9. clineth ; and they did eat, 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 fa
ther, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth
toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold,

the morsel consists of cakes baked from three measures of fine
meal, a tender calf, and butter and milk.
6. Both of them together. Neither the woman nor the guest's
servant would share in such a feast. Let thine heart be merry.
Cf. 16: 25.
7. And the man rose up to depart. As in v. 5, he gives
the signal for departure by rising. Urged him. After remain
ing for the full time allotted to a guest by custom, the Levite
could not well remain longer without this urgent appeal.
8. Tarry ye until the day declineth. I.e. until the afternoon.
In the next verse this is urged as a reason for again postponing
departure, a typical Oriental scene.
9. The invitation to stay overnight is repeated in nearly
the same words, but in the first instance the verb is plural and
in the second singular. The approach of sunset is also urged
both times as the reason for tarryimg. This may indicate a
double source, or a corrupt text, since some Gr. Mss. omit one
invitation. Very likely, however, we have simply a graphic
description of an enthusiastic host pressing his cordial hospitality
upon his guest. Compare the twofold invitation on the fourth
172

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 19:12

the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine
heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early
10. on your way, that thou mayest go 1 home. But the
man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and
departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is
Jerusalem) : and there were with him a couple of
asses saddled; his concubine also was with him.
11. 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 aside into this city of the Jebu-
12. sites, and lodge in it. And his master said unto him,
We will not turn aside into the city of a stranger,
» Heb. to thy tents.
day, vv. 6, 7. Such a scene is not merely Oriental but intensely
human. It is not necessary to suppose that the afternoon was
far advanced. Under the circumstances the host exaggerates.
As a matter of fact, the Levite travelled eight or ten miles before
sunset. 10-21. The Levite finally departs in the afternoon of the fifth
day, accompanied by his concubine and his servant. Sunset over
takes the little party near Gibeah of Benjamin, whither they
turn aside for the night. After waiting in the street for some
time, an old man, a sojourner in the city, perceives the travellers
and takes them into his house as his guests.
10. Jebus appears as the name of Jerusalem also in 1 Chron.
11:4, 5; cf. Josh. 15:8; 18:16, 28. It was once commonly
supposed that Jebus was the ancient name of the town, but the
city is known as Urusalim in the Armana letters dating from
1400 b.c. Hence it is altogether likely that the name Jebus
was derived from Jebusites, the name of the people from whom
David took the city of Jerusalem. Instead of the final with him
some Gr. Mss. read and his servant.
12. The Levite refused to trust himself to the hospitality of
strangers, and preferred to press onward to a town inhabited by
173

19:13 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

1 that is not of the children of Israel ; but we will pass
13. over to Gibeah. And he said unto his servant, Come
and let us draw near to one of these places; and we
14. will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. So they passed
on and went their way ; and the sun went down upon
them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.
15. And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in
Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the
street of the city: for there was no man that took
16. them into his house to lodge. And, behold, there
came an old man from his work out of the field
at even; now the man was of the hill country of
1 Or, where there are none of the children of Israel.
brother Israelites. No doubt the conversation near Jerusalem
was introduced to emphasize the heinousness of the crime of
the Gibeathites. Gibeah is probably the same as the town known
as Gibeah of Saul, and is distinct from Geba, with which it has
frequently been confused. The name means simply " hill."
Its indentification with the modern Tell el-Ful, about four miles
north of Jerusalem, satisfies the conditions of our narrative.
13. Ramah. The modern er-Ram, about two miles beyond
Gibeah. 15. For there was no man that took them into his house to
lodge. Inns were not known, hence the traveller was dependent
upon the hospitality of the inhabitants of the towns where he
tarried. Custom demanded that the guest should spare no pains
to reach his stopping place before sunset, that he might give his
host sufficient time to prepare a proper meal. This the Levite
had failed to do. A proverb runs, " He who arrives after sundown
goes supperless to bed."
16. Finally an old man comes in from his work in the field.
The narrative describes him as a sojourner in Gibeah, that is,
a stranger who had put himself under the protection of the town
or tribe. Having no kinsmen in the city to fight for him, he was
174

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 19:21

17. Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah : but the men
of the place were Benjamites. And he lifted up his
eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the
city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou?
18. and whence comest thou? And he said unto him,
We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the
farther side of the hill country of Ephraim; from
thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah : * and
I am now going to the house of the Lord ; and there
19. is no man that taketh me into his house. 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:
20. there is no want of any thing. And the old man
said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy
wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
21. So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses
1 The Sept. has, and I am going to my house.
naturally at the mercy of the baser element of the population.
Cf. Gen. 19 : 1 ff.
17. The old man sees the traveller and his party waiting in the
public square, and puts to him the questions still asked of the
stranger in Palestine, Whither goest thou? and whence comest
thou? Cf. 17:9; Gen. 16 : 8 ; Zech. 2 : 2.
18. I am now going to the house of the Lord (Jehovah).
Not suitable to the context. Neither Bethel (cf. 20 : 18, 26)
nor Shiloh (cf. 1 Sam. 1:7; 3:3) was the destination of the
Levite, but some unnamed place on the farther side of the hill
country of Ephraim. The Greek version has and I am going
to my home, which is probably original.
19-20. They do not ask for full hospitality, since they are
adequately provided with food ; but the old man insists that all
the entertainment shall be at his expense.

19:22 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

fodder : and they washed their feet, and did eat and
22. drink. As they were making their hearts merry,
behold, the men of the city, certain * sons of 2 Belial,
beset the house round about, beating at the door ; and
they spake to the master of the house, the old man,
saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine
23. house, that we may know him. And the man, the
master of the house, went out unto them, and said
unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so
wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine
R 24. house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daugh
ter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring
out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what
seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not
1 Or, base fellows. 2 That is, worthlessness.
22-28. As the old man and his guest give themselves up to the
pleasure of the evening, they are rudely interrupted by rough men
of the city, who demand that the guest be given over to their evil
desires. The host tries to shelter the Levite, who, to save him
self, finally surrenders his concubine to their wish. At daybreak
he finds her dead at the door. Placing her body upon an ass, he
departs for his place.
22. Sons of Belial. The etymology and exact meaning of the
word Belial is dubious. The phrase has been rendered, sons
of worthlessness. From the context here and elsewhere it is
clearly a strongly opprobrious epithet for which the marginal
base fellows seems altogether too mild. Vile scoundrels expresses
more nearly the character of these men. The whole incident has
a close parallel in Gen. 19:4 ff.
23. Seeing that this man is come into mine house. A guest
was entitled to the protection of his host during the period of
his stay and for three days after his departure.
24. This verse is generally regarded as a late gloss suggested
by Gen. 19 : 8 and introduced to bring this story into closer
176

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 19:29

25. any such folly. But the men would not hearken to JE
him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and
brought her forth unto them ; and they knew her, and
abused her all the night until the morning : and when
26. the day began to spring, they let her go. 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 it
27. 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, with her hands
28. upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and
let us be going; but none answered: then he took
her up upon the ass ; and the man rose up, and gat him
29. unto his place. And when he was come into his
house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine,
conformity with the similar narrative of Genesis. The resem
blances are even verbal and too close to be merely accidental.
No reference is made to this offer in the following verses, and v. 25
joins v. 23 naturally.
25. The act of the Levite in deliberately giving up the woman
to the vile lust of the mob is both cowardly and contemptible in
our eyes, yet the writer of the narrative finds no cause for con
demning his action.
26-27. This pathetic scene is graphically portrayed. At the
first peep of dawn the woman is deserted, and amidst the dark
shadows of the gathering light she gropes her painful way to the
door of the house where her lord apparently spent a peaceful
night. There in the full daylight he finds her lying prostrate
with her outstretched hands clutching the threshold.
28. At first the Levite thought the woman asleep. When
he found her dead, he placed her body upon his ass and departed.
29. And divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces. Ap
parently the twelve pieces are not intended to suggest the twelve
N 177

19:30 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

and divided her, l limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and
30. sent her throughout all the borders 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 counsel, and speak.
Rp 20. Then all the children of Israel went out, and the
1 Heb. according to her bones.
tribes, for in that case we should expect the narrative to proceed
" a piece for each tribe of Israel." The limbs seem to have been
divided according to the twelve joints, the head and trunk not
being sent abroad. And sent her throughout all the borders of
Israel. In the same fashion Saul cut a yoke of oxen into pieces
in Gibeah and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel as
a call to war, with the added threat that so it should be done
to the oxen of every man who failed to obey the summons (1 Sam.
11 : 7). Here no stated verbal threat accompanied the gruesome
spectacles, but the fate of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead who
ignored the appeal (21 : 10 f.) suggests that this procedure con
tained a well-understood, hidden threat.
30. The Hebrew text for this verse does not seem to be intact.
The commands at the end would come more naturally from the
Levite or his messengers. The oldest Greek version reads, And
he charged the men whom he sent out, saying, Thus shall ye say to
all the men of Israel, Did ever a thing like this happen, etc., which
is very likely original.
Chapter 20. The story of the civil war directed against Benjamin
is of late origin and of the same general character as P and Chroni
cles, but contains an early element which was the original continua
tion of chap. 19. Either a late author rewrote the narrative,
taking the older account as a base, and then a later redactor united
the two ; or the late writer, with a priestly interest, expanded
and altered the early story, to bring it into harmony with his
point of view, according to the method with which the Chronicler
has made us so familiar.
1-11. In response to the call of the Levite, all the people gather
178

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:2

congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even
to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord
2. at Mizpah. And the 1 chiefs of all the people, 2 even
of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the
assembly of the people of God, four hundred thou-
1 Heb. corners. a Or, even all.
together at Mizpah to deliberate concerning the evil done at
Gibeah. The Levite, having been called upon, gives a recital
of the affair and of his subsequent action in calling the people
together. The assembly thereupon resolves to punish the per
petrators of the crime.
1. And the congregation was assembled as one man. This
points clearly to a post-exilic author. The conception of the people
as a congregation or church who could be called upon to act
as one man stands out in striking contrast to the lack of unity
and feeling of national or religious solidarity which is plainly
evident in all the old stories of the judges. From Dan even to
Beersheba describes the territory which Israel occupied, by its
northern and southern limits, cf . 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 3:10;
17:11; 24:2, 15; 1 Kgs. 4:25. The Chronicler reverses the
order, i.e. from Beersheba to Dan, cf. 1 Chron. 21:2; 2 Chron.
30:5. Dan. See on 18:7. Beersheba. The modern Bir es-
Seba', lies twenty-eight miles southwest of Hebron, and was an
ancient sanctuary. The land of Gilead is used here to include
all the Israelites east of the Jordan. Mizpah was an ancient holy
place (cf. 1 Sam. 7:53.; 10 : 17 ff.), hence the descriptive words
unto the Lord. It is generally identified with the modern Nebi
Samwil, about three miles west of Gibeah. In the days of Asa
it marked the northern limits of the Judean Kingdom (1 Kgs.
15: 22).
2. The chiefs. Literally corners. The metaphor compares
the leaders of the people to the strong corner towers of a city
wall. The same figure appears in 1 Sam. 14: 38 ; Isa. 19: 13.
Even of all the tribes of Israel. The Hebrew has simply all the
tribes of Israel, before which an and must be inserted if the phrase
is not a gloss. The assembly of the people of God is again a
179

20 : 3 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J 3. sand footmen that drew sword. (Now the children
of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were
gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said,
Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass?
4. And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was
murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah
that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to
5. lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and
beset the house round about upon me by night; me
they thought to have slain, and my concubine they
6. forced, and 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
7. committed lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, ye
children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice
8. and counsel. And all the people arose as one man,
saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither
late expression; see v. 1. Four hundred thousand footmen
that drew sword. The number is greatly exaggerated according
to the custom of late writers. In the time of Deborah only
forty thousand were mustered (5:8).
3. The Benjamites could hardly avoid hearing of the assembly
at Mizpah, which lay in the midst of their land. The Levite
is called upon first to tell his story.
4. The husband. Literally the man, which may properly be
rendered husband, since concubinage was a form of marriage.
5. The men of Gibeah. In the Hebrew the word for men
is different from that of 19:22, and may be translated lords,
i.e. the Levite accused the free citizens of Gibeah of having
wrought this outrage, and not an irresponsible ruffian element.
Hence it was necessary to appeal to the tribe to secure adequate
punishment of the crime.
8. We will not any of us go to his tent is an exact parallel to
neither will we any of us turn unto his house. On tent for
180

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:13

9. will we any of us turn unto his house. But now this Rp
is the thing which we will do to Gibeah ; we will go up
10. against it by lot; and we will take ten men of an
hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an
hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten
thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they
may do, when they come to 1 Gibeah of Benjamin,
according to all the folly that they have wrought in
11. Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against
the city, knit together as one man.
12. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the
2 tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that
13. is come to pass among you ? Now therefore deliver
1Heb. Geba. 2 Heb. tribes. See Num. 4: 18; 1 Sam. 9:21.
house cf. 19:9 (also margin). The double expression has been
taken as an indication of a twofold source.
9-10. Instead of returning home they determined to go up
against Gibeah. The verb is lacking in the last part of v. 9 and
has been supplied from the Greek version, we will go up, but this
looks like an easy conjecture. Other versions fill in the gap other
wise. Since the phrase by lot is almost required in v. 10, possibly
we have an early transposition and should read, Now we will take
by lot ten men, etc. In the last part of v. 10 the Hebrew text
is obscure. It is certainly the sense of the passage that the main
body of the people, after omitting the foragers, shall punish the
Gibeathites. 12-16. The Israelites at first try to avoid war by opening nego
tiations with the tribe of Benjamin for the surrender of the vile
scoundrels who had perpetrated the outrage. The Benjamites
refuse to accede to this demand and muster their forces for battle.
12. Tribe of Benjamin. Hebrew has tribes, as also in 1 Sam.
9: 21. If not a blunder, subdivisions of the tribe are intended;
cf. Num. 4 : 18.
13. The Israelites demanded that the men of Benjamin seek
181

20 : 14 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

up the men, the 1 sons of 2 Belial, which are in Gibeah,
that we may put them to death, and put away evil
from Israel. But 3 Benjamin would not hearken to the
J 14. voice of their brethren the children of Israel. And
the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together
out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against
Rp 15. the children of Israel. And the children of Benjamin
were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty
and 4 six thousand men that drew sword, besides the
inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven
16. hundred chosen men. Among all this people there
1 Or, base fellows. 2 That is, worthlessness. 8 Another reading is, the children
of Benjamin. * According to some ancient authorities, Jive.
out the criminals and deliver them up to be put to death. It was
the notion of the ancient Hebrews that the guilt of a criminal
clung to the entire community if they allowed him to go un
punished. If a tribe refused to punish a guilty member, the tribe
became an accessory to the act. So also the whole people were
in danger of suffering the consequences of guilt if they failed to
extirpate it from their midst, hence the words, put away evil from
Israel. The latter phrase occurs a number of times in Deuter
onomy, and nowhere else. Sons of Belial. See on 19: 22.
14. Anticipating an attack upon Gibeah, against which alone
the grievance held, the Benjamites made it the place of assemblage.
15. The children of Benjamin mustered twenty-six thousand
fighting men besides seven hundred warriors from the city of
Gibeah. According to v. 35 twenty-five thousand one hundred
men of Benjamin were slain, and after adding to this number
the six hundred who escaped, we have a discrepancy of one thou
sand. According to the figures in vv. 44-47, the discrepancy is
eleven hundred. Some commentators have supposed this to
represent the unrecorded slain in the first two days' fighting.
The oldest Greek version has twenty-five thousand here in v. 15,
which then agrees with v. 35, but there still remains a dis
crepancy of one hundred when compared with vv. 44-47.
182

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:17

were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every
one could sling stones at an hair-breadth, and not miss.
17. And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were num
bered four hundred thousand men that drew sword:

16. The repetition of the words seven hundred chosen men
is suspicious and they are wanting in the Greek version, which
also joins the last word of v. 15, chosen, to this verse. On the
basis of Greek the verse may be restored as follows : Chosen from
all this people were lefthanded, etc. Every one could sling stones
at an hair-breadth, and not miss. This marvelous accuracy is
a part of the natural exaggeration which usually characterizes
this school of late writers.
17-28. Over against the twenty-six thousand seven hundred
Benjamites, the Israelites muster four hundred thousand warriors.
After asking counsel of God at Bethel, they go out to battle
against Benjamin. The latter sally forth from Gibeah and in
the attack slay twenty-two thousand Israelites. On the second day
the defeated army of Israel offers battle in the same place, ap
parently after having again sought counsel of the Lord at Bethel.
In the second day's battle Israel is again defeated with the loss
of eighteen thousand slain. The discouraged Israelites then re
tire to Bethel, where they weep before the Lord, and after having
offered sacrifice, inquire of the oracle whether they shall continue
the war against Benjamin or cease. The oracle bids them con
tinue and promises success on the following day.
This narrative has all the characteristics of the late so-called
Midrashic literature. Human power avails little or nothing.
God directs the war through the oracle. Greater numbers are
useless without his favor. For some unstated reason the Lord
was unfavorable to the Israelites on the first two days, hence their
vast army became an easy victim to the onslaughts of the children
of Benjamin, who apparently escaped unscathed after slaying
on each day a number almost equal to their total fighting strength.
17. Beside Benjamin. The writer thinks of Israel as necessa
rily including all the tribes, hence in the interest of exactness
adds the observation that here Benjamin is not included. On
the number see v. 2. 183

20:18 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

18. all these were men of war. And the children of Israel
arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of
God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to
battle against the children of Benjamin ? And the Lord
t 19. said, Judah shall go up first. And the children of Israel
rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.
rp 20. And the men of Israel went out to battle against
Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in
21. array against them at Gibeah. And the children of
Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed
down to the ground of the Israelites on that day
22. twenty and two thousand men. And the people,
the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set
the battle again in array in the place where they set
23. themselves in array the first day. (And the children

18. Beth-el. See on 1 : 22. The vast army of the Israelites
is represented as first marching three or four miles northward to
Bethel to inquire of the oracle which tribe should open the attack,
the answer being, Judah. This passage is evidently borrowed
from 1 : 1 f . and probably by the author of our narrative rather
than a later interpolator. In the following verses Judah does
not figure again by name, but this is not inconsistent if we think
of Judah as only leading the attack in which all took part (cf.
1 Chron. 11:6). The outraged and murdered concubine came
from Bethlehem of Judah, hence the designation of that tribe
to strike the first blow toward avenging the deed is in place.
19-20. These verses constitute a doublet. V. 19 is usually
regarded as a remnant of the old narrative, and v. 20 as coming
from the late author who put the story into its present form.
22. After the defeat of the first day, the Israelites set them
selves in battle array against Benjamin in the same place.
23. Either this verse originally stood before v. 22, and was
accidentally transposed, or it is a late interpolation derived
from vv. 26-28. The word Beth-el has probably fallen from the

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:28

of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even ;
and they asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I again draw
nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my
brother ? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)
24. And the children of Israel came near against the
25. children of Benjamin the second day. And Benjamin
went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day,
and destroyed down to the ground of the children of
Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew
26. the sword. Then all the children of Israel, and all
the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept,
and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day
until even ; and they offered burnt offerings and peace
27. offerings before the Lord. And the children of Israel
asked of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God
28. was there in those days, and Phinehas, the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those
text (cf. vv. 18, 26), hence read the children of Israel went up
to Beth-el. 26. The defeated people sought to propitiate the evident anger
of Jehovah by weeping (cf. Deut. 1 : 45 ; Ezra 10 : 1 ; Joel 2 : 17),
and fasting (cf. 1 Sam. 7:6; Joel 1 : 14; 2 : 15), and by bring
ing burnt offerings and peace offerings. The burnt offerings
were wholly burned upon the altar. Only the fat of the peace
offerings was burned, after which the priest took his portion, and
the remainder was eaten in a common meal by the worshippers.
27-28. The parenthesis explaining that the ark of the covenant
was in Bethel in those days is a late insertion to explain, no
doubt, why these religious rites did not take place at Shiloh, where
the ark was supposed to have remained from the days of Joshua
(Josh. 18: 1, 10) to the time of Eli (1 Sam. 4: 3). The ark is
not mentioned elsewhere in the Book of Judges. Phinehas, the
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. The glossator with a priestly
interest further legalizes the sacrifice at Bethel by introducing
18S

20:29 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against
the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease ?
And the Lord said, Go up; for to-morrow I will
J 29. deliver him into thine hand. And Israel set liers in
wait against Gibeah round about.
Rp 30. And the children of Israel went up against the chil
dren of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves
a priest of the family of Aaron. The mention of Phinehas, the
third in line, dates the story in the first generation of the Hebrews
in Western Palestine. This date is probably no more than a guess,
though it is likely that the incident occurred early in the period
of the judges.
29-48. The account of the battle on the third day is repetitious
and confused. The first onslaught of the Benjamites, narrated
in vv. 31, 32a, is repeated in briefer form in v. 39. V. 35
is a closing summary of the battle, giving the number of Ben
jamites who fell, but in v. 36 we are again at the beginning of
the struggle and the number of dead is summoned up a second
time in vv. 44-46. It is altogether probable that we have here
a portion of the old J narrative to which may be ascribed, but
with a considerable degree of uncertainty, vv. 29, 33a, 34, 36b,
37a, 38-42a, 44a, 47. The remaining portions are late additions.
No analysis of the passage can be very satisfactory since we un
doubtedly have to deal with a very corrupt Hebrew text.
The stratagem of the battle resembles closely that employed
by Joshua at the capture of Ai (Josh. 8 : 1 ff.), and seems to have
proceeded something on this wise. The Israelites laid an ambush
against the town of Gibeah, and the main army drew up for battle
at Baal-tamar. While the battle was being hotly waged, the liers
in wait, composed of ten thousand chosen men, pressed nearer to
the city. In the meantime the main body fell back, feigning
flight, to draw the Benjamites away from Gibeah, whereupon
the liers in wait made a sudden attack. It had been agreed that
these warriors should signal their success by causing a great cloud
of smoke to rise. The Benjamites pursued the forces of Israel,
believing themselves to be victorious as on the previous days. At
the appearance of the signal the Israelites turned on their enemies,
186

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:33

31. in array against Gibeah, as at other times. And the
children of Benjamin went out against the people,
and were drawn away from the city ; and they began
to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in
the high ways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el,
and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men
32. of Israel. And the children of Benjamin said, They
are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the
children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away
33. from the city unto the high ways. And all the men of J
Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves
in array at Baal-tamar; and the liers in wait of Israel Rp
brake forth out of their place, even out of x Maareh-
1 Or, the meadow of Geba (or Gibeah. See v. io).
who soon perceived that they had been trapped, and they fled
toward the wilderness with a loss of eighteen thousand men.
Only six hundred escaped.
31. And were drawn away from the city. More exactly they
were drawn, etc., without the introductory and. This clause is
parenthetical in the Hebrew, and is probably a gloss borrowed
from Josh. 8 : 16. In the high ways, of which one goeth up to
Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah. An attack on the road to Bethel
is natural since the army of Israel was returning from that place,
but to Gibeah is unintelligible, since the thought is certainly of a
road leading from Gibeah. Hence we should probably read
Gibeon, which requires the change of only one letter in the Hebrew.
About a mile to the north of Gibeah the main road divides, the
trunk running north to Bethel and a branch running northwest
to Gibeon. The fighting must have occurred somewhere near
this point. Gibeon is identified with the modern el Jib.
33. Baal-tamar, meaning " Baal of the palm tree," is not
mentioned elsewhere; neither has the place been identified.
Some writers would connect it with Deborah's palm (cf. 4:5),
but against this is the location of the latter " between Ramah and
187

20:34 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

J 34. geba. And there came over against Gibeah ten thou
sand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was
sore : but they knew not that evil was 1 close upon
Rp 35. them. And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel :
and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that
day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men :
all these drew the sword.
36. So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smit-
J ten: for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin,
because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they
37. had set against Gibeah. And the liers in wait hasted,
R and rushed upon Gibeah ; and the Hers in wait drew
1 Heb. touching.
Bethel." Maareh-geba is merely a transliteration of the Hebrew.
Doubtless we should correct and read with the ancient versions,
west of Gibeah. West of Geba is too far from the city of Gibeah
for an ambush.
34. The ten thousand did not at this time attack Gibeah, but
merely took advantage of the distraction of their enemies to gain
a nearer position from which they could quickly rush into the city.
The Benjamites in the heat of the struggle did not perceive their
danger. 35. The Lord smote Benjamin. The Israelites did not win
either because of their vastly superior forces, nor through their
stratagem, but because Jehovah was favorable to their cause.
On the numbers, see v. 15. This verse breaks into the narrative
prematurely and is doubtless a late interpolation.
36. So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten.
This clause is late and belongs with the previous verse. The
remainder of the verse continues the old account of the battle.
The Israelites fall back to draw their enemies away from Gibeah
and thus give the liers in wait their opportunity.
37. The latter half of this verse is probably a gloss, since it
merely repeats what is said in the first half. This is further
supported by the grammatical construction.
188

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 20:42

themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge
38. of the sword. Now the appointed sign between the J
men of Israel and the hers in wait was, that they should
make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.
39. * And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Ben
jamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel
about thirty persons : for they said, Surely they are
40. smitten down before us, as in the first battle. But
when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a
pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them,
and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke
41. to heaven. And the men of Israel turned, and the
men of Benjamin were amazed : for they saw that evil
42. was come upon them. Therefore they turned their
backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the
1 Or, And the men . . . battle: (now Benjamin . . . heaven:) and the men &*e.
39. And the men of Israel turned in the battle. This state
ment is out of place here. The cloud of smoke has not yet risen,
and the actual turning about is described in its proper place (v. 41).
We should join the clause with the previous verse and render,
and that the men of Israel should turn about in the battle. About
thirty persons is a ridiculously small number to flush the Ben
jamites with confidence of easy victory, in a war where thousands
have already been slain (cf. vv. 21, 25). However the very small-
ness of the number suggests that it comes down from the original
account, in which, no doubt, all the numbers were more credible.
40. The liers in wait set fire to the city, and when the smoke
began to arise, the Benjamites turned and at once realized their
danger; cf. Josh. 8: 20. The whole. The same Hebrew word
is used of the whole burnt offering; cf. Deut. 13 : 16 margin.
41. At the signal of the burning city the Israelites turned on
their foes. Were amazed. ARV. has were dismayed. Evil
was come upon them. Cf . v. 34.
42. And they which came out of the cities destroyed them in
i8q

20:43 THE B00K 0F JUDGES

rp wilderness ; but the battle followed hard after them ;
and x they which came out of the cities destroyed them
43. in the midst thereof. They inclosed the Benjamites
round about, and chased them, and 2 trode them down
3 at their resting place, as far as over against Gibeah
j 44. toward the sunrising. And there fell of Benjamin
Rp eighteen thousand men ; all these were men of valour.
45. And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto
the rock of Eimmon : and they gleaned of them in the
high ways five thousand men ; and followed hard after
1 Or, them which came . . . they destroyed. 2 Or, overtook them. 3 Or, at Menuhah.
the midst thereof. This is unsuitable to the context, since
the Benjamites were fleeing through their own territory. The
marginal reading is merely an attempt to smooth out the difficulty.
Doubtless the text is corrupt, and it probably read originally, as
the Latin version suggests, and those from the city (Gibeah) were
slaughtering him (Benjamin) in their midst, i.e. the liers in wait,
having accomplished the destruction of the city, came out and
joined the attack, thus enclosing the fleeing Benjamites.
43. The Hebrew text for this verse is very corrupt. Instead
of they inclosed the Benjamites round about we should read with
the oldest Greek version they cut Benjamin to pieces. The second
verb occurs in this form nowhere else in the Old Testament or
later Hebrew. It may be due to dittography of the following verb,
which it closely resembles in the Hebrew. Trode them down at
their resting place is obscure and is not much improved by the
marginal reading, at Menuhah. Possibly the latter part should
be rendered after the Greek version, from Nohah (cf. 1 Chron.
8:2). Finally Gibeah is hardly correct, since it is evident that
the Benjamites were pursued for some distance. Geba has been
suggested since it is likely that the pursuit was in that direction.
The verse may be rendered tentatively as follows : They cut
Benjamin to pieces and trode them down from Nohah as far as over
against Geba on the east.
45. Rimmon. The modern Rammon, about three miles east
190

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 21 : I

them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand
46. men. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin
were twenty and five thousand men that drew the
47. sword ; all these were men of valour. But six hundred J
men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the
rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon
48. four months. And the men of Israel turned again Rp
upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with
the edge of the sword, both * the entire city, and the
cattle, and all that they found : moreover all the cities
which they found they set on fire.
21. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, J
1 Or, as otherwise read, the inhabited city. See Deut. 2 : 34.
of Bethel, lying on a high, rocky hill. Nothing further is known
of Gidom.
46. For comment on the numbers see v. 15.
48. The entire city. The marginal reading, the inhabited city,
lit. the city of men, is better. They destroy everything as in the
case of a city devoted to destruction; cf. Deut. 13 : 12 ff.
Chapter 21 contains two separate accounts of how wives were
secured for the Benjamite survivors. These two were skilfully
harmonized by the statement that the second plan was adopted
to supplement the first (v. 16a). The first account (vv. 1-14)
is of late origin, and the writer probably had the second before
him (cf. the last clause in v. 14). The second is in the main from
the early source (J) and knew nothing of how four hundred Ben
jamites had already been provided with wives (cf. vv. 15, 17).
1-14. When the men of Israel realize the extent of the destruction
wrought by the war, they bewail the fact that a tribe will now be
lacking in Israel. Of their late enemies only six hundred men
remain, and they have sworn not to give their daughters to them
to wife. Since the oath cannot be recalled, they hit upon the
plan of punishing the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead for not joining
in the war, and at the same time securing wives for the men of
191

21 : 2 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Ben-
Rp 2. jamin to wife. And the people came to Beth-el,
and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their
3. voices, and wept sore. And they said, O Lord, the
God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel,
that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in
4. Israel? And it came to pass on the morrow, that
the people rose early, and built there an altar,
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5. And the children of Israel said, Who is there among
all the tribes of Israel that came not up in
the assembly unto the Lord? For they had made
a great oath concerning him that came not up unto
the Lord to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to
6. death. And the children of Israel repented them for
Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe
Benjamin. Hence twelve thousand warriors are sent against
Jabesh, and they utterly destroy all the inhabitants except four
hundred virgins, who are given to the survivors of Benjamin.
1. The men of Israel had sworn. The oath was sacred and
could not be recalled, though there seems to have been no scruples
about circumventing it. This verse probably belongs to the old
story. 2. The people came to Bethel as they had done previously to
consult the oracle. There they sat until evening, weeping before
God; cf. 20 : 23, 26.
4. Built there an altar seems strange, since Bethel was an an
cient holy place, and they had previously sacrificed there (20 : 26).
Burnt offerings and peace offerings. See on 20 : 26.
5. For they had made a great oath concerning him that came
not up. This is not an exact rendering of the Hebrew, which
should be translated, For the great curse was (or had been pronounced)
upon every one who did not go up.
6. This verse is parallel to and dependent upon v. 15 of the
192

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 21 : 12

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 we will not give them of our daughters
8. to wives ? And they said, What one is there of the
tribes of Israel that came not up unto the Lord to
Mizpah ? And, behold, there came none to the camp
9. from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. For when the
people were numbered, behold, there were none of the
10. inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. And the congre
gation sent thither twelve thousand men of the val-
iantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite
the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the
11. sword, with the women and the little ones. And this
is the thing that ye shall do ; ye shall utterly destroy
every male, and every woman that hath lien by man.
12. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-
gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not
known man by lying with him : and they brought
older narrative. Their brother. Cf. 20 : 23, 28. There is one
tribe cut off. As a branch from a tree ; cf. Isa. 10 : 33.
7. For them that remain. I.e. the six hundred at the rock of
Rimmon, 20 : 47.
8. Jabesh-gilead is generally identified, following Robinson,
with ed-Deir in the Wady Yabis, which preserves the ancient
name, though its site remains a matter of dispute. The town is
mentioned several times in the Old Testament in connection with
Saul (1 Sam. n ; 31 : 11-13 ; 2 Sam. 2 : 4 f. ; 21:12 f.).
10. Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. It is an
interesting reversal of history that later Saul of Gibeah (probably
the same town mentioned in this narrative) gathered the forces of
all Israel together by a similar device, and led them forth to the
rescue of the inhabitants of this same Jabesh-gilead (1 Sam. 11).
11. Compare the command in Num. 31 : 17,18.
12. Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. It is difficult
o 193

j.3 THE BOOK OF JUDGES
them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land
of Canaan.
13. And the whole congregation sent and spake to the
children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon,
14. and proclaimed peace unto them. And Benjamin
returned at that time ; and they gave them the women
which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-
J 15. gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. And the
people repented them for Benjamin, because that the
Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
to see why the writer should have thought it necessary to define
the situation of this well-known sanctuary. Commentators
ascribe various reasons : that it is merely the style of the late
writer ; that he wrote for foreign readers ; that he himself lived out
side of Palestine. We have also an unexpected shifting of the camp
from Bethel to Shiloh. This change may have come through
the influence of the following narrative, but it is certain that the
author of that older story did not think of the army as encamped
at Shiloh. On name see 18: 31.
14. And yet so they sufficed them not. Two hundred still
lack wives. This statement makes room for the introduction of
the older account.
15-25. In order to provide wives for the remaining Benjamites
and yet not violate their oath, the Israelites advise them to lie in
wait in the vineyards near Shiloh and seize and carry off wives
from the daughters of the town when they come out to dance at
the sacred feast. They promise to pacify the fathers and brothers
of the maidens if they should be inclined to avenge the act. The
Benjamites follow this advice and seize each a wife and carry
them off to their own territory, where they rebuild their towns-
The army of the Israelites thereupon disbands and each man re
turns to his home.
15. This verse marks the beginning of the older story. Made
a breach. The figure is that of an opening made in the wall of a
city by a hostile attack, hence the thought is somewhat different
from that in the parallel verse 6. There the author expresses
194

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 21 : 19

16. Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall Rp
we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women J
17. are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said,
There must be an inheritance for them that are es
caped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out
18. from Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives
of our daughters : for the children of Israel had sworn,
saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
19. And they said, Behold, there is * a feast of the Lord
from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of R
Beth-el, on the east side of the high way that goeth
up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of
'Or, the feast.
the sorrow of the people that one of the sacred tribes should be
lacking. Here the writer is thinking of the weakening of the
national defences. Indeed, it was into just this " breach " that
the Philistines made their first attack upon the hill country in
the time of Saul (1 Sam. 13, 14).
16. Elders of the congregation. A mark of the late writer;
see on 20 : 1. The first half of this verse is a harmonizing gloss
introduced to connect the story of the rape of the daughters of
Shiloh with the preceding account of the capture of the maidens
of Jabesh-gilead. How shall we do for the wives for them that
remain? I.e. for the two hundred not provided with wives from
Jabesh-gilead. 17. There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped
of Benjamin. Literally the Hebrew has merely, an inheritance
of the escaped of Benjamin, which means nothing. Several emen
dations have been suggested. Among these We will leave a
remnant of Benjamin gives sense, but the rendering How shall a
remnant be saved of Benjamin ? suits the context better.
19. A feast of the Lord (Jehovah), with its dances among the
vineyards, must have been a local vintage festival (cf. 9: 27).
The labored and detailed description of the location of Shiloh
I9S

21 : 20 THE BOOK OF JUDGES

20. Lebonah. And they commanded the children of
J Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards ;
21. and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come
out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the
vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the
daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22. And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren
come to x complain unto us, that we will say unto them,
Rp Grant them 2 graciously unto us : because we took not
J for each man of them his wife in battle : neither did
ye give them unto them ; else would ye now be guilty.
23. And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them
wives, according to their number, of them that danced,
whom they carried off : and they went and returned
unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt
1 Or, strive with us. s Or, as a gift.
(see on 18: 31) is a late gloss from the period when Shiloh had
lost its early importance and was little known. Beth-el. See
on 1: 22. Shechem. See on 9:1. Lebonah. The modern el-
Lubban, three miles northwest of Shiloh.
20. Go and lie in wait, etc., originally continued v. iga.
21. To dance. Dancing and feasting were important features
of the early religious festivals.
22. Grant them graciously unto us should probably be cor
rected to read either, Grant them graciously unto them, i.e. grant the
maidens to their captors, or, with some Gr. Mss., Be gracious
unto them. Because we took not, etc. Some Gr. Mss. have because
they did not get, etc. In battle. I.e. in the war waged against
Jabesh-gilead to secure wives for them. Neither did ye give
them unto them ; else would ye now be guilty. An attempt to
render a very dubious Hebrew text. A slight emendation yields,
for if you had given them to them, you would now be guilty. The
sense is clear in any case. If the Shilonites had given their daugh-
196

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 21:25

24. in them. And the children of Israel departed thence Rp
at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family,
and they went out from thence every man to his
25. inheritance. In those days there was no king in
Israel: every man did that which was right in his
own eyes.
ters in marriage to the Benjamites, they would have been guilty
of breaking their vow.
24. After the affair was completely settled, the army of Israel
disbanded and each man departed for his home.
25. A final summary for the whole period. Since there was no
king in Israel every man did what was pleasing or right in his
own sight; cf. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1.

197

INDEX

Abdon, 6, 129.
Abel-meholah, 85.
Abelocheramin, 124.
Abimelech, 6, 13, 67, 93.
Acco, 31.
Achsah, 25.
Achzib, 31.
Adoni-bezek, 23.
Aijalon, 32.
Akrabbim, 32.
Ammon, 44.
children of, 113.
Amorites, 31.
Anak, sons of, 24.
Angel of the Lord, 33.
Arnon, 119.
Aroer, 122.
Asher, 31.
Asheroth, 42.
Ashkelon, 142.
Ashtaroth, 37.
Baal, 36, 75.
Baal-berith, 94.
Baal-tamar, 187.
Balak, 122.
Barak, 5, 13, 14, 49, 52.
Beer, 101.
Beersheba, 179.
Belial, sons of, 176.
Bethanath, 31.
Beth-barah, 85.
Bethel, 29.
Bethlehem, 128, 160.
Beth-rehob, 168.
Beth-shean, 29.

Beth-shemesh, 31.
Beth-shittah, 84.
Bezek, 22.
Bochim, 33, 34.
Bramble, fable of, 98.
Caleb, 25.
Canaanites, 22.
Chemosh, 121.
Cushan-rishathaim, 42.
D„ Deuteronomistic Document, 10.
Dagon, 152.
Dan, 130, 162, 163.
sanctuary of, 7, 15, 156.
Debir, 24.
Deborah, 5, 14, 49, 52.
palm tree of, 51.
Song of, 55.
Delilah, 7, 149.
Dodo, no.
Dor, 30.
E, Ephraimite Narrative, n.
Eglon, 44.
Ehud, s, 13, 14. 43, 44-
Elberith, 107.
elder, 35.
Elon, 6, 128.
En-hakkore, 147.
ephod, 92, 159.
Ephraim, 30.
Ephraimites, attack on Gideon, 86.
attack on Jephthah, 126.
Eshtaol, 136.

199

INDEX

Etam, 144.
evil spirit, 101.
foxes, Samson's, 143.
Gaal, 102.
Gaash, mountain of, 36.
Gaza, 27, 69, 147.
Gera, 44.
Gezer, 30.
Gibeah, 7, 15, 169, 174.
Gibeon, 187.
Gideon, 67.
Gidom, 191.
Gilead, 62, 114.
Gilgal, 33.
Hamath, 41.
Harod, spring of, 79.
Harosheth, 52.
Hazor, 50.
Heber, 53.
Hebron, 24.
Heres, 32.
Hesbon, 120.
Hill country, the, 24.
Hittites, 41.
Hivites, 41.
Holy trees,
at Ophrah, 70.
at Shechem, 97.
Hormah, 27.
Ibleam, 30.
Ibzan, 6, 128.
J, Judean Narrative, 11.
Jabbok, 119.
Jabesh-gilead, 203.
Jabin, 49.
Jael, 54.
Jahaz, 121.
Jair, no.
Jebus, 173.
Jebusites, 28.
Jephthah, 6, 13, 14, in.
Jerubbaal, 76.

Joshua, 35.
Jotham, 97, 98.
Judah, 22.
judges, 38.
Kadesh, 120.
Kedesh-naphtali, 52.
Kenites, 27.
Kiriath-arba, 24.
Kiriath-jearim, 165.
Kiriath-sepher, 24.
Kishon, 63.
Kitron, 30.
Laish, 163.
Lebonah, 196.
Lehi, 144.
Levites, 160.
lion, 138.
Lowland, the, 24.
Machir, 61.
Mahaneh-dan, 136, 165.
Manasseh, 29.
Manoah, 131.
Maonites, 115.
marriage, customs of, 137, 139.
Massoretic text, 1.
Megiddo, 30.
Meroz, 64.
Micah, 156.
Midian, 68.
Millo, 97.
Minnith, 124.
Mizpah, 115, 179.
Moab, 44.
Moreh, hill of, 79.
Nakalol, 30.
Naphtali, 31.
Nazirites, 131.
Nobah, 88.
oil, in religious rites, 98.
Ophrah, altar at, 73.
Oreb, 86.

INDEX

Othniel, 4, 13, 14, 42.

Simeon, 22.

ox goad, 48.

Sisera, 5, 14, 49.

Sorek, valley of, 148.

P, Priests' Code, 9.

South, the (Negeb), 24.

Penuel, 89.

Succoth, 87.

Perizzites, 22.

Philistines, 40.

Taanach, 30.

Phinehas, 185.

Tabor, 52.

Pin, tent, 54.

teraphim, 159.

used in weaving, 150.

Thebez, 108.

Pirathon, 129.

Timnah, 136.

Puah, 109.

Timnath-heres, 35.

Tob, 116.

quarries, 45.

Tola, 6, 109.

Ramah, 52, 174.

Zalmon, Mount, 107.

Ramath-lehi, 146.

Zalmunna, 89.

riddle, Samson's, 140.

Zebah, 89.

Rimmon, 190.

Zebul, 103.

Zebulun, 30.
Samson, 6, 13, 14, 129, 135.
Zeeb, 86.
Shaalbim, 32.
Zephath, 27.
Shamgar, 5, 13, 48, 58.
Zererah, 85.
Shamir, no.
Zidonians, 41, 115, 163.
Shechem, 95, 107.
Zogbehah, 89.
Shiloh, 169, 193, 195-
Zorah, 130.
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DEUTERONOMY
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JOB

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The History of New Testament Times
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The History of the Textual Criticism of the
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Prof. MARVIN R. VINCENT, Professor of New Testament Exe
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The History of the Higher Criticism of the
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Prof. HENRY S. NASH, Professor of New Testament Interpreta
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Introduction to the Books of the
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The Teaching of Jesus
Prof. GEORGE B. STEVENS, Professor of Systematic Theology,
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The Biblical Theology of the New Testament
Prof. E. P. GOULD, Professor of New Testament Interpretation,
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THE WHOLE BIBLE IN ONE VOLUME
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