Day 73: Judges 10-12

(The previous post covered the conclusion of Gideon's story and what happened between two of his sons: Abimelech and Jotham.)

Judges 10

(Verses 1-2: the seventh Judge - Tola.)

¹ And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
² And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

(Tola judged Israel for twenty-three years.)

(Verses 3-5: the eighth Judge - Jair.)

³ And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years.

(Jair judged Israel for twenty-two years.)

⁴ And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

(Havvoth-jair meant "villages of Jair.")

⁵ And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
⁶ And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not.

(After Jair died, the Israelites did evil again. Moab and Ammon were from Lot.)

⁷ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

(In response to Israel doing evil, God "sold" them to the Philistines and Ammonites.)

⁸ And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
⁹ And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
¹⁰ And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.

(The Israelites confessed after eighteen years of oppression.)

¹¹ And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Did not I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
¹² The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand.
¹³ Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no more.
¹⁴ Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.

(God told them He would not deliver them and they should cry unto the gods they had chosen.)

¹⁵ And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.

(Israel asked God to do whatever it took if He would only deliver them.)

¹⁶ And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

(Israel repented, for now. God "grieved" for the misery of Israel. God wanted Israel to make progress and to grow as a nation and a people. It grieved God to see them continue to follow this pattern of destruction.)

¹⁷ Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.
¹⁸ And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.




Judges 11

(This chapter introduced Israel's ninth Judge - Jephthah.)

¹ Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

(Jephthah, the son of a harlot, was a mighty man of valor. Remember, Israel's daughters were not supposed to be harlots. In Hebrews 11:32, Jephthah was identified as an example of faith.)

² And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman.

(Jephthah's brothers threw him out because his mom was a harlot and most likely a foreigner.)

³ 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.

(Jephthah fled to Tob and was followed by some "vain" men. The word vain means "unprofitable." This is why many translations use the word "worthless" when describing these men.)

⁴ And it came to pass after a while, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
⁵ And it was so, that, when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob;
⁶ and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

(Ammon made war against Israel and the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to be their captain.)

⁷ And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and drive me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

(Jephthah confronted them about their previous treatment of him before coming to an agreement.)

⁸ 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 inhabitants of Gilead.
⁹ And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Jehovah deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
¹⁰ And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Jehovah shall be witness between us; surely according to thy word so will we do.

(Jephthah and the elders made an agreement.)

¹¹ Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them: and Jephthah spake all his words before Jehovah 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 land?
¹³ And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

(Jephthah negotiated with the king of the Ammonites. Ammon wanted their land back.)

(Verses 14-28: Jephthah responded to the king of the Ammonites.)

¹⁴ And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon;
¹⁵ and he said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah: Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon,
¹⁶ but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh;
¹⁷ 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 he would not: and Israel abode in Kadesh.
¹⁸ Then they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon; but they came not within the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

(Jephthah stated Israel did not take the land and these three nations were unjust to Israel. Israel had a right to this land. Again, the nations came from Lot and Esau.)

¹⁹ 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 border; but Sihon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
²¹ And Jehovah, 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, the inhabitants of that country.
²² And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto the Jordan.

(Israel possessed the land of the Amorites after the Amorites fought against Israel.)

²³ So now Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them?
²⁴ Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
²⁵ And now art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them?
²⁶ While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, three hundred years; wherefore did ye not recover them within that time?
²⁷ I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

(Jephthah told the Ammonites that God would judge between the Ammonites and Israelites, just like He did between the Amorites and the Israelites. Balak was brought up again.)

²⁸ Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

(The Ammonites did not listen to Jephthah’s warning.)

²⁹ Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

(The Spirit came upon Jephthah. Clearly, God was leading Israel through Jephthah.)

³⁰ And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
³¹ then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.

(Jephthah vowed that whatever came through his doors after he was home peacefully, he would give to God and would offer it as a burnt offering. Notice, Jephthah initiated this vow.)

³² So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and Jehovah delivered them into his hand.

(God gave the Ammonites to Jephthah.)

³³ And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
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; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

(Jephthah's daughter and only child came through his door.)

³⁵ 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 mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back.

(Jephthah tore his clothes and realized he vowed a vow and had to go through with it. This would mean that his daughter would be the offering unto God.)

³⁶ And she said unto him, My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto Jehovah; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth, forasmuch as Jehovah hath taken vengeance for thee on thine enemies, even on the children of Ammon.
³⁷ 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 bewail my virginity, I and my companions.

(His daughter agreed to Jephthah's vow but wanted to bewail (mourn) her virginity for two months.)

³⁸ And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
³⁹ And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel,

(His daughter came back and Jephthah fulfilled his vow.)

⁴⁰ that the daughters of Israel went yearly to celebrate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

(After this, a custom in Israel was that the daughters of Israel would go up yearly to lament/celebrate Jephthah's daughter for four days. This was the fourth woman in the Book of Judges to bear the pain of Israel.)




Judges 12
¹ And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed 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 thy house upon thee with fire.

(The men of Ephraim were upset, again. They planned to burn Jephthah's house.)

² And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children 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 Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

(Jephthah put his life in his own hands because the men of Ephraim did not help when he asked.)

⁴ Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.

(Jephthah and the men of Gilead fought against the men of Ephraim. A civil war!)

⁵ And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. 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, Nay;
⁶ then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.

(The men of Ephraim who escaped were tested when they wanted to go over the Jordan River. If they said they were not from Ephraim, they would be asked to say "Shibboleth" and if they could not pronounce it right, they would be slain. The word Shibboleth meant either "flowing stream" or "ear of grain" depending on context. However, the meaning of this word was not what was important in this story. Apparently the Ephraimites had a hard time pronouncing one of the syllables in that word and it would give themselves away. There ended up being 42,000 Ephraimites slain.)

⁷ And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

(Jephthah judged Israel for six years.)

(Verses 8-10: the tenth Judge - Ibzan.)

⁸ And 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.

(Ibzan judged Israel for seven years.)

¹⁰ And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.

(Verses 11-12: the eleventh Judge - Elon.)

¹¹ And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

(Elon judged Israel for ten years.)

¹² And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

(Verses 13-15: the twelfth Judge - Abdon.)

¹³ And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
¹⁴ And he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

(Abdon judged Israel for eight years.)

¹⁵ And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.

(These four Judges combined for thirty-one years of rest.)

(This post covered six more Judges: Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. The majority of this post covered the story of Jephthah.)

Day 74