Judges10
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1 And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not.
7 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
8 And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.
11 And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Did not I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
15 And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.
18 And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
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Judges 10Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Judges 10. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Tola and Jair judge Israel. (1–5). The Philistines and Ammonites oppress Israel. (6–9). Israel's repentance. (10–18).
vv1-5
Quiet and peaceable reigns, though the best to live in, yield least variety of matter to be spoken of. Such were the days of Tola and Jair. They were humble, active, and useful men, rulers appointed of God.
vv6-9
Now the threatening was fulfilled, that the Israelites should have no power to stand before their enemies, Le 26:17, 37. By their evil ways and their evil doings they procured this to themselves.
vv10-18
God is able to multiply men's punishments according to the numbers of their sins and idols. But there is hope when sinners cry to the Lord for help, and lament their ungodliness as well as their more open transgressions. It is necessary, in true repentance, that there be a full conviction that those things cannot help us which we have set in competition with God. They acknowledged what they deserved, yet prayed to God not to deal with them according to their deserts. We must submit to God's justice, with a hope in his mercy. True repentance is not only for sin, but from sin. As the disobedience and misery of a child are a grief to a tender father, so the provocations of God's people are a grief to him. From him mercy never can be sought in vain. Let then the trembling sinner, and the almost despairing backslider, cease from debating about God's secret purposes, or from expecting to find hope from former experiences. Let them cast themselves on the mercy of God our Saviour, humble themselves under his hand, seek deliverance from the powers of darkness, separate themselves from sin, and from occasions of it, use the means of grace diligently, and wait the Lord's time, and so they shall certainly rejoice in his mercy.
Key Words
אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
אֲבִימֶלֶךְ: Abimelek, the name of two Philistine kings and of two Israelites
קוּם: to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
יָשַׁע: properly, to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causatively, to free or succor
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
תּוֹלָע: Tola, the name of two Israelites
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
פּוּאָה: Puah or Puvvah, the name of two Israelites
דּוֹדוֹ: Dodo, the name of three Israelites
אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
Cross References
Judges 10Points to the origin and naming of Havoth-jair in the land of Gilead under Moses.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Directly links Jair's conquest and naming of Gilead's villages (Havoth-jair) to Deuteronomy's geographical account.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Riding on white ass colts denotes prominent status and high civic office in ancient Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the descriptive marker of another judge (Abdon) whose sons rode on ass colts.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Directly continues the Gileadites' search for a military head to fight Ammon, leading to Jephthah.
Supported by JFB
Theological formula where God's anger burns and He sells backsliding Israel into hands of spoilers.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Samuel's historical summary echoes this confession of forsaking Yahweh to serve Baalim and Ashtaroth.
Supported by JFB
Irony of God sending Israel to seek aid from the false gods they chose for themselves.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Echoes the Song of Moses where the Lord asks where the gods of their refuge are.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Expands on the recurring theological cycle of Israel doing evil and serving foreign deities.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Describes God beholding their affliction and hearing their cry despite their deep provocations.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Illustrates how God's soul was grieved, showing His deep affliction in all their afflictions.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels putting away strange gods (Baalim and Ashtaroth) to prepare hearts to serve Yahweh alone.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Fulfills the covenant curse where the stranger rises high above Israel while they go low.
Supported by Matthew Henry