1 The nations which were left to prove Israel
5 By communion with them they commit idolatry
8 Othniel delivered them from Chushan-rishathaim
12 Ehud from Eglon
31 and Shamgar from the Philistines

AM 2561. BC 1443. An. Ex. Is. 48. the nations Jud 2:21,22 De 7:22

prove De 8:2,16 2Ch 32:31 Job 23:10 Pr 17:3 Jer 6:27 17:9,10 Zec 13:9 Joh 2:24 1Pe 1:7 4:12 Re 2:23

as had not Jud 2:10

2 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

might know Ge 2:17 3:5,7 2Ch 12:8 Mt 10:34-39 Joh 16:33 1Co 9:26,27 Eph 6:11-18 1Ti 6:12 2Ti 2:3 4:7

to teach. Their fathers fought by a divine power. God taught their hands to war and their fingers to flight, that they might be the instruments of destruction to the wicked nations on whom the curse rested; but now that they had forfeited His favour, they must learn what it is to fight like other men.

3 Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

five lords Jud 10:7 14:4 Jos 13:3 1Sa 4:1,2 6:18 13:5,19-23 29:2

Canaanites Jud 4:2,23,24 Ge 10:15-19 Nu 13:29

Sidonians Jud 10:12 18:7 Ge 49:13 Jos 11:8-13 19:28

in mount Nu 34:8 De 1:7 3:9 Jos 11:3 13:5

4 And they were to 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.

to prove Jud 3:1 2:22 Ex 15:25 De 33:8 1Co 11:19 2Th 2:9-12

5 And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:

dwelt Jud 1:29-32 Ps 106:34-38

Canaanites Ge 10:15-18 15:19-21 Ex 3:8,17 De 7:1 Jos 9:1 Ne 9:8

6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

Ex 34:16 De 7:2,4 1Ki 11:1-5 Ezr 9:11,12 Ne 13:23-27 Eze 16:3

7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

did evil Jud 3:12 2:11-13

the groves Jud 6:25 Ex 34:13 De 16:21 1Ki 16:33 18:19 2Ki 23:6,14 2Ch 15:16 24:18 33:3,19 34:3,7

8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.

AM 2591 BC 1413 AN.Ex.Is.78. was hot Jud 2:14,20 Ex 22:24 De 29:20 Ps 6:1 85:3

he sold Jud 2:14 4:9 De 32:30 1Sa 12:9 Isa 50:1 Ro 7:14

Chushan-rishathaim Hab 3:7

mesopotamia. Heb. Aram-naharaim, Syria of the two rivers, or Mesopotamia, between the rivers, is a famous province situated between the Tigris and Euphrates. It is called by Arabian geographers, Maverannaher, the country beyond the rivers; and is now called Diarbek.

9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

AM 2599 BC 1405 AN.Ex.IS.86 cried Jud 3:15 4:3 6:7 10:10 1Sa 12:10 Ne 9:27 Ps 22:5 78:34 106:41-44 107:13-19

raised up Jud 2:16

delivered. Heb. saviour. Othniel Jud 1:13

10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

the Spirit Jud 6:34 11:29 13:25 14:6,19 Nu 11:17 27:18 1Sa 10:6 11:6 16:13 2Ch 15:1 20:14 Ps 51:11 1Co 12:4-11 Heb 6:4

came. Heb. was Mesopotamia. Heb. Aram

11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

the land Jud 3:30 5:31 8:28 Jos 11:23 Es 9:22

Othniel Jud 3:9 Jos 15:17 1Ch 4:13

12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

AM 2662. BC 1342 An.Ex.Is.148. did evil Jud 2:19 Ho 6:4

and the Lord Ex 9:16 2Ki 5:1 Isa 10:15 37:26 45:1-4 Eze 38:16 Da 4:22 5:18 Joh 19:11

the king 1Sa 12:9

13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

Ammon Jud 5:14 Ps 83:6

the city Jud 1:16 De 34:3 Ps 83:7

14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

served Le 26:23-25 De 28:40,47,48

15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

AM 2679. BC 1325. An.Ex.Is.166. cried unto Jud 3:9 Ps 50:15 78:34 90:15 Jer 29:12,13 33:3

a Benjamite, or the son of Jemini. left-handed. Heb. shut of his right hand. This Hebrew phrase intimates that, either through disease or disuse, he made little or no use of the right hand, but of his left only, and so was the less fit for war, because he would most likely wield a dagger awkwardly; yet God chose this left-handed man to be the minister of his retributive justice. It was God's right hand that gained Israel the victory, Ps. 44:3; not the right hand of the instruments he employed. Jud 20:16 1Ch 12:2

sent a present 1Sa 10:27 Pr 18:16 19:6 21:14 Isa 36:16

16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

two edges Ps 149:6 Heb 4:12 Re 1:16 2:12

upon Jud 3:21 Ps 45:3 So 3:8

17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

a very fat Jud 3:29 1Sa 2:29 Job 15:27 Ps 73:7,19 Jer 5:28 50:11 Eze 34:20

18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.

19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

quarries. or graven images Jos 4:20

a secret Jud 3:20 2Ki 9:5,6 Ac 23:18,19

and all that Ge 45:1

20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

a summer parlour. Heb. a parlour of cooling. The aleeyah, or upper chamber, seems to have been of the same description as the odeah of the Arabs, but properly ventilated, described by Dr. Shaw, who says, that to most of their houses there is a smaller one annexed, which sometimes rises one story higher than the house; at other times, it consists of one or two rooms only, and a terrace; while others that are built, as they frequently are, over the porch or gateway, have, if we except the ground floor, which they want, all the conveniences that belong to the house itself. There is a door of communication from them into the gallery of the house; besides another, which opens immediately from a private staircase, down into the porch or street, without giving the least disturbance to the house. In these back houses strangers are usually lodged and entertained; and to them likewise the men are wont to retire from the noise and hurry of their families, to be more at leisure for mediation or diversions. Am 3:15

I have Jud 3:19 2Sa 12:1 24:12 Mic 6:9

he arose Ps 29:1 Jer 10:7

21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

thrust it Nu 25:7,8 1Sa 15:33 Job 20:25 Zec 13:3 2Co 5:16

22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

the dirt came out. or, it came out at the fundament.

23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them.

24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.

covereth or, doeth his easement 1Sa 24:3

25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.

the quarries Jud 3:19

27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

he blew Jud 5:14 6:34 1Sa 13:3 2Sa 20:22 2Ki 9:13

mountain Jud 7:24 17:1 19:1 Jos 17:15,18

28 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 toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

follow Jud 4:10 7:17

the Lord Jud 7:9,15 1Sa 17:47

the fords Jud 12:5 Jos 2:7

29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man.

lusty. Heb. fat Jud 3:17 De 32:15 Job 15:27 Ps 17:10

30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

and the land Jud 3:11 5:31

31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

Shamgar Jud 5:6,8

an ox goad. This implement, Mr. Maundrell informs us, in Palestine and Syria is of an extraordinary size. He measured several, and 'found them about eight feet long; and at the bigger end about six inches in circumference. They were armed at the lesser end with a sharp prickle for driving the oxen; and at the other end with a small paddle of iron, strong and massive, for cleansing the plough from the clay. In the hand of a powerful man such an instrument must be more dangerous and fatal than a sword. Jud 15:15 1Sa 13:19-22 17:47,50 1Co 1:17

also Jud 2:16

Israel. So part is called Israel, Jud 4:1,3 10:7,17 11:4 1Sa 4:1

It seems to concern only the country next to the Philistines.