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army of four hundred thousand against them; || Then did the Israelites burn Gibeah, and slew the while the Benjamites' army was twenty-five women, and the males that were under age. They thousand and six hundred; five hundred of whom did the same also to the other cities of the Benjawere excellent at slinging stones with their left mites. And indeed they were enraged to that hands. When the battle was joined at Gibeah, degree, that they sent twelve thousand men out the Benjamites beat the Israelites, and of them of the army, and gave them orders to destroy there fell twenty-two thousand men; and probably Jabesh Gilead; because they did not join with more had been destroyed had not the night come them in fighting against the Benjamites. Accordon, and broken off the fight. So the Benjamites ingly those that were sent, slew the men of war, returned to the city with joy, and the Israelites with their children and wives, excepting four returned to their camp in great affliction at what hundred virgins. To such a degree had they had happened. On the next day, when they fought proceeded in their anger, because they not only again, the Benjamites beat them, and eighteen had the suffering of the Levite's wife to avenge, thousand of the Israelites were slain, and the but the slaughter of their own soldiers. rest deserted their camp out of fear of a great slaughter. So they came tot Bethel, a city that was near the camp, and‡ fasted on the next day, and besought God, by Phineas, the high-priest, that his wrath against them might cease; and that he would be satisfied with these two defeats, and give them the victory over their enemies. Accordingly God promised them so to do, by the prophesying of Phineas.

When therefore they had divided the army into two parts, they laid the one half of them in ambush about the city Gibeah by night, while the other half attacked the Benjamites; these retiring upon the assault, the Benjamites pursued them; while the Hebrews retired by slow degrees, as desirous to draw them entirely from the city, and the other followed them as they retired, till both the old and young men that were left in the city as too weak to fight, came running out together as willing to bring their enemies under. However, when they were a great way from the city, the Hebrews turned back to fight them, and gave the preconcerted signal to those that lay in ambush; who rose up, and with a great noise fell upon the enemy. Now, as soon as they perceived themselves to be deceived, they knew not what to do; and when they were driven into a certain hollow place, which was in a valley, they were shot at by those that encompassed them, till they were all destroyed, excepting six hundred, which formed themselves into a close body of men, and forced their passage through the midst of their enemies, and fled to the neighbouring mountains; but the rest, being about twenty-five thousand, were slain.

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However, they afterward were sorry for the calamity they had brought upon the Benjamites, and appointed a fast upon that account; although they supposed those men had suffered justly for their offence against the laws. So they recalled, by their ambassadors, those six hundred which had escaped. These had seated themselves on a certain rock called Rimmon, which was in the wilderness. So the ambassadors lamented not only the disaster that had befallen the Benjamites, but themselves also, by this destruction of their kindred; and persuaded them to take it patiently, and to come and unite with them; and not, so far as in them lay, to give their suffrage to the utter destruction of the tribe of Benjamin; and said to them, "We give you leave to take the whole land of Benjamin to yourselves, and as much prey as you are able to carry away with you." So these men with sorrow confessed, that what had been done was according to the decree of God, and had happened for their own wickedness, and assented to those that invited them, and came down to their own tribe. The Israelites also gave them the four hundred virgins of Jabesh Gilead§ for wives. But as to the remaining two hundred, they deliberated how they might obtain wives for them. And whereas they had before the war taken an oath, that no one would give his daughter to wife to any Benjamite; some advised them to have no regard to what they had sworn; because the oath had not been taken advisedly and judiciously, but in a passion ; and thought that they should do nothing against God, if they were able to save a whole tribe, which was

the tabernacle in the days of the Judges, was not far from Bethel.

See this account of Josephus, remarked as one of the most necessary and important emendations his temple copy affords us, different from all our other copies. Liter. Accompl. of Proph. Supplement, pag. 75, 76, 77. Judg. xxi. 14.

in danger of perishing; and that perjury was only a sad dangerous thing, not when it is committed out of necessity, but with a wicked intention. But when the senate were affrighted at the very name of perjury, a certain person told them, that he could show them a way whereby they might procure wives for the Benjamites, and yet keep their oath. And on their asking what his proposal was, he said, "Three times in a year, when we meet in Shiloh, our wives and our daughters accompany us. Let then the Benjamites be allowed to steal away and marry such women as they can catch; while we will neither incite nor forbid them. And when their parents take it ill, and desire us to inflict punishment upon them, we will tell them, that they were themselves the cause of what had happened, by neglecting to guard their daughters; and that they ought not to be overangry at the Benjamites, since that anger had been permitted to rise up too high already. So the Israelites were persuaded to follow this advice; and decreed, that the Benjamites should be allowed thus to steal themselves wives. So when the festival* was coming on, these two hundred Benjamites lay in ambush before the city, by two or three together; and waited for the coming of the virgins in the vineyards, and other places where they could lie concealed. Accordingly the virgins came along, playing, and suspected nothing of what was coming upon them, and walked after an unguarded manner. So those that lay scattered in the road, rose up, and caught hold of them. By this means these Benjamites got them wives, and applied themselves to agriculture, and took good care to recover their former happy state. And thus was this tribe, after they had been in danger of entirely perishing, saved by the wisdom of the Israelites. And accordingly it flourished, and soon increased to be a multitude, and came to enjoy all other degrees of happiness. And such was the conclusion of this war.

All the three great festivals were to be observed in the place where God settled his habitation, which was now at Shiloh; and therefore some are of opinion, that the feast here mentioned, was one of these; particularly, they think it was the feast of tabernacles, because this was a season of great joy, for having newly gathered their vintage, and the only season wherein the Jewish virgins were allowed to dance. At this time they dwelt in booths too, behind which the Benjamites (as they fancy) might very conveniently conceal themselves, and so watch an opportunity of carrying away the virgins. But what seems to make against this opinion is, that at any of these public festivals, the concourse of people would have been too great

CHAP. III.

OF THE MISFORTUNES BROUGHT UPON THE ISRAELITES BY THEIR IN DOLENCE AND REMISSNESS; THEIR OPPRESSION BY THE ASSYRIANS, AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT DELIVERANCE BY OTHNIEL, WHO RULED OVER THEM FORTY YEARS.

Now it happened,† that the tribe of Dan suffered in the like manner with the tribe of Benjamin, and on the following occasion. When the Israelites had already left off the exercise of their arms of war, and were intent upon their husbandry, the Canaanites despised them, and brought together an army. Not because they expected to suffer from them, but because they had a mind to have a sure prospect of treating the Hebrews ill when they pleased; and might thereby, for the time to come, dwell in their own cities more securely. They prepared, therefore, their chariots, and gathered their soldiers together. Their cities also combined, and drew over to them Ascalon and Ekron, which were within the tribe of Judah, and many more of those that lay in the plain. They also forced the Danites to fly into the mountainous country, and left them not the least portion of the plain country to set their foot on. Since then these Danites were not able to fight them, and had not land enough for their own support; they sent five of their men into the midland country, to seek for a land to which they might remove their habitation. So these men went as far as the neighbourhood of mount Libanus, and the fountains of the lesser Jordan, at the great plain of Sidon, a day's journey from the city. And when they had taken a view of the land, and found it to be exceeding fruitful, they acquainted their tribe with it. Whereupon they made an expedition with an army; and built there the city of Dan, of the same name with the son of Jacob, and of the same name of their own tribe.

The Israelites now grew so indolent,‡ that misfortunes came heavier upon them; which also proceeded in part from their contempt of the di

for a design of this nature to be put into execution, since the violence which must of course have been offered to the young women, would hardly have met with a general connivance. It is much more probable, therefore, that this was some festival peculiar to the people of Shiloh, which the Benjamites perhaps might know nothing of, and were therefore put in mind of it by the elders of the congregation. Josephus tells us, that it was celebrated thrice every year; and on this festival it might be a custom for the young women to go out into the fields, and there dance by themselves, which might give their ravishers the very opportunity they wanted. Le Clerc's Commentary. B. † About An. 1455 B. C. + An. 1449.

vine worship. For when they had once fallen off from the regularity of their political government, they indulged themselves farther in living according to their own will; till they were full of the evil doings that were common among the Canaanites. God therefore was angry with them, and they forfeited by their luxury that happy state which they had obtained by innumerable labours. For when Chushan, king of the Assyrians, had made war against them, they lost many of their soldiers in the battle; and when they were besieged they were taken by force. Nay, there were some who, out of fear, voluntarily submitted to him; and though the tribute laid upon them was more than they could bear, yet did they pay it; and underwent all sort of oppression* for eight years. After which time they were delivered in the following

manner:

There was one whose name was Othniel,† the son of Kenaz, of the tribe of Judah; an active man, and of great courage. He had an admonition from God not to overlook the Israelites in such a distress as they were now in; but to endeavour boldly to regain their liberty. So when he had procured some to assist him in this dangerous undertaking; (and few there were who, either out of shame at their present circumstances, or out of a desire of changing them, could be prevailed on to assist him :) he first of all destroyed that garrison which Chushan had set over them. And when it was perceived that he had not failed in his first attempt, more of the people came to his assistance; so they joined battle with the Assyrians, and drove them entirely before them, and compelled them to pass over the Euphrates. Hereupon Othniel, who had given such proof of his valour, received from the multitude authority to judge the people. And when he had ruled over themt forty years, he died.

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advantage of the disorders of their political government, made war upon them, and overcame them in several battles, and made the most courageous to submit ; and entirely subdued their army, and ordered them to pay him tribute. And when he had built him a royal palace at|| Jericho, he omitted no method whereby he might distress them; and, indeed, he reduced them to poverty for eighteen years. But when God had once taken pity on the Israelites, on account of their afflictions, and was moved to compassion by their supplications, he freed them from the hard usage they had met with under the Moabites. And this liberty he procured for them in the following manner:

There was a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud, the son of Gera; a man of very great courage in bold undertakings; and of a very strong body, fit for hard labour, but best skilled in using his left hand,** in which was his whole strength; and he also dwelt at Jericho. Now this man became familiar with Eglon, and that by means of presents, with which he obtained his favour, and insinuated himself into his good opinion, whereby he was also beloved of those that were about the king. Now when on a time, he was bringing presents to the king, and had two servants with him, he put a dagger on his right thigh secretly, and went in to him. It was then summer-time, and the middle of the day, when the guards were not strictly on their watch; both because of the heat, and because they were gone to dinner. So the young man, when he had offered his presents to the king, who then resided in a small parlour, that stood conveniently to avoid the heat, fell into discourse with him; for they were now alone, the king having bid his attendants leave him, because he had a mind to talk with Ehud. He was now sitting on his throne; and fear seized upon Ehud, lest he should miss his stroke, and not give him a deadly wound. So he raised himself up, and said he had a dream to impart to him, by the command of God. Upon this, the king leaped out of his throne for joy of the dream; so Ehud smote him to the heart; and leaving his dagger in his body, he went out, and shut the door after him. Now the king's servants were very still, as supposing that the king had composed himself to sleep.

of palm-trees, upon or near the same spot of ground on which Jericho had formerly stood, and on which it was afterwards rebuilt by Hiel, 1 Kings xvi. 34. Our other copies, that avoid its proper name Jericho, and call it the city of palm-trees only, speak here more accurately than Josephus.

¶ From An. 1401 to 1383. ** Judg. iii. 15.

Hereupon Ehud informed the people of Jericho || manners, and neither worshipping God, nor submitprivately what he had done; and exhorted them to ting to the laws, were brought under slavery again recover their liberty. They heard him gladly, and by Jabin, king of the Canaanites; and that before went to their arms, and sent messengers all over they had a short breathing after the slavery under the country, that should sound trumpets* of rams' the Moabites. For this Jabin came out of Hazor, horns; for it was the custom to call the people to- a city that was situate over the lake Semechonitis; gether by them. Now the attendants of Eglon and had in pay three hundred thousand armed footwere ignorant of what misfortune had befallen men, and ten thousand horsemen; with no fewer him for a great while. But towards evening, fear- than three thousand chariots. Sisera was the coming some uncommon accident had happened, they mander of all this army, and was the principal perentered into his parlour, and when they found him son in the king's favour. He so sorely beat the dead, they were in great disorder, and knew not Israelites when they fought with him, that he comwhat to do. And before the guards could be got pelled them to pay tribute. together, the multitude of the Israelites came upon them. So that some of them were slain immediately, and some were put to flight, and ran away toward the country of Moab, in order to save themselves. Their number was above ten thousand. The Israelites seized upon the ford of Jordan, and pursued them, and slew them; and many they killed at the ford; nor did one of them escape out of their hands. And by this means it was that the Hebrews freed themselves from slavery under the Moabites. Ehud also was on this account dignified with the government over all the multitude, and died after he had held the government eighty years. He was a man worthy of commendation, even besides what he deserved for the afore-mentioned act of his. After him Shamgar, the son of Anath, was elected for their governor; but died in the first year of his govern

ment.

CHAP. V.

OF THE OPPRESSION OF THE HEBREWS BY THE CANAANITES DURING

TWENTY YEARS; AND THEIR EMANCIPATION BY BARAK AND DEBO

RAH, WHO RULED OVER THEM FORTY YEARS.

AND now it was that the Israelites, taking no warning by their former misfortunes to amend their * Judg. iii. 27.

†These 80 years for the government of Ehud, are necessary to Josephus's usual large numbers, between the Exodus and the building of the temple, of 592 or 612 years; but not to the smaller number of 480 years, 1 Kings vi. 1, which lesser number Josephus seems sometimes to have followed. And since in the beginning of the next chapter it is said by Josephus, that here was hardly a breathing for the Israelites before Jabin came and enslaved them; it is highly probable that some of the copies in his time had here only eight years, instead of 80; as had that of Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autoyle, L. III. and this most probably from his copy of Josephus. ‡ Judg. iii. 31. § An. 1375.

Judg. iv. 2. From An. 1374 to 1354. **The words Prophet and Prophetess are of very ambiguous signification in both Testaments; sometimes they denote persons extraordinarily inspired by God, and endued with the power of working miracles and foretelling things to come; and sometimes they are used for persons endued with special, though not

So they continued to undergo that hardship for¶ twenty years, as not good enough of themselves to grow wise by their misfortunes. God was willing also hereby the more to subdue their obstinacy and ingratitude towards himself. So when, at length, they were become penitent, and were so wise as to learn that their calamities arose from their contempt of the laws, they besought Deborah, a certain prophetess,** whose name, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies a Bee, to pray to God to take pity on them, and not to overlook them now they were ruined by the Canaanites. So God granted them deliverance, and chose for their general one Barak, who was of the tribe of Naphthali; and whose name, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies Lightning.

So Deborah sent for Barak, and bid him choose out ten thousand young men to go against the enemy; because God had said, that that number was sufficient, and promised them victory. But when Barak said, he would not be the general, unless she would go also as a general with him, she had indignation at what he said, and replied: "Thou, O Barak, deliverest up meanly that authority which God hath given thee, into the hand of a woman, and I do not reject it." So they collected ten thousand men, and pitched their camp at mount Tabor; where,

miraculous gifts or graces, for the better understanding and explaining the word of God; and, of this sort, were the sons of the prophets, or such as were brought up in the schools of the prophets. As, therefore, we read nothing of any miraculous action that Deborah did, she perhaps was only a woman of eminent holiness and prudence, and knowledge of the Holy Scrip. tures, by which she was singularly qualified to judge the people, i. e. to determine causes and controversies among them, according to the word of God. For though Jabin oppressed them sorely, yet it was rather by rigorous taxations, than infring ing their laws, which he still suffered to be administered by their own officers. And of this he might take the less notice, because the supreme judicature was exercised by a woman, from whose power and authority, he thought there was no reason to apprehend any danger; though this certainly gave her an opportunity of endearing herself to the people, and made her, by this means, the fitter instrument to rescue them from oppression. Pool's Annot. B.

.

at the king's command, Sisera met them, and pitched || little afterwards, she showed Sisera nailed to the his camp not far from the enemy. Whereupon the ground. And thus was the victory gained by a Israelites, and Barak himself, were so affrighted at woman, as Deborah had foretold. Barak also fought the multitude of those enemies, that they were re- with Jabin, at Hazor; and when he met with him, solved to march off, had not Deborah retained them, he slew him. And when the general was fallen, and commanded them to fight the enemy that very Barak overthrew the city to the foundation, and was day; for that they should conquer them, and God the commander of the Israelites for forty years. would be their assistance.

So the battle began; and when they were come to a close fight, there came down from heaven a great storm, with a vast quantity of rain and hail; and the wind blew the rain in the face of the Canaanites, and so darkened their eyes, that their arrows and slings were of no advantage to them. Nor would the coldness of the air permit the soldiers to make use of their swords. This storm, however, did not so much incommode the Israelites, because it came on their back. They also took such courage upon the apprehension that God was assisting them, that they fell upon the very midst of their enemies, and slew a great number of them. So that some of them fell by the Israelites; some fell by their own horses, which were put into disorder; and not a few were killed by their own chariots. At last Sisera, as soon as he saw himself beaten, fled away, and came to a woman whose name was Jael,* a Kenite; who received him, when he desired to be concealed, and when he asked for somewhat to drink, she gave him sour milk;† of which he drank so freely, that he fell asleep. But when he was asleep, Jael took an iron nail, and drove it through his temples with a hammer, into the floor. And when Barak came a

CHAP. VI.

OF THE OPPRESSION OF THE HEBREWS BY THE MIDIANITES AND
OTHER NATIONS; AND OF THEIR DELIVERANCE BY GIDEON, WHO
RULED OVER THE MULTITUDE FOR SEVEN YEARS.

Now when Barak and Deborah were dead, whose deaths happened about the same time, the Midianites called the Amalekites and Arabians to their assistance, and made war against the Israelites, and were too hard for those that fought against them; and when they had burnt the fruits of the earth, they carried off the prey. Now when they had done this for three years, the multitude of the Israelites retired to the mountains, and forsook the plain country. They also made themselves hollows under ground, and caverns; and preserved therein whatsoever had escaped their enemies. For the Midianites made expeditions in harvest-time, but permitted them to plough the land in winter; that so, when the others had taken the pains, they might have. fruits for them to carry away. Indeed, there ensued a famine, and a scarcity of food; upon which they betook themselves to their supplications to God, and besought him to save them.§

Gideon also,|| the son of Joash, one of the prin

† Jael certainly showed her regard for Israel by destroying Sisera; but it is as certain that she did not do it in the most honourable manner; there was treachery in it; perhaps, in the estimation of those people, the greatest treachery. Among the later Arabs, giving a person drink has been thought to be the strongest assurance of their receiving him under their protection. When Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusalem, was taken prisoner, and was conducted before Saladin, he demanded drink, and they gave him fresh water, which he drank in Saladin's presence; but when one of his lords would have done the same, Saladin would not suffer it, because he did not intend to spare his life on the contrary, advancing to him, after some expostulations, he cut off his head. D'Herbelot, p. 371; Harmer, vol. ii. p. 469.

*She was of the posterity of Hobab, the son of Jethro, father- Canaanites; and upon this footing it was, that there was a peace in-law of Moses; and is here called a Kenite, because origin-between king Jabin and the house of Heber, and that Sisera, ally she descended from those people who dwelt westward of in his distress, fled to Heber's tent for protection, and put conthe Dead Sea, and extended themselves pretty far into Arabia fidence in the feigned civilities of his wife. Howell's Hist. of Petræa. The word Ken, from which they took their name, sig- the Bible. B. nifies a nest, a hole, or a cave; and to this the prophet Balaam might allude, when he addressed himself to them in these words: "Strong is thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy nest on a rock; nevertheless, the Kenites shall be wasted, until Ashur shall carry thee away captive." Numb. xxiv. 21. These Kenites indeed were some of the people whose lands God had promised to the descendants of Abraham; nevertheless, in consideration of Jethro, all that submitted to the Israelites, were permitted to live in their own country. In Numb. x. 29, we find that Hobab was invited by Moses to accompany him into the land of Canaan; and, in all probability, he accepted the invitation. At their first coming, they settled themselves in the territories of Jericho; but having contracted a particular friendship with the tribe of Judah, they removed with them into the country that fell to their lot, Judg. i. 16. Every family of them, however, did not so; for this Heber, we find, for some reasons that are not mentioned, had settled his habitation in the tribe of Naphthali, Judg. i. 11. The Kenites, indeed, though they were proselytes, and worshipped the true God, according to the Mosaic law, yet being strangers by birth, and so not pretending to any right or title to the land of Canaan, held it best policy, in these troublesome times, to observe a neutrality, and mainLain peace, as well as they could, both with the Israelites and

:

Judg. iv. 22.

§ Judg. vi. 6.

It is generally supposed that Gideon's father had been a worshipper, if not a priest of Baal; and therefore it is not unlikely, that he had by this time been convinced by his son, that God had given him a commission to recover his people, and to begin with this reformation, and this made him appear so boldly in his son's cause, because he knew it was the cause of God. Pool's Annot, and Patrick's Commentary. B.

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