1:1-4 How could a loving and merciful God condone, encourage, and even participate in war? God is not only loving, but also a holy and just God who brings wise judgment upon the guilty. Although Canaanites had been increasing in wickedness for more than 400 years, God exhibited His grace to them during that time (Gn 15:16). The time for judgment, however, had now come. God used this war both to punish the guilty and to protect His people from the corrupting influences of idolatry and moral depravity as practiced by the people of the land (Nm 33:55).
1:2-3 Although Judah and Simeon, the sons of Jacob, were long dead, the author used the device of personification to refer to their respective tribes. Since God had not yet revealed personal resurrection from the dead, a man was considered to live on through his name, borne by his descendants.
1:7 Assuming that Adoni-bezek was not exaggerating his military prowess, he would most likely have defeated those kings over a period of time. Thus 70 different kingdoms need not have existed in Palestine at the same time. Furthermore, the term translated "king" (melek) could refer to local rulers who, today, might be styled princes, governors or mayors.
1:11-15 In ancient cultures, marriages were often arranged by parents to achieve certain purposes. Caleb was simply exercising his prerogative as father. His method of finding a worthy son for his daughter was, to say the least, imaginative. By establishing this criterion Caleb guaranteed his daughter would marry a courageous man who trusted the Lord and truly desired her as his wife. The Bible depicts women in a variety of situations, sometimes in charge of their own lives and sometimes not. The authors of Scripture, however, did not advocate that women be degraded or treated as of lesser importance than men (13:2-24).
1:19 Judah's defeat by a nation that possessed iron chariots (when "[t]he Lord was with Judah") did not mean that God was not all-powerful. God was capable of defeating iron chariots when He chose to do so (4:13-15). Chapter 2, furthermore, reveals that disobedience to God was the true reason the tribes lost their battles (2:1-3,18-22).
1:21,27-30 God did not deliver all parts of Canaan to the Israelites, but left some of the previous inhabitants in place. There are two reasons for this. (1) Leaving the land occupied, even by Canaanites, kept it from being overrun by wild animals before Israel could settle in it (Ex 23:30; Dt 7:22). (2) Israel's enemies would be the instruments of God's judgment if Israel proved unfaithful to Him and adopted their idolatrous worship (Nm 33:55-56; Jos 23:12-13).
2:1 Who brought the Israelites out of Egypt: the Lord (Ex 13:9; Dt 16:1) or the Angel of the Lord? Scripture sometimes uses the terms interchangeably (cp. Jos 5:13-15), although the phrase "an Angel of the Lord" suggests a created being, rather than God Himself. Some have identified the "angel" as (1) an angelic being who uniquely represented God with a special commission (e.g., Gn 16:7; Dn 6:22; Lk 1:26); (2) God the Father manifesting Himself in a humanlike form (Gn 18; 22:24-25, though the term "angel" is not used in these instances); or (3) God the Son who, before becoming incarnate as Jesus Christ, was made visible for a temporary purpose. The context here, with its reference to God's covenant with His people, would indicate that the one who led Israel out of Egypt was either God the Father or the preincarnate God the Son. But sometimes it is wise not to press such distinctions too far, as this can be intruding into "hidden things" that are beyond human comprehension (Dt 29:29).
2:6-9 How could Joshua be dead in 1:1, alive in 2:6, then die and be buried in verses 8-9? Writing to make their theological point, the authors of Scripture did not always compose their historical accounts in chronological order. The author of the book of Judges used the flashback technique here, repeating Jos 24:28-31 (cp. Jdg 17–21). This technique occurs elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Is 36:1–38:8 repeats 2 Kg 18:13–20:11; Ezr 1:1-3 repeats 2 Ch 36:22-23).
2:11-23 This passage presents the scheme, or "philosophy," of the narrative of the book of Judges and, to a degree, that of OT history in general. Events unfold in a pattern of oscillation between times when Israel is faithful to the Lord, receiving His blessing, and then turns away from Him and must undergo His judgments. Only the total obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pt 2:22; 1 Jn 3:5) breaks that pattern for Israel.
2:14 Did God encourage, even practice, slavery, when He "sold" His people into the hands of their enemies? The word translated "sold" conveyed either a literal or figurative sense. It could mean to engage in the sale of something, either a product or service, with an exchange of money of payment in kind (cp. Gn 25:31; 37:28; Lv 25:29), or it could be figurative, to give something entirely into the power of someone else (cp. Jdg 3:8; 4:2; 10:7). The latter is the case here.
2:17 God considered Israel's defection to other gods the equivalent of spiritual prostitution (cp. 8:27).
2:22 That God tested the Israelites "to see whether they would keep the Lord's way" did not mean He did not know the future. The test was for Israel's benefit, not God's, because their obedience would strengthen their faith.
3:1-5 The fact that God did not drive out the enemies of His people did not indicate that He was incapable of doing so, or that He had broken his promises to His people. God's promises to Israel were, at times, unconditional; that is, He would act in certain ways no matter what His people did. At other times they were conditional; that is, He would act in a specific way if they first acted in a given way (cp. Mt 13:58 with Mk 6:5).
3:5-7 The issue here was not interracial marriage but interfaith marriage. God did not want His people to marry unbelievers (Dt 7:1-5). Nowhere in Scripture does God issue an outright condemnation of, or even express reservation about, either interracial or international marriages. He said nothing against Moses' marriage to a Cushite woman and, in fact, defended it against the protest of religious leaders in Israel (Nm 12:1-9). In Jesus' lineage there were several international and perhaps interracial marriages, e.g., Salmon's marriage to Rahab (a Canaanite), Boaz's marriage to Ruth (a Moabitess), and David's marriage to Bathsheba (quite probably a Hittite; cp. Mt 1:4-6).
3:8 Anger is acceptable to God when people appropriately direct it against sin or injustice (cp. Jos 23:16; Ps 106:32-40; Ezk 22:23-31; Am 5:11-15). Anger that displeases God is the expression of rage that seeks to benefit self, rather than another, or that extends beyond its appropriate time. Both types of anger ultimately work against the individual who expresses that emotion (cp. Eph 4:26; Jms 1:19-20).
3:10 To have the Spirit come upon one, or to be filled by the Spirit, meant that, the individual was guided or empowered by God to perform His will in a special way. In ancient Israel, the Spirit of the Lord came upon certain individuals (cp. 6:34; 11:29; 14:6,19; 15:14; 1 Sm 10:10; 11:6; 19:20,23; 1 Ch 12:18; 2 Ch 20:14), or filled them (cp. Ex 31:3; 35:31; Dt 34:9; Mc 3:8), to perform specific tasks—such as designing the temple, prophesying, leading Israel to victory in battle.
3:12-22 Why did God destroy Eglon, whom He originally commissioned to bring judgment against His own people (vv. 12-13,20-21)? As the "carved images" in his territory (v. 26) indicated, Eglon did not acknowledge God's role in empowering him to defeat and rule Israel, but still worshiped idols. Moreover, Eglon's rule was not benevolent but harsh, as the cry of God's people for deliverance suggests (v. 15).
3:20 Ehud was not being deceptive when he declared he had "a word from God" for Eglon and then killed him. God's messages were not always messages of well being or hope; they were, at times, messages of judgment and death. Nor were they always verbal; the Hebrew term for "word" (dabar) can mean "matter" or "thing."
3:29-31 How accurate are biblical numbers, such as the 10,000 Moabites killed by the Israelites (v. 29), the 80 years of peace, (v. 30), or the 600 Philistines killed by Shamgar (v. 31)? Numbers in Scripture function in various ways. Some are intended to be precise and are recorded as such (see Ezr 2). Other figures that may appear to be precise are to be understood as approximations, and are often designated as such by the use of the modifier "about"; an example is the number of Israelites killed at the battle of Ai: "about 36" (Jos 7:5). Some figures, intended as approximations, lack the modifier "about." The 600 Philistines killed by Shamgar (Jdg 3:31) may be such an approximation since it is unlikely that someone counted each person he killed. Some numbers may not be numbers at all, but have another meaning. The number "thousand" can mean a military unit (Nm 31:5; 1 Sm 10:19). Other numbers, whether exact or not, are theologically significant; the number "seven" (related to the Hb word for swearing an oath, ša-ba') can be an indicator that the Lord's covenant is what is in view in a passage (Jos 6:2-15; Rv 15:6–16:1).
4:2 On God's selling the Israelites to another nation, see note on 2:14.
4:3 Although God allowed His people to suffer severely for long periods of time (cp. 3:8,14; 6:1; 10:8; 13:1), He was not unaware of their need, uncaring about their suffering, or incapable of helping them. Scripture teaches that God knows all things (Jb 34:21; Lk 12:30; 1 Jn 3:20), that He is all-powerful (Ps 115:3; Heb 1:3; Rv 4:11), and that He is compassionate (Dt 4:25-31; Is 30:18-22). He allowed His people to suffer because He desired them to repent of their evil ways and to turn back to Him (Lv 26:14-45).
4:6-9 Deborah declared, at first, that the Lord said He would give Sisera into Barak's hands (v. 7), but later stated that the Lord would give him into the hands of a woman (v. 9). This is not a discrepancy. As a prophetess Deborah spoke for the Lord; if her prophecy did not come true, she would not have been considered a true prophet (Dt 18:18-22). Second, the circumstances changed. Barak did not immediately respond to God's call. Had he acted in faith he would have received the honor of defeating Sisera; because of hesitancy, which manifested his doubt, God gave the honor to a woman.
4:11 On the name of Moses' father-in-law, see note on Ex 3:1. Hobab means "loving, embracing one" and may have been a name of endearment given him by the Israelites.
4:15-16 If every man in the Sisera's army died in battle, how was Sisera still alive afterward (vv. 17-21)? All of his men (that is, the foot soldiers as distinguished from generals) could have been slain. Or "not a single man was left" who remained on the battlefield because some fled the battle and escaped—a not uncommon occurrence in modern, as well as ancient, warfare. (Compare Saul's statement to Samuel, 1 Sm 15:20, in which he claimed to have utterly destroyed the Amalekites; yet David later had to fight the same Amalekites—1 Sm 27; 30; 2 Sm 1.) Finally, the author of Judges did not mean to assert that every soldier in the Canaanite army died. He states that Jabin ruled from Hazor, but Sisera was from another town (Jdg 4:2,13) and organized his army from there. Some of the Canaanite forces would have remained at Hazor as Jabin's personal guard.
5:1 Deborah's and Barak's song of delight over the destruction of their enemies may strike one as a perversion of God's love for all people. Such a reaction would be superficial. God had directed that the Canaanites be exterminated because of their perversion. Their slaughter was both justified, because God had sentenced them to death, and praiseworthy, because Israel had fought the battle in obedience to God's command. Furthermore, Deborah and Barak gave credit to the Lord for the victory.
5:8 By choosing "new gods," Israel had rejected the one true God and thus deserved His judgment. The consequence was 20 years of oppression (4:1-3).
5:8 If there were no shields or spears among 40,000 in Israel, how could Israel have defeated a trained army mounting 900 iron chariots (4:12)? It was the Lord who fought for Israel and overcame the Canaanite weaponry. The narrative notes that God brought confusion among the ranks of the Canaanite army (4:15), which forgot its training and discipline and fled in the face of an enemy it did not understand. Furthermore, once the first group of Canaanites had been defeated their weapons were available for Israel's use (4:16).
5:20 Scripture clearly condemns all forms of astrology, divination, sorcery, and witchcraft (Lv 19:26; Dt 18:9-12,14; Is 47:12-15; Jr 27:9-10). Yet Deborah and Barak sing that "the stars fought from the heavens" against Sisera. Their words may be taken in several ways. First, they are a metaphorical reference to either angelic involvement, under God's guidance, or God's direct involvement in the battle (Rv 1:20; 22:16). Second they may allude to some natural or supernatural event in the skies such as the falling of a meteorite, an eclipse or some other phenomenon (Jos 10:11-13). Or the expression may hark back to the renewal of the covenant under Moses, in which "heaven and earth" are invoked as witnesses to the alliance between the Lord and His people (Dt 4:26; 30:19).
6:5 How could there have been Midianites "without number" when, according to Nm 31:7, Moses had killed every Midianite male? First, Midian was not a nation under God's full edict of destruction, whereby every person was to have been destroyed (Dt 20:16-18). When Moses "killed every male" he would have killed only those who had fought in battle against Israel. Sufficient time had passed since Moses' day for the people of Midian to repopulate their army. Second, in the heat of battle there was no way to record of the exact size of the invading army, so they, with their assets, were "without number." Third, the phrase may be a conventional literary expression indicating a large force of enemy soldiers and camels; it does not mean that it was literally impossible to count them.
6:8-9 Ancient Israelite thinking linked individuals with all of their ancestors and descendants. Thus, in the mind of the Israelites of Gideon's day, because their ancestors had been rescued from the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt they themselves had, in effect, also been delivered "from the power of Egypt."
6:12 God called Gideon a "mighty warrior" not because of his experience, but because of his potential—and, undoubtedly, because of what God planned to accomplish through him.
6:17 God uses signs in Scripture for many purposes: to declare His faithfulness (Ex 31:13); to confirm His will (Is 38:7); to encourage a person weak in faith (Jdg 6:36-40); to test His people's readiness to follow Him rather than false prophets (Dt 13:1-5; 2 Th 2:8-12); to confirm a person as his spokesperson (Ex 4:8-9); to announce His own coming or presence (Mt 24:30); and to confirm that God is, in fact, the speaker of a message or the source behind it (Ex 10:2; Jr 44:29). That signs sometimes occurred, however, did not mean that God expected people to ask for them. To seek a sign was no guarantee that God would provide one (Mt 12:38-39), and receiving one was no assurance that it came from God (Mt 24:24). Moreover, there was no guarantee that the individual receiving a sign would believe it or act in accordance with it (cp. Ex 10:1-2; Neh 9:10). God was not always pleased with those who asked for signs (Mt 12:38; 16:1,4; Lk 11:16; 1 Co 1:22-23).
6:22-23 According to Ex 33:20, anyone who sees God will die; this was Gideon's fear, though he was not struck dead. But the Angel of the Lord, while truly a manifestation of God (Jdg 6:23; cp. 2:1), was not a revelation of His fullness (Ex 33:18-20). Or perhaps God displayed His mercy toward Gideon by choosing not to kill him (13:22-23). On the Angel of the Lord, see notes on Jos 5:13-15; Jdg 2:1.
6:25 "Asherah" (singular form of 'asheroth, 3:7) was a Canaanite name for one of their female deities, the goddess of happiness and fortune. The Phoenicians called a similar female deity "Ashtaroth" (2:13).
6:36-40 Gideon's desire for a second fleece sign evidenced his less than complete trust in God (cp. "Don't be angry with me"; v. 39). He wanted to make certain that the first fleece sign was not merely a coincidence or the result of the natural absorption properties of a fleece.
7:5 God chose those who lapped like a dog, not those who knelt to drink. Some have suggested that those who lapped maintained a state of alertness; whereas those who knelt had to use their cupped hands to bring up the water, thereby letting down their guard. Whatever the case, the story makes it clear that God wanted only a small band of soldiers in Gideon's army so that when they were victorious none could say, "I did it myself" (v. 2). The victory would be perceived as the Lord's doing alone.
7:9 God's statement that He had given the camp of the Midianites into Gideon's hand was a declaration both of what God had done and of what He expected of Gideon. While God had guaranteed victory, Gideon still had to trust Him for what had not yet happened. He needed to demonstrate his faith in God by actually going to war and securing the outcome God had promised.
7:10 The clause "if you are afraid to go to the camp" did not mean that God was ignorant of Gideon's thoughts (cp. 2:22; 4:3). Scripture clearly declares that God knows all things, even the hearts of humans (1 Kg 8:39; 2 Ch 6:30; Ps 44:21; Lk 9:47; Ac 15:8; 1 Jn 3:20). The statement was made for Gideon's benefit. Knowing that Gideon was afraid, God had already given one of the Midianites a dream that would be the means to encourage him (Jdg 7:13-15).
7:12 The phrase "as innumerable as the sand on the seashore" was a hyperbole (exaggeration), and was not intended to indicate the exact number of camels (cp. 3:29-31; 6:5).
7:21-22 The narrative relates that an experienced army of over 120,000 men panicked at the sight of Gideon's 300 men. Several points make clear that this was no exaggeration. The Midianite soldier's interpretation of the dream revealed that the enemy army was already experiencing a heightened level of fear (vv. 13-14). The attack took place "at the beginning of the middle watch" (midnight, v. 19), a time when the soldiers would have been asleep; upon being awakened abruptly they would have felt confused or vulnerable. Furthermore, the feeling of being surrounded in a life and death situation—not really knowing the size of the army that surrounded them—would account for much of the panic that ensued and for their lashing out in the dark at anybody who blocked their escape. The massive number of men in a confined area would have added to the level of panic. Finally, God was active in ensuring both the confused frenzy of the soldiers and their ultimate destruction.
8:1-3 God did not judge Gideon for his exaggerated praise of the Ephraimites' role in the battle, but this does not imply that he approved of such flattery. Scripture, when describing events and conversations, records lies or exaggerations when they occur without suggesting that God condones or encourages such speech. Contrast Jephthah's actions toward Ephraim in a similar situation (12:1-4).
8:5-9 Since God said: "Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay" (Dt 32:35; Rm 12:19; Heb 10:30), shouldn't Gideon have just "forgiven and forgotten" the slights by the men of Succoth and Penuel? Gideon may have been out of God's will in threatening the people; the narrative simply records his words, faulty though his motives might be, without passing judgment on them. Or, since Gideon was God's duly appointed leader, the men deserved Gideon's retribution as the instrument of divine vengeance against the rebellious (Jdg 8:13-17).
8:10 On how Gideon, with only 300 men, could defeat an army of 15,000, see note on 7:21-22.
8:26 Apparently both the kings of Midian and their camels (v. 21) wore the crescent ornaments that were symbols of the goddess Astarte. The kings' horses, also, would have been decorated with ornamentation. Religious ornamentation was often worn as a supposedly protective talisman, and these Midianites made extensive use of it.
8:27 What did the author mean when he wrote that "all Israel prostituted themselves with it [the ephod]"? The Bible speaks of prostitutes (Jos 2:1; 6:17,25; Heb 11:31; Jms 2:25) and of people acting as literal prostitutes (Gn 38:13-19; Jdg 19:22), but when Scripture declares that the people of Israel "prostituted themselves," the reference is to forsaking its loyalty to the one true God. Veneration of religious objects such as this "ephod," worship of false gods (i.e., idols), occult practices, or spiritism (Lv 20:1-6) are forms of spiritual adultery. Within the framework of His covenant with Israel, the Lord places Himself, in effect, in the position of a husband (Jr 31:32).
8:30-31 Was Gideon sinning in having more than one wife (v. 30) and a concubine (v. 31)? Even though scripture nowhere directly forbids polygamy, i.e., there are no "Do not" statements against it, it is clear that monogamy is the preferred, or God's ideal, for marriage. Having more than one spouse simultaneously would complicate the "one flesh" understanding of marriage expressed in several passages (Gn 2:24; Mt 19:5-6; Mk 10:7-8; 1 Co 7:2; Eph 5:31). Usually, when Scripture describes a polygamous situation, either the husband is having problems with, or because of, his wives (Gn 30:1; 1 Kg 11:4) or the wives are creating problems between themselves (Gn 30:14-16; 1 Sm 1:1-6). Additionally, believers today would not consider a multiple marriage because it would be in violation of the laws of the government under which they live (Ti 3:1). A man with more than one wife would be barred from serving as an elder or deacon (1 Tm 3:2,12; Ti 1:6).
9:5 Did Gideon (Jerubbaal) have 70 sons (8:30) or 71—70 killed and one left alive? Here the author used a common literary device of his day, the one-number-more or one-number-less style, or exception clause. This is similar to "everybody had a good time at the party, except so and so" (cp. Nm 26:64-65; 1 Sm 30:17; Pr 30:15,18). This device emphasizes the completeness of the destruction while recording what, in fact, occurred: all 70 were killed except Jotham, who escaped death.
9:13 Scripture, in several instances, issues a warning about the consumption of wine or describes the unhappy results of its use (e.g., Pr 20:1; 23:31-35; Is 28:7). In Jotham's tale the vine claims that its product cheers "both God and man." This is part of an allegorical story Jotham tells to mock Abimelech's false kingship; it is not intended as a prescription for human conduct. The Bible does not issue a general condemnation of the drinking of wine (cp. Jn 2:1-11; 1 Tm 5:23), but only of the excessive use of alcoholic beverages (Eph 5:18;1 Pet 4:3).
9:23 What is this evil spirit that God sends? The Hebrew word translated "evil" has a range of meanings, including the concepts of moral or ethical wickedness, misery, distress, trouble, and injury. God indeed oversees the actions of all beings and can control the activities of evil spirits (i.e., fallen angels). But in this instance He caused a hostile attitude to develop between Abimelech and the men of Shechem so that they would turn against each other.
9:35-41 The author did not directly indicate God's reaction (approval or disapproval) to Zebul's lie. The Scripture elsewhere, however, indicates God Himself does not lie (Nm 23:19) and that He disapproves of lying (Ex 20:16; Lv 19:11; Pr 6:16-19; Rm 3:7-8; Col 3:9). Merely because a venture turns out successfully does not guarantee that God approved of either the means or the ends.
9:56-57 Scripture has much to say about "cursing." (1) Curses generally appear to be uttered in the expectation that they will be fulfilled, yet not all curses come to pass (Pr 26:2). (2) God sometimes placed a curse (judgment) upon people and identified situations in which people could expect to experience His curse (Lv 26:14-39; Dt 11:26-28; 27:15-26; 28:15-68; Pr 28:27; Jr 11:3; 48:10). This is especially true of the curses that were pronounced in the renewal of the Lord's covenant with Israel; the declaration of these sanctions was a normal part of such ceremonies (Dt 30:19). (3) At times, curses were placed on embodiments of evil (Gn 3:14), inanimate objects (Gn 3:17), or concepts (Jb 3:1; Jr 20:14). (4) God established guidelines for what He allowed to be cursed (2 Sm 16:10; 2 Kg 2:24) and what He prohibited from being cursed (Ex 21:17; Lv 19:14; 24:15; Nm 22:12; Rm 12:14). (5) Some curses revealed thefoolishness of the one cursing (1 Sm 14:24-30); other curses revealed that the one who employed a curse had not considered all its implications (Jdg 21:16-18; Ec 10:20). (6) Scripture provides guidelines for how people are to respond to those who curse them (Lk 6:28). (7) The NT also declares that through the work of Christ on the cross, who took upon Himself the curse inherent in the covenant law (Gl 3:10), believers have been freed from its curse pronouncements (3:13). God's people will not be eternally under its curse (Rv 22:3). The curse is the opposite of the blessing, and the effect of each depends on the authority of the person uttering them. The functioning of both blessing and curse in biblical cultures illustrates the power of the spoken word, and how seriously God takes the use of speech (Mt 12:37; Jms 3:5-10).
10:7 To ascribe anger to the Lord, as the OT often does, is not to compare His attitude with sinful human passions. The Bible identifies at least two kinds of anger: that which is sinful and that which is righteous (Pr 14:29; 16:32; Eph 4:26; Jms 1:19). The former may be self-serving (Gn 4:5; Nm 24:10; 2 Sm 6:8) or that which lashes out at others (2 Ch 16:10). The latter is that which seeks either God's good (e.g., an outrage against sin) or God's will (Dt 4:21). The anger of the Lord, at times, remains within the Lord, i.e., does not initiate action (Ps 86:15). In Scripture, "slow to anger" means keeping one's anger in check for a long period of time, allowing it to subside or to be expressed, as appropriate. At other times, God's anger is expressed by His words (Hs 8:5) or by His judgment, a judgment that may withhold privileges (Ps 95:11) or invoke punitive measures (Nm 12:9-10; Dt 11:17; Jdg 2:14) that can even lead to the death of the guilty (Dt 6:15; 2 Sm 6:7).
10:7 On God's selling the Israelites to another nation, see note on 2:14.
10:10-16 Scripture declares that God does not change (1 Sm 15:29; Ps 15:4; Mal 3:6; Jms 1:17). Here the Lord declares that He will not deliver His people again. Yet, in Jdg 10:16, He is moved by the suffering of His people, and 11:32 records that He delivered them once again. God has established general principles by which He operates, one being that He judges those who sin but reconciles sinners to Himself upon their sincere repentance (Dt 29:17–30:10; 2 Ch 7:13-14). God had graciously delivered Israel (Jdg 10:1-5), but Israel turned away from the Lord to serve other gods (v. 6), incurring His judgment (vv. 7-9). When they then cried out to the Lord, expecting Him to deliver them on the basis of their acknowledgment of disloyalty (v. 10), He declined (v. 13). In this He appears to have violated His principle of reconciliation in response to repentance, but vv. 14-16 reveals that the Israelites' repentance was not sincere, for idols remained in their midst. When they finally removed their foreign "gods" to worship the Lord alone, He responded by reconciling them to Himself and delivering them from their enemies (v. 16; 11:32). God changed neither His mind nor His forgiving character (e.g., Ex 34:6-7; Ps 51:1), but operated in accordance with His character (Jdg 2:11-23).
11:1-6 Scripture condemns prostitution as displeasing to God (Lv 21:9); the law decreed that offspring of an illegitimate relationship were to be barred from entering the assembly of the Lord to the tenth generation (Dt 23:2). Nevertheless Jephthah, born illegitimately of a prostitute, was asked by the elders of Gilead to be their leader. Three considerations apply here. First, the irregular circumstances of one's birth, or having been driven from one's home, did not render a person unable to serve the Lord (Jdg 11:11) or to be guided by God in accomplishing great things (v. 29). Second, the messianic line (i.e., the line of Jesus) includes at least three people who had been born under questionable conditions. Perez was born of an illegitimate relationship (Gn 38; Mt 1:3); Boaz's mother had previously been a prostitute (Mt 1:5; Heb 11:31); and Solomon was born to parents who had committed adultery—his father having even arranged for the murder of his wife's first husband (2 Sm 11:1–12:25; Mt 1:6). Third, during the time of the judges, "everyone did whatever he wanted" (Jdg 17:6; 21:25); the Gileadite's choice of Jephthah was not necessarily God's idea. Still, God did not reject Jephthah but worked with him to accomplish His purpose (11:29-32).
11:24 Jephthah's appeal to the Ammonites' belief in Chemosh does not indicate that he believed their deity was a real god on a level with the Lord God of Israel. It was, if not a sarcastic reference (see Dt 32:37), a use of their beliefs to argue his point—the Israelites owned the land because the God of Israel was stronger than the god of Ammon, as shown by His previous defeat of that god (11:13-23). In biblical times, people considered battles to be fought primarily between gods; the nation winning in battle was thought to have the stronger god. Jephthah was laying out the issue in terms the Ammonites could understand. The authors of Scripture clearly taught that there was, and is, only one true God (2 Ch 15:3; Jr 10:10; Jn 17:3; 1 Th 1:9).
11:29-31 How could Jephthah make such a rash vow if the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him? Even though the Holy Spirit may guide an individual, that person retains the freedom to follow or reject the Spirit's leading. Jephthah apparently chose to act on his own in this case and, in his exuberance, uttered an unwise vow (Pr 20:25; Ec 5:2-4). The Spirit's guidance may have related solely to Jephthah's activities as a judge (e.g., leading God's people into battle; Jdg 11:29-33) and not to his private life (vv. 30-31). Other Israelites (e.g., Samson, Saul, and David) experienced the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be leaders of God's people (13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 16:13), but failed in various aspects of their personal lives (Jdg 14:1-3; 16:1; 1 Sm 13:9-13; 2 Sm 11:2-4).
11:34-39 According to vv. 30-31, Jephthah paid his vow to the Lord. He offered Him the first thing that came out of his house to greet him after the battle—his beloved daughter. Did Jephthah literally sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord, or did he dedicate her to temple service? Until the Middle Ages, interpreters generally held to the first possibility. Subsequently both views have had their advocates. A difficulty with the former view is that God abhors human sacrifice (Jr 32:35); as for the latter view, there is no direct biblical evidence of a group committed to lifelong virginity serving the Lord at the temple in Shiloh. The plain reading of the text supports the conclusion that Jephthah did, in fact, offer his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord, as great an abomination as that would have been. This did not mean that the Lord accepted or approved of that offering (Is 1:10-15; Am 5:22).
12:6 Since the Ephraimites and the Gileadites were similar in their ethnic backgrounds, the Gileadites devised a pronunciation test whereby they could identify their enemies. Once the identification was made, the Gileadites killed the Ephraimites not because of their speech but because the Ephraimites had made themselves enemies of the Gileadites (v. 1). Considering that the Ephraimites were panicked with no easy escape routes, and considering that huge lopsided losses were not unheard of in biblical times, the figure of 42,000 is not an implausible number of deaths. The author did not state specifically, however, that the Gileadites administered the pronunciation test to all 42,000 people. The word "shibboleth" became proverbial, in English as a term referring to a test of acceptable practice and belief, much as the term "litmus test" has come to be used.
13:1 The author linked the concept of doing evil to both the rejection of the true God and the worship of false gods (2:11; 3:17; 10:6; cp. Dt 12:29-31).
13:2-5 The fact the author mentions Samson's father's name (Manoah) 18 times but does not mention his mother's name even once is no indication that the Bible considers women to be less important than men (cp. 1:11-15). Lineage in ancient Israel was established through the male side of the family, not the female side. The mention of Samson's mother in these verses, however, is not a detail incidental to the story but integral to it; her role is as significant as that of her husband. The Angel of the Lord appeared to her twice (13:3,9) before encountering her husband for the first time (v. 11), and performed the same number of miracles for both of them (13:19-20). The author, moreover, depicts Samson's mother as demonstrating better reasoning skills than her husband (vv. 22-23). This theme—the barren wife who, through the Lord's intervention, bears a son who plays a significant role in the history of the people of God—occurs several times in Scripture; Sarah (Gn 17:19), Hannah (1 Sm 1:19-20) and Elizabeth (Lk 1:13) are notable.
13:4 Manoah's wife was told that her son must not use wine or other alcoholic beverages. The Lord is not condemning the drinking of wine altogether (cp. 9:13); the prohibition was part of the Nazirite vow (Nm 6:1-20). This instance of the Nazirite vow is unique, in that the Lord established it for a human being before that person was born (Jdg 13:5), and required the mother to participate in certain aspects of the injunctions of that vow while the child was in her womb.
13:5 The Apostle Paul (1 Co 11:14) established the general principle that men's hair was to be kept shorter than women's. The Nazirite vow prohibited the cutting of hair, but this was a temporary practice for the purpose of exhibiting a certain devotion to the Lord. The varying directives are no indication that God was contradicting Himself.
13:22 Despite seeing God ("the Angel of the Lord"), Samson's parents did not die; God allowed them to live in order to produce and raise a special child who would "begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines" (v. 5). On the Angel of the Lord, see notes on Jos 5:13-15; Jdg 2:1; 6:22-23.
13:24 God blessed the young Samson, though when grown he failed to live a righteous life. God's blessing of an individual is based on His grace, as suits His purposes, and is not a direct consequence of the individual's behavior. He can bless anyone at any time, irrespective of a person's actions. However, God's blessing of Samson appears to be limited to his earlier years; it is not mentioned as being extended to him later on, when he committed the various sins ascribed to him.
14:1-4 Did the Lord approve of Samson's marriage to the Philistine woman of Timnah? Samson's desire to marry "was from the Lord," the text indicates, despite the fact that He had expressly forbidden His people to intermarry with the other inhabitants of Canaan because of their false religions (Ex 34:12-16; Dt 7:1-5). Scripture suggests that God can turn human wrongdoing to his praise (Ps 76:10), and to a degree Samson's career illustrates of this truth. To the very end of his life (Jdg 16:28), he consistently acted on the basis his own physical desires, with little regard for what the Lord wanted. Scripture does not condemn attraction to a beautiful person of the opposite sex under normal conditions (Gn 12:11,14; 26:7; 29:17-18; Dt 21:10-13). But if that person is already married (2 Sm 11:2) or, as with the Philistine woman, that person does not serve the one true God(2 Co 6:14), such attraction must be resisted.
14:5-6 Under conditions of extreme anxiety or terror, people have been known to exhibit what might be called superhuman strength (e.g., being able to lift an automobile off an injured person). Samson may have been terrified by the lion, but the passage implies he experienced more than a rush of adrenaline; the Lord empowered him to overcome the attacking animal.
14:12-13 Just because God used Samson's desires and actions to accomplish His ends did not mean He approved of all Samson's actions, including his "gambling" over the Philistine garments. The casting of lots to determine the will of God in a given matter (Jos 18:6-10; Pr 16:33) is not gambling in the usual sense; no exchange of money or items of value is involved. The lot was cast "before the Lord" to determine the right course of action in situations not covered by scriptural guidelines or where human wisdom lacked sufficient insight. There is no record of the casting of lots for such a purpose after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to indwell the people of God. Biblical references to the casting of lots for one's personal gain (Jb 6:27; Ps 22:18; Jl 3:3; Nah 3:10; Mt 27:35) present the practice in a less than positive light.
14:19 The Philistines Samson slew in a seemingly wanton slaughter had already been condemned to death by God (Ex 23:31-32; Dt 7:1-2). Samson was simply God's enforcer of justice, apparently without his even realizing it (Jdg 15:3; see note on 5:1).
15:1-2 That a father would give away and take back his daughters at whim (14:20) does not align itself with today's widely accepted sense of justice. Samson's reactions reveal he, too, regarded his father-in-law's actions as unjust. The narrator records the father's actions without approving them. But the father's responsibility for arranging his daughter's marriage did not, from the biblical viewpoint, imply a degradation of the status of women (1:11-15).
15:3-8 Whatever Samson did, he did it in a big way. He killed 30 men to get their clothes, traveling 50 miles round trip to do so (14:19). He used 300 foxes to burn the Philistine fields and vineyards (15:4-5). He overwhelmed the Philistines with a great slaughter (v. 8). He killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (v. 15). But his career is, in general, an example of the squandering of God's endowment of strength on self-centered pursuits.
15:10 On the coming of the Spirit of the Lord upon a person, see note on 3:10.
15:19 God may have miraculously created water here, or He may have used a naturally occurring water source to provide for Samson.
16:1 The narrative does not imply that Samson was moved by the Spirit of the Lord in the action recorded here. Clearly he was not, for God expressly condemns prostitution (Pr 7:24-27; 1 Co 6:15-20; cp. Jdg 3:10; 11:29-31).
16:3 The author did not record Samson's motivation for ripping out the gates of the city and carrying them 40 miles from Gaza to Hebron. Neither did he mention the Lord in connection with this incident, suggesting that Samson acted on his own initiative.
16:6-20 Samson had numerous failed interpersonal relationships because he paid no attention to God's guidelines, especially those involving the opposite sex. Samson chose intimate relations with unbelievers (14:3) or with those to whom he was not married (16:1). He also lied and deceived (16:7,11,13).
16:17-20 Samson's strength came from the Lord, not from his hair. He was in a covenant relationship with the Lord based on his Nazirite vow (13:7). Despite his sins he, up to this point, had apparently not broken the requirements of that vow (Nm 6:1-21). By allowing his hair to be cut Samson disregarded his vow and thus severed his covenant with God. As a consequence, God finally withdrew his superhuman strength.
16:27-30 Ancient Philistine temples were of two types. One was a closed building which only a select few were permitted to enter. The other was a significantly larger building with an open center courtyard; people gathered on the roof could observe the worship practices being conducted. An example of such an open-style temple was excavated at Tel Beth Shean (similar temples were found at Tel Qasile and Tel Migne). Approximately one-third of the courtyard was covered by a ceiling supported by two wooden pillars set on stone bases. Pulling down those pillars would have greatly damaged the entire temple, killing or injuring anyone who happened to be on the roof at the time. Samson's feat is entirely in accord with archaeological evidence, but betrays the fact that he already knew (since he had been blinded) about the structure of a pagan place of worship.
17:2 In ancient times, people considered curses to be inviolable and unalterable. Micah's mother must have been terrified to find that she had unknowingly placed a curse on her own son. Her only recourse was to pronounce an equally binding blessing on him to counteract the curse. Clearly, neither Micah nor his mother was acting in accordance with God's law. Regarding curses, see note on 9:56-57.
17:3 Despite dedicating the silver to the Lord (17:3), Micah sinned in fashioning an idol to Him, since God strictly forbade the making or worshiping of such images (Ex 20:4; Lv 19:4; 26:1; Dt 5:8; 27:15; 32:21). Micah and his mother discovered that their sincerity was no guarantee that God was pleased with their supposed acts of worship. God had established His guidelines for worship, and expected Israel to follow those guidelines wholeheartedly (Is 29:13-14).
17:6 This statement, repeated at the end of the book, is the "motto" of the book of Judges. The absence of recognized spiritual authority leads to social chaos; the narrative of Judges lays out the consequence when a people ignores its responsibility to honor, and observe, the Lord's directives for the conduct of human life.
18:1 The first 16 chapters of the book of Judges generally follow a chronological order. Chapters 17–21, however, present events that occurred during the early part of the time of the judges. These concluding chapters appear to have been intentionally placed out of chronological sequence to reveal the extent of Israel's degradation and to emphasize the justification for a monarchy to rule God's people (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Thus, 18:1 does not contradict 2:6 in declaring that the Danites had not been allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
18:5-6 Despite what the priest had concluded, there was no certainty he had truly ascertained the Lord's will. This priest had been functioning outside of the Lord's revealed will. His quick response to the Danites suggests he had not even thought to consult the Lord (cp. 2 Sm 7:1-7).
18:30 Some translations identify the priest as Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh. Other translations, however, indicate that the priest was Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses; thus, the idolatrous priest was none other than the grandson of Moses. Some scholars believe that the original Hebrew was altered by later scribes to protect Moses' reputation so that his name would not be linked in any way with the idolatry of the tribe of Dan. According to those scholars, the Hebrew text was changed from "Moses" to "Manasseh" (the name of an apostate king of Judah) by the insertion of the Hebrew letter "nun" ("n," in English) as a superscription above the other consonants.
19:1 Scripture offers certain guidelines regarding whom priests were allowed to marry (Lv 21:14-15), but says nothing about priests having concubines. On concubines, see note on Jdg 8:30-31.
19:2-30 This passage, with its gory outcome, reveals the degraded condition into which Israelite life had fallen during this period. The Levite's speaking tenderly to his concubine might suggest that he truly cared for her, but his actions belied his words. First, he waited four months after her abrupt departure before he sought to bring her home (vv. 2-3). Second, he delivered her to the sexual ravages of a mob to protect himself and others (v. 25). Third, the morning after the rape when he found her lying at the doorstep of the house, he treated her without compassion, demanding she rise and leave with him. The narrator does not gloss over the horror of these events, but records them as they happened and does not try to reconcile the attitudes and actions of the people about whom he wrote. The inspiration of Scripture does not require that only comforting and edifying material be presented in historical narrative; inspiration requires that the true picture be laid out, even when events are disgusting.
20:16 In biblical times, slings for hurling stones were not the Y-shaped slingshots typically used today, which usually depend on some elastic material. The sling was a patch of leather to which strings were attached; by twirling the sling and skillfully releasing a string, a warrior could hurl the stone with great speed and accuracy. A practiced warrior could sling a stone at upwards of 150 miles per hour. The stones that were used were approximately the size of a small fist, so the degree of accuracy did not need to be as great as it would have been had the stone been merely the size of a small pebble. The significance of Benjamin's left-handed slingers lies in the fact the ramp up to a city gate typically sloped to the right, as one faces the gate from outside. A left-handed warrior could hurl his shot while advancing up the ramp close to the wall, risking less exposure to the defenders on the ramparts above him.
20:21,25,39 At least three reasons may be advanced for God's allowing more than 40,000 of the nation's forces to be killed (vv. 21,25,39). First, the nation as a whole, and not merely the tribe of Benjamin, had to be judged for its sins (21:25; "everyone did whatever he wanted"). Second, the nation as a whole needed to learn to trust God fully, even in the midst of defeat, so they would learn not to trust in superiority of numbers or of battle skills (20:2,10,15-17). Third, God did not promise victory to the nation of Israel before either of the first two battles. Only before the third battle did He actually guarantee success (v. 28).
20:46-48 Initially, only a few Benjaminites deserved to be punished for the despicable gang rape and murder of the Levite's concubine (19:22-28). The entire tribe of Benjamin became guilty of complicity, however, when they refused to hand over the perpetrators to the rest of the Israelites (20:13).
21:1-24 Having decimated the tribe of Benjamin because of its immoral behavior, the Israelites realized that one of the 12 tribes was in danger of extinction (v. 3). Only 600 warriors remained; all other men, women and children had been lost in the destruction of the Benjaminite towns. The number 12 needed to be preserved because it represented the fullness of the covenant with the Lord (hence Jesus chose 12 apostles, emblematic of the renewal of Israel). In their anger, however, the other tribes vowed not to permit their daughters to marry into the tribe of Benjamin (vv. 1,7). The "solution" was to let the Benjaminites seize wives from Jabesh-gilead, which had not participated in the battle against them. All the people of Jabesh-gilead were slain except the 400 virgins allocated to the men of Benjamin. Israel justified the slaughter on the grounds that Jabesh-gilead had tacitly agreed with the Benjaminites' sinful actions (vv. 8-12). It was the worst of times in Israel (17:6; 21:25).