Judges Chapter 6.
6:1, 2. The Midianites were descended from Midian, one of the several children born to Abraham and Kenturah,
who had been sent away to the east so that Isaac might be Abraham's uncontested heir (Gen. 25:1-6). Joseph was
later sold into Egypt by Midianite merchants (Gen. 37:23-28). Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he married
Zipporah, a Kenite princess (cf. Ex. 2:15-22). The Midianites provided opposition to the Israelites as they journeyed
toward the Promised Land, being found in league with the Moabites (Num. 22-25) and the Amorites (Josh. 13:21).
Known primarily as prosperous traders, the various groups of Midianites tended to merge with the Ishmaelites (cf.
Gen 37:25-28; Judg. 8:24).
6:3. For the Amalekites, see the note on 3:12, 13.
6:21. Fire is often a sign of the divine presence (cf. Ex. 3:2-4; 13:21, 22; 19:18; Is. 4:4; Ezek.1:27; Dan. 7:9; Zech.
2:5; Acts 2:3; Heb. 12:18; Rev. 1:14).
6:22. Gideon feared immediate death for having seen an angel of the Lord face to face (cf. Ex. 20:19; 33:20; Judg.
13:22 with Gen. 32:30; Ex. 24:10, 11; Is. 6:1-5; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:12; Rev. 22:4). Although mortal man has not
looked on the essential being of God, God has often appeared to men, especially in Jesus Christ, His Son (John
1:18; 14:8, 9).
6:25. For grove, see the note on 3:6, 7.
6:34. See the note on 3:10.
6:39. Gideon asks for a still greater miracle, for the fleece would more naturally retain a heavy dew, However one
views Gideon's fleece, the tender and patient dealings of a gracious God are surely to be noted.
Judges Chapter 7
7:1-3. Gideon's forces were assembled at the foot of Mount Gilboa; the Midianites were encamped about five miles
northwest across the valley of Jezreel by the hill of Moreh. Accordingly, mount Gilead cannot be the well-known
Mount Gilead, which was located east of the Jordan River.
7:3-8. Gideon's strange mobilization strategy had both scriptural precedent and a practical principle: (1) The fears
of some can infect the rest (cf. Deut. 20:8). (2) The practical wisdom to be alert to battle conditions must take
precedence over the gratification of personal needs. The selection of the three hundred men who lapped the water
may also have eliminated those who were still fearful.
7:12. Grasshoppers (or locusts) and armies are often compared in the literature of the ancient Near East. See the
note on 1 Kings 8:22-53.
7:16-22. Gideon's strange battle strategy counted on the elements of surprise, confusion, and the enemy's
mistaken assumption that they had fallen prey to an innumerable attacking force. The divinely conceived plan
worked better than any man could have dared to hope (cf. 2 Chr. 20:22, 23).
7:24, 25. Gideon counted on the Ephraimites to cut off the remnants of the Midianite army. Gideon's army was not
designed for the mopping up phase of the battle or for the extended pursuit of the enemy army.
Judges Chapter 8
8:4-9. The residents of the various towns were reluctant to help Gideon, lest his victory prove to be but partial and
the enemy return and punish them.
8:27. The exact nature and form of the ephod are unknown. Perhaps Gideon intended it as a means whereby the
Israelites might know the will of God (cf. Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8). How often religious objects become a means of idolatry
rather than of spiritual perception! (cf. Ex. 32:4; 1 Kin. 12:28).
Judges Chapter 9
9:1. Abimelech's ambition to be a king in Israel, an honor Gideon had refused (cf. 8:22, 23), was first put to the test
in Shechem, because his mother, a concubine of Gideon, came from there. Accordingly, the citizens of Shechem
were invited to make one of their own, and a son of Gideon at that, to be their king. His murder of all but one of his
brothers enabled him to assume the throne in Shechem where he ruled for three troublesome years.
9:8-15. Jotham's address begins with a fable (a fictitious tale designed around a central moral) suggesting that the
choice of Abimelech as king is a poor one, since not God's man, but a worthless scoundrel, has been selected as a
ruler. Accordingly, they have brought on their own destruction. The conclusion to the fable also becomes the point
for Jotham's curse (v. 20) which truly comes to pass (vv. 56, 57). For other parabolic fables in the Old Testament,
see 2 Samuel 12:1-4 and 2 Kings 14:9, 10.
Judges Chapter 10
10:1, 3. Tola and Jair are usually considered minor judges, along with Shamgar (3:31) and Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
(12:8-15). "Minor" simply means that the scriptural record concerning these six judges is brief and contains no
record of a military deliverance from any of Israel's oppressors.
10:7. For Ammonites, see the note on 3:12, 13.
Judges Chapter 11
11:5, 6, 11. Jephthah, the illegitimate son of Gilead, was called to be the captain of the forces and deliverer of the
people who had rejected him. Though not directly parallel, his story reminds one of Jesus, who was accused of
being born of fornication (John 8:41) and who was rejected (cf. Acts 4:11), but became the captain of man's
salvation (Heb. 2:10).
11:29-40. Christian scholars have been divided over whether Jephthah's vow dealt with human sacrifice. Those who
favor the view that Jephthah actually sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering point to early Jewish and Christian
interpreters who held that he did so and maintain that human sacrifice, though not condoned by God, was actually
practiced in early Israel (cf. 2 Kin. 16:3; 17:17; 2 Chr. 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35). However, proper interpretation
does not depend merely on historical precedent, nor on instances of the practice of spiritual apostates or
unbelievers. The plain reading of the text favors the view that since Jephthah was yet under the influence of the
spirit of the Lord (vv. 29-31) when he made his vow, his vow must have dealt with the principle of dedication
symbolized by the burnt offering. Accordingly, Jephthah's daughter was pledged to perpetual virginity (vv. 37-40).
This view underscores the fact that for God to honor the terms of Jephthah's vow would make Him a participant in
evil inasmuch as He would thereby violate the prohibition in His own revealed word (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31,
32; 18:10-12). Since the Scriptures record that Jephthah's daughter was hos only child, and do not indicate that he
ever had another, he is rightly commemorated in Hebrews 11:32-40 not only for his deliverance of Israel but for a
full dedication to God that left his him destitute of any heir.
Judges Chapter 12
12:5, 6. The linguistic test used to examine whether any individual was an Ephraimite revolved around a distinction
in "s" sounds. The common Hebrew word Shibboleth, "ear of grain," was pronounced sibboleth by the Ephraimites
(perhaps with a bit of lisping sound); Hence, a person's tribal affiliation would be clearly identifiable.
Judges Chapter 13
13:1. By the time of Samson, the Philistines ("Sea Peoples") had conquered and populated the coastal plain of
Israel and were a major threat to the Israelites dwelling in the hill country. Their use of iron weapons and their policy
of disarmament (cf. 1 Sam. 13:19-23) left Israel at great disadvantage. See the note on Joshua 13:2, 3.
13:5. The divinely promised child was to be a Nazarite, one separated from the world and consecrated to the Lord.
In addition to the prohibition against cutting the hair mentioned here, the regulations concerning the Nazarite vow
detailed in Numbers 6:1-21 prohibited also using products of the vine and the touching of any dead body. Samson's
actions violated all three of these regulations (cf. 14:8, 9, 17; 16:17). because of the unique child she was to bear,
Samson's mother was also commanded to share in the terms of the Nazarite vow (vv. 13, 14).
13:18. The secret name of the angel of the Lord comes from a root meaning "separate," "surpassing," or "beyond
apprehension," and hence is often translated "wonderful" (cf. Ex. 15:11; Is. 9:6).
Judges Chapter 14
14:1-4. Samson's life becomes a lesson int he tragedy of self-will. His marriage was a clear violation of the Law (Ex.
34:16; Deut. 7:3). Nevertheless, God sovereignty overruled the defects in Samson's character to bring about His
good purpose for Israel.
14:12-14. The word translated riddle is translated elsewhere "hard questions" (1 Kin. 10:1), "dark sayings" (Ps.
49:4; Prov. 1:6), or "dark sentences" (Dan. 8:23). The same word is used of Ezekiel's fable concerning the two
eagles (Ezek. 17:2).
Judges Chapter 15
15:19. From a circular depression in Lehi God caused a spring to gush out of the ground to assuage Samson's
thirst. Samson called it En-hakkore, "The Spring of the Caller." God's tender care of a weary Samson is reminiscent
of His loving provision for Elijah (cf. 1 Kin. 17:2-6; 19:4-8).
Judges Chapter 16
16:3. The huge gate of the city in the ancient Near East was often covered with metal to prevent its being burned
during an attack. The combined weight of the door posts and doors, bar and all, which Samson bore upon his
shoulders some 38 miles mostly uphill to Hebron was, therefore, tremendous. Samson was a man of incredible
strength!
16:23. Dagon is probably to be identified with Dagan, a principal grain god often mentioned in the inscriptions of
ancient Mesopotamia. Since Dagan/Dagon is attested in the Canaanite literature of ancient Ugarit as an important
grain god, he probably occupied a similar status with the Philistines. The common Hebrew word for grain (dagan) is
possibly associated etymologically with the name of this pagan god.
16:24-30. The findings of archaeological excavations in the ancient Near East make certain the possibilities for such
a large number of casualties. Also, excavations at Tell Qasile reveal a Philistine temple built in this very fashion. Not
only would there be officials underneath the roofed patio, but a huge crowd would have been on its roof, doubtless
gathered at one end to see the spectacle of Israel's hero, Samson. The collapse of the main supporting pillars
would have killed large numbers instantly. Samson's final act was more than one of mere vengeance; it wiped out
the key Philistine leadership, thereby setting back the Philistine threat against Israel considerably. For once Samson
had performed a selfless act, justifying his being mentioned among the heroes of the faith on Hebrews 11:32.
Judges Chapter 17
17:1. Chapters 17-21 form an appendix to the narratives of chapters 1-16, which flow largely in chronological
sequence. The precise time of the events of these last chapters is uncertain. The common thread running through
them is the observation that in those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his
own eyes (v. 6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).
17:2-5. Apparently the mother hoped to negate the force of the curse by using the many images and the silver
restored by her son for "religious purposes."
17:12, 13. With the arrival of the Levite, Micah attempted to clothe his apostate religion with an aura of authenticity.