Judges 10 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Judges 10

Tola and Jair

10:1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

3 After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Further Disobedience and Oppression

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the LORD said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Commentary

v1-5: Tola and Jair led Israel for 23 and 22 years respectively. Tola lived in central Israel, Jair in Gilead, east of the Jordan.

v6: The next cycle began, with sin and idolatry. This seems to be more serious as the gods of seven nations are mentioned. It is suggested that the pragmatism of ch 3-9 gave way to hedonism, as the people pursued pleasure for its own sake.

v7-9: The oppression and suffering were apparently worse than previously. The area ruled by Tola was attacked by Ammonites, and there was deliverance by Jephthah; the area ruled by Jair was attacked by the Philistines, and there was deliverance by Samson. This confirms the suggestion that the Judges ruled, and the oppression occurred in regions within Israel, and not necessarily throughout Israel.

It may be said that the lack of obedience of the tribes east of the Jordan had turned to open idolatry, see Num 32.1-5.

The Ammonites were a Semitic, not a Canaanite people; mentioned in Num 21, and Deut 23.3-6.

v10: Israel prayed to the Lord, although it may have been because of their suffering, rather than true sorrow for their sins. This was apparently a last resort after 18 years of oppression. See also v15. The actual area attacked was significant, with both Ammonites and Philistines involved.

v11-14: 'Do you really mean it?' is the Lord's response. The people were so quick to turn to foreign gods, but so slow to return to the true God. Why should He listen to them?

v15-16: In response the Israelites removed their idols, and served God. This was a sign of real repentance, which God honoured.

v17-18: Having dealt with matters of repentance and obedience, Israel still had the practical problem of a foreign army in their land. The leaders met together, to find a suitable military leader. They managed to gather something of an army.