Judges 11:6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 11:4-11

Here is, I. The distress which the children of Israel were in upon the Ammonites? invasion of their country, Jdg. 11:4. Probably this was the same invasion with that mentioned, Jdg. 10:17; when the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in or against Gilead. And those words, in process of time, refer to what goes immediately before of the expulsion of Jephthah; many days after he had been thus thrust out in disgrace was he fetched back again with honour. II. The court which the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 11:6

And they said unto Jephthah, come and be our captain ,.... The general of their army, to conduct and lead on their forces; they did not propose him to be their king, being convinced by Abimelech's conduct that such a step would be wrong; nor did they say anything of his being their judge, having no other view than to serve their present exigence; besides, a judge was not one chosen by the people, but raised up of God, and which honour was conferred on Jephthah afterwards: that we may... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 11:6

Come , and be our captain - The Israelites were assembled in Mizpeh, but were without a captain to lead them against the Ammonites. And we find, from the conclusion of the preceding chapter, that they offered the command to any that would accept it. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Judges 11:1-40

Jephthah and five other judges (10:1-12:15)Little is known of the political or military activities of the judges Tola and Jair. They both exercised power for lengthy periods, and Jair’s family certainly enjoyed considerable power and prestige among the East Jordan tribes (10:1-5).Again the Israelites turned away from Yahweh and worshipped false gods, and again they were punished. The Ammonites conquered the eastern tribes, crossed Jordan, and seized large portions of Israelite territory in... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Judges 11:1-7

3. Deliverance through Jephthah 11:1-12:7To prepare for the recital of Israel’s victory over the Ammonites the writer provided the reader with some background information concerning the man God raised up to lead this deliverance. Like Gideon, Jephthah was an unlikely hero who got off to a good start but ended poorly. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Judges 11:1-11

The choice of Jephthah as Gilead’s leader 11:1-11Judges 11:1-3 provide information about Jephthah’s personal background. His name means "He [an unspecified deity] has opened [the womb]." Jephthah lived on the east side of the Jordan River. Unlike Gideon, he was a courageous and valiant warrior. He was, however, the product of his father’s sexual liaison with a prostitute, another clue to the moral level in Israel. Evidently Jephthah’s grandparents named his father in honor of an ancestor named... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 11:1-40

Jephthah’s Victory over the Ammonites. His Rash Vow1-11. The Choice of Jephthah.1. As the son of a harlot, Jephthah has no legal standing in the tribe. Gilead begat] Throughout the rest of the narrative Gilead is the name of a place, not a person (cp. Judges 12:7). Here Gilead’s ’sons’ represent the legitimate tribesmen. 3. Tob] must have been near Gilead, probably to the NE. (cp. 2 Samuel 10:6). Vain men] see on Judges 9:4. ’Broken men,’ such as came to David at the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Judges 11:6

(6) Our captain.—The word used is katzin (Joshua 10:24; Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 22:3), which is specially a leader in time of war; but Jephthah demands something more—namely, to be their “head” (rosh) in time of peace also. read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Judges 11:1-40

Judges 11:6 When a subject presented itself so large and shapeless, and dry and thorny, that few men's fortitude could face, and no one's patience could grapple with it; or an emergency occurred demanding, on a sudden, access to stores of learning, the collection of many long years, but arranged so as to be made available at the shortest notice then it was men asked where Lawrence was. Lord Brougham. Judges 11:10 In a sermon preached at Fenwick in 1663, William Guthrie told his congregation:... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Judges 11:1-11

GILEAD AND ITS CHIEFJudges 10:1-18; Judges 11:1-11THE scene of the history shifts now to the east of Jordan, and we learn first of the influence which the region called Gilead was coming to have in Hebrew development from the brief notice of a chief named Jair, who held the position of judge for twenty-two years. Tola, a man of Issachar, succeeded Abimelech, and Jair followed Tola. In the Book of Numbers we are informed that the children of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it and... read more

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