And after him Elon a Zebulonite judged Israel ,.... One of the tribe of Zebulun: and he judged Israel ten years ; administered justice to them, preserved them in the true religion, and from idolatry; though it does not appear that any enemies arose in his time against them, from whom he delivered them. read more
And Elon the Zebulonite died ,.... At the end of his ten years of government: and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun ; which is added to distinguish it from another Aijalon in the tribe of Dan Judges 1:35 . read more
A Zebulonite - The tribe of Zebulon had shown its bravery, patriotism, and prowess in the time of Barak Judges 4:10; Judges 5:18. read more
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
X. ELON"And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.""Elon" (Judges 12:11). "This name means `Oak' or `Terebinth.'"[18] Josephus spelled the name `Helon.' Josephus' comment on this judge was, "Neither did Helon do anything remarkable."[19]A curiosity here was pointed out by Yates. "The consonants of Aijalon (Judges 12:12), the vocalized reading of Elon's burial place, are... read more
E. The fifth apostasy 10:6-12:15In view of Israel’s continuing and worsening apostasy, God turned His people over to the discipline of the Ammonites, whom Jephthah finally defeated, and the Philistines. He also used three other judges during this period: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. read more
4. The judgeships of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon 12:8-15These three men were quite clearly successors of Jephthah (Judges 12:8; Judges 12:11; Judges 12:13). Probably Ibzan followed Jephthah (Judges 12:8), and then Elon and Abdon succeeded Ibzan (Judges 12:11; Judges 12:13). The writer noted no special deeds of theirs, either because they performed none or because he chose not to feature them in his narrative. read more
Elon’s judgeship 12:11-12Elon, meaning "oak, terebinth," also lived in Zebulun, though archaeologists have not yet discovered his town, Aijalon. read more
The Ephraimites Quarrel with Jephthah. His Death1-6. Jephthah and Ephraim. Once more the members of the leading tribe find themselves left out of the victory, and complain: cp. Judges 8:1; Jephthah deals with them differently from Gideon.1. Northward] RM ’to Zaphon,’ a town near Succoth: cp. Joshua 13:27. 2. When I called you] It would seem that Jephthah had done more than simply rouse Gilead: see on Judges 11:29. 4. Jephthah now makes use of the headship promised him in Judges 11:11. The... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 12:8-15
We have here a short account of the short reigns of three more of the judges of Israel, the first of whom governed but seven years, the second ten, and the third eight. For the transgression of a land, many are the princes thereof, many in a short time, successively (Prov. 28:2), good men being removed in the beginning of their usefulness and by the time that they have applied themselves to their business. I. Ibzan of Bethlehem, most probably Bethlehem of Judah, David's city, not that in... read more