And after him Abdon the son of Hillell, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. So called from Pirathon, where he was born, and which was in the tribe of Ephraim, as appears from Judges 12:15 . read more
And he had forty sons, and thirty nephews ,.... Or sons' sons, that is, grandsons; so that he lived not only to see his sons married, but his grandchildren grown up to men's estate; since it follows: that rode on seventy ass colts ; who were either employed by him to ride about on these animals, which in those times were honourable; see Judges 5:10 to administer justice throughout the nation in their circuits; or rather, not following any trade, or being concerned in husbandry, or... read more
And Abdon the son of Hillell the Pirathonite died ,.... At the end of his eight years' government: and was buried at Pirathon, in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites ; in the place where he was born, and from whence he had the name of a Pirathonite; and this was in the tribe of Ephraim, and the particular spot was Mount Amalek; so called either from the name of the person to whom it belonged, or because the Amalekites formerly dwelt in it; or rather because of some... read more
A Pirathonite - He was, therefore, an Ephraimite 1 Chronicles 27:14. Its name still lingers in “Feratah,” 6 miles west of Shechem. The 25 years, apparently consecutive, occupied by the judgeship of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, seem to have been very uneventful and prosperous, since the only record of them, preserved in the annals of their country, relates to the flourishing families and peaceful magnificence of two of the number. read more
Judges 12:15 . Mount of the Amalekites So called from some remarkable exploit, done by or upon the Amalekites in that place. It is strange, that in the history of all these judges, there is not so much as once mention of the high-priest, or of any other priest or Levite, appearing either for counsel or action in any public affair, from Phinehas to Eli, which may well be computed two hundred and fifty years! Surely this intimates that the institution was chiefly intended to be typical, and... 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
Xl. ABDON"And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. And he had forty sons and thirty sons' sons; that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.""The Pirathonite" (Judges 12:13). This identifies the residence of this judge as Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim. Dalglish located this place as, "Some... 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