Judges 10:1-9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 10:1-5

Quiet and peaceable reigns, though the best to live in, are the worst to write of, as yielding least variety of matter for the historian to entertain his reader with; such were the reigns of these two judges, Tola and Jair, who make but a small figure and take up but a very little room in this history. But no doubt they were both raised up of God to serve their country in the quality of judges, not pretending, as Abimelech had done, to the grandeur of kings, nor, like him, taking the honour... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 10:6-9

While those two judges, Tola and Jair, presided in the affairs of Israel, things went well, but afterwards, I. Israel returned to their idolatry, that sin which did most easily beset them (Jdg. 10:6): They did evil again in the sight of the Lord, from whom they were unaccountably bent to backslide, as a foolish people and unwise. 1. They worshipped many gods; not only their old demons Baalim and Ashtaroth, which the Canaanites had worshipped, but, as if they would proclaim their folly to all... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:1

And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel ,.... To save, deliver, and protect Israel; which does not necessarily imply that Abimelech did; for he was no judge of God's raising up, or the people's choosing, but usurped a kingly power over them; and was so far from saving and defending them, that he involved them in trouble and distress, and ruled over them in a tyrannical manner, and left them in the practice of idolatry: it only signifies that after his death arose a person next... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:2

And he judged Israel twenty three years, and died ,.... He did not take upon him to be king, as Abimelech did, but acted as a judge, in which office he continued twenty three years, and faithfully discharged it, and died in honour: and was buried in Shamir ; the place where he executed his office. It is said F20 Juchasin, fol. 136. 1. , that in the first year of Tola, the son of Puah, Priamus reigned in Troy. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:3

And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite ,.... Who was of the half tribe of Manasseh, on the other side Jordan, which inhabited the land of Gilead, and who is the first of the judges that was on that side Jordan; it pleased God, before the government was settled in a particular tribe, to remove it from one to another, and to honour them all, and to show that though the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, were separated from their brethren by the river Jordan, they were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:4

And he had thirty sons that rode upon thirty ass colts ,.... Which to ride on in those times was reckoned honourable, and on which judges rode in their circuit, Judges 5:10 and such might be these sons of Jair, who were appointed under him to ride about, and do justice in the several parts of the country, as Samuel's sons were judges under him, 1 Samuel 8:1 , and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead ; or the villages of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:5

And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. A city of Gilead, as Josephus F21 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect. 6. calls it; Jerom F23 De loc. Heb. fol. 90. B. , under this word Camon, makes mention of a village in his times, called Cimana, in the large plain six miles from Legion to the north, as you go to Ptolemais; but, as Reland F24 Palestina Illustr. tom. 2. p. 679. observes, this seems not to be the same place, but rather this is the Camon Polybius F25 Hist. l. 5. speaks of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:6

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord ,.... After the death of the above judges they fell into idolatry again, as the following instances show: and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth ; as they had before; see Gill on Judges 2:11 , Judges 2:13 and, besides these: also the gods of Syria ; their gods and goddesses, Belus and Saturn, Astarte and the Dea Syria, Lucian writes of: and the gods of Zidon ; the goddess of the Zidonians was Ashtaroth, 1 Kings... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:7

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel ,.... His anger burned like fire, he was exceedingly incensed against them, nothing being more provoking to him than idolatry, as after mentioned: and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon ; that is, delivered them into their hands, and they became subject and were in bondage to them, as such are that are sold for "slaves"; part of them, that lay to the west of the land of Israel, fell... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 10:8

And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel ,.... The Philistines on one side, and the children of Ammon on the other; meaning either that year in which Jair died, as Jarchi; or the first year they began to bring them into bondage, as R. Isaiah: "and from that year", as Kimchi and Ben Melech, that they vexed and distressed them, they continued to vex and distress them eighteen years ; or, as Abarbinel interprets it, "with that year", they vexed and oppressed them... read more

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