Judges 3:31

III. SHAMGAR (Judges 3:31)

"And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad: and he also saved Israel."

It is surprising that so little is said of the deliverance mentioned here, yet the message is dear enough that the efforts of this judge "saved Israel." That far more must have entered into that deliverance than the slaughter of six hundred Philistines appears to be certain.

"The son of Anath" (Judges 3:31). "Anath was the Canaanite goddess of sex and war. She was the sister of Baal. Therefore, `son of Anath' may be interpreted to mean, `the Warrior.'"[25]

"With an ox-goad" (Judges 3:31). This was an unusual weapon indeed. An ox-goad was a slender rod (a pole) some six or eight feet in length with a spike on one end and a flat knife on the other end. The knife was used to clean the plowshares, and the spike was for the purpose of urging the oxen to greater efforts or for controlling their movements.

"Six hundred Philistines" (Judges 3:31). Davis believed that this total might not have been killed in a single encounter but that, "This total might represent a lifetime total and not the result of a single battle."[26]

Some have expressed doubt that Shamgar was an Israelite, due to the particular name by which he was called, and if this was the case, it might account for the fact that so little is recorded concerning his deliverance of Israel. Deborah mentioned Shamgar in Judges 5:6.