Judges 12:13-15

Abdon’s judgeship 12:13-15

Abdon (lit. service or servant) lived in the hill country of Ephraim. Pirathon was west and a little south of Shechem. He too had many sons and daughters who rode on donkeys, reflecting Abdon’s prestige and the peace that prevailed when he judged (cf. Judges 10:4).

The fact that several of the judges fathered extremely large families points to their living like the eastern potentates of their day. This is further evidence that Canaanite culture was influencing the Israelites adversely. The judges’ lives evidenced mixed success and failure. Children are a blessing from the Lord (cf. Judges 10:1-5), so even in spite of apostasy God continued to bestow grace on His people.