Verse 31
EXPLOITS OF SHAMGAR, Judges 3:31.
31. Shamgar His tribe is not known, but it is probable that he belonged to a tribe bordering on the Philistines Judah, Simeon, or Dan. The particulars of this Philistine oppression are unknown, but the fact here recorded shows that these enemies of the sea-coast had troubled Israel before the days of Samson.
Which slew We are not to suppose that he slew, or smote, all these six hundred on one occasion, or one day; nor is it necessary to maintain that he performed the feat without any assistance.
Oxgoad מלמד The Septuagint and Vulgate render this word ploughshare. The oxgoad was about eight feet long and six inches in circumference, at one end pointed with iron, and at the other having an iron paddle for removing dirt from the plough. Why Shamgar had no better weapon we do not know, unless it be because the Philistines had conquered a part of Israel and disarmed them. Compare Judges 5:8, and 1 Samuel 13:19. Perhaps he was attacked in the field while ploughing, and made a brave defence with the utensil in his hand.
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