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Bible Commentaries
Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible Gill's Exposition
Partial Conquests; Israel Fails to Drive Out Canaanites.Chapter 2
Angel Rebukes Israel; Cycle of Sin Begins.Chapter 3
Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar Deliver Israel.Chapter 4
Deborah and Barak Defeat Sisera.Chapter 5
Deborah and Barak's Victory Song.Chapter 6
Gideon Called to Deliver Israel from Midian.Chapter 7
Gideon Defeats Midianites with 300 Men.Chapter 8
Gideon's Pursuit of Kings; Israel's Temporary Peace.Chapter 9
Abimelech's Rise and Fall as King.Chapter 10
Tola and Jair Judge Israel; Israel Oppressed.Chapter 11
Jephthah's Vow and Victory Over Ammon.Chapter 12
Jephthah's Conflict with Ephraim; Ibzan, Elon, Abdon.Chapter 13
Samson's Birth Announced by an Angel.Chapter 14
Samson's Marriage; His Riddle and Revenge.Chapter 15
Samson's Vengeance on the Philistines.Chapter 16
Samson and Delilah; Samson's Death.Chapter 17
Micah's Idolatry and Hired Levite.Chapter 18
Danites Steal Micah's Idol and Priest.Chapter 19
Levite's Concubine Abused and Murdered.Chapter 20
Israel's War Against Benjamin Over the Crime.Chapter 21
Wives Provided for the Surviving Benjamites.
- Judges
by John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES
The title of this book in the Hebrew copies is Sepher Shophetim, the Book of Judges; but the Syriac and Arabic interpreters call it,
"the Book of the Judges of the Children of Israel;''
and the Septuagint only Judges; so called, not because it was written by them, though some think it was compiled out of annals and diaries kept by them; but it seems to be the work of one person only: the true reason of its name is, because it treats of the judges of Israel, gives an account of their lives and actions, and especially such as concerned their office; which office was different from that of kings, and seems only to have been occasional, and chiefly lay in delivering the people out of the hands of their enemies, when oppressed, distressed, or carried captive by them; in protecting them in the enjoyment of their country, rights, and liberties; in leading out their armies against their enemies when needful; and in settling differences, judging law suits, and administering justice. The government of the nation, during their time, was a theocracy. It is not certain who was the penman of this book; some ascribe it to King Hezekiah, others to Ezra; but the Jewish writers a are generally of opinion that it was written by Samuel, which is most likely, who was the last of the judges; and it seems plainly to be written before the times of David, us appears from a speech of Joab, 2 Samuel 11:21; and from some passages in Psalms 68:8, which seem to refer or allude to Judges 5:4; and from Jerusalem being called Jebus, which shows it to be inhabited by the Jebusites in the time of the writer of this book, whereas it was taken out of their hands by David; besides, Samuel himself refers to the annals of this book; 1 Samuel 12:9; and from whose testimonies, as well as from others in the New Testament, there is no doubt to be made of its being genuine and authentic, and written by divine inspiration; as is evident from the use the Apostle Paul, and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, have made of it, Acts 13:20; it is useful as an history, and without which the history of the people of Israel would not be complete; it containing an account of all their judges, excepting the two last, Eli and Samuel, of whom an account is given in the following books, and of some facts incidental to those times, related in an appendix at the end of it, concerning the idol of Micah, and the war of Benjamin; and furnishes out many useful moral observations concerning God's displeasure at sin in his own people Israel, and his corrections for it; and about his providential care of them in raising up for them deliverers in their time of need, as well as points at various virtues and excellencies in great and good men, worthy of imitation. It contains, according to Piscator, Dr. Lightfoot, and others, an history of two hundred ninety and nine years.