ASV
Judges 10
1And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty and two years.
4And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Jehovah, and served him not.
7And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
8And they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel that year: eighteen years [oppressed they] all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9And the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.
11And Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, [Did] not [I save you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried unto me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will save you no more.
14Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
15And the children of Israel said unto Jehovah, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; only deliver us, we pray thee, this day.
16And they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served Jehovah; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.
18And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
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Afflictions and Adversities: Benefits of, Illustrated Judges 10:6–8, 10
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. / So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites, / who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.
Afflictions and Adversities: Resignation In, Exemplified Judges 10:15
“We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”
Ammonites: Character of Judges 10:6
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
Ammonites: Defeated by the Israelites Judges 10:7–18
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites, / who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. / The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.
Anger: Anger of God Judges 10:7
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites,
Anthropomorphisms: Miscellaneous Acts and States of Mind Attributed to Grieved Judges 10:16
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
Ashtoreth: Worshiped by Israelites Judges 10:6
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
Backsliders: Backsliding of Israel Judges 10:12–14
Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their hands? / But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. / Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Camon: Place where Jair Was Buried Judges 10:5
When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Dodo: A Descendant of Issachar Judges 10:1
After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
Extraordinary Judges: Names of Jair Judges 10:3
Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
Extraordinary Judges: Names of Tola Judges 10:1
After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
Forsaking God: Provokes God to Forsake Men Judges 10:13
But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.
God: Mercy of Judges 10:16
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
Havoth-Jair: Certain Villages East of the Jordan River Judges 10:4
He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
Idolatry: Folly of Judges 10:14
Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Idolatry: Other Customs of Prayers to Idols Judges 10:14
Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Idolatry: The Jews: Followed the Syrians In Judges 10:6
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
Idolatry: Unprofitable Judges 10:14
Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Ingratitude of Man to God Judges 10:11, 14
The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, / Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Israel: The People Backslide, and are Given Over to the Philistines for Chastisement for Eighteen Years Judges 10:6–18
And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. / So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites, / who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.
Israel: Under the Judges: Led by Jair for Twenty-Two Years Judges 10:3, 4
Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. / He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
Israel: Under the Judges: Led by Tola for Twenty-Three Years Judges 10:1, 2
After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. / Tola judged Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
Jair: A Judge of Israel Judges 10:3–5
Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. / He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair. / When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
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Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
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Judges 10:1-5 Verses 1-5
Quiet and peaceable reigns, though the best to live in, yield least variety of matter to be spoken of. Such were the days of Tola and Jair. They were humble, active, and useful men, rulers appointed of God.
Judges 10:6-9 Verses 6-9
Now the threatening was fulfilled, that the Israelites should have no power to stand before their enemies, Le 26:17, 37. By their evil ways and their evil doings they procured this to themselves.
Judges 10:10-18 Verses 10-18
God is able to multiply men's punishments according to the numbers of their sins and idols. But there is hope when sinners cry to the Lord for help, and lament their ungodliness as well as their more open transgressions. It is necessary, in true repentance, that there be a full conviction that those things cannot help us which we have set in competition with God. They acknowledged what they deserved, yet prayed to God not to deal with them according to their deserts. We must submit to God's justice, with a hope in his mercy. True repentance is not only for sin, but from sin. As the disobedience and misery of a child are a grief to a tender father, so the provocations of God's people are a grief to him. From him mercy never can be sought in vain. Let then the trembling sinner, and the almost despairing backslider, cease from debating about God's secret purposes, or from expecting to find hope from former experiences. Let them cast themselves on the mercy of God our Saviour, humble themselves under his hand, seek deliverance from the powers of darkness, separate themselves from sin, and from occasions of it, use the means of grace diligently, and wait the Lord's time, and so they shall certainly rejoice in his mercy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
Historical, contextual, and verse-level study notes for deeper biblical exploration.
Judges 10:1 Tola Judges Israel in Shamir.
after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel, Tola--that is, "to save." Deliverance was necessary as well from intestine usurpation as from foreign aggression. the son of Puah--He was uncle to Abimelech by the father's side, and consequently brother of Gideon; yet the former was of the tribe of Issachar, while the latter was of Manasseh. They were, most probably, uterine brothers. dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim--As a central place, he made it the seat of government.
Judges 10:3 Tola Judges Israel in Shamir.
Jair, a Gileadite--This judge was a different person from the conqueror of that northeastern territory, and founder of Havoth-jair, or "Jair's villages" (Nu 32:41; De 3:14; Jos 13:3; 1Ch 2:22).
Judges 10:4 Tola Judges Israel in Shamir.
he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts--This is a characteristic trait of Eastern manners in those early times; and the grant of a village to each of his thirty sons was a striking proof of his extensive possessions. His having thirty sons is no conclusive evidence that he had more than one wife, much less that he had more than one at a time. There are instances, in this country, of men having as many children by two successive wives.
Judges 10:6 Israel Oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites.
the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord--This apostasy seems to have exceeded every former one in the grossness and universality of the idolatry practised.
Judges 10:7 Israel Oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites.
Philistines, and ... the children of Ammon--The predatory incursions of these two hostile neighbors were made naturally on the parts of the land respectively contiguous to them. But the Ammonites, animated with the spirit of conquest, carried their arms across the Jordan; so that the central and southern provinces of Canaan were extensively desolated.
Judges 10:10 They Cry to God.
The children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee--The first step of repentance is confession of sin, and the best proof of its sincerity is given by the transgressor, when he mourns not only over the painful consequences which have resulted from his offenses to himself, but over the heinous evil committed against God.
Judges 10:11 They Cry to God.
the Lord said ... Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians--The circumstances recorded in this and the following verses were not probably made through the high priest, whose duty it was to interpret the will of God.
Judges 10:12 They Cry to God.
Maonites--that is, "Midianites."
Judges 10:16 They Repent; God Pities Them.
they put away the strange gods ... and served the Lord; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel--On their abandonment of idolatry and return to purity of worship, God graciously abridged the term of national affliction and restored times of peace.
Judges 10:17-18 They Repent; God Pities Them.
the children of Ammon were gathered together--From carrying on guerrilla warfare, the Ammonites proceeded to a continued campaign. Their settled aim was to wrest the whole of the trans-jordanic territory from its actual occupiers. In this great crisis, a general meeting of the Israelitish tribes was held at Mizpeh. This Mizpeh was in eastern Manasseh (Jos 11:3).