Judges 10 (NET)

Stability Restored

1 After Abimelech’s death,1 Tola son of Puah, grandson2 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar,3 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 2 He led4 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.

3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair5 – they are in the land of Gilead.6 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

The Lord’s Patience Runs Short

6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.7 They worshiped8 the Baals and the Ashtars,9 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon,10 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines.11 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship12 him. 7 The Lord was furious with Israel13 and turned them over to14 the Philistines and Ammonites. 8 They ruthlessly oppressed15 the Israelites that eighteenth year16 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.17 Israel suffered greatly.18

10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped19 the Baals.” 11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian20 when they oppressed you?21 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power.22 13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped23 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!”24 15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit,25 but deliver us today!”26 16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned27 and worshiped28 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.29

An Outcast Becomes a General

17 The Ammonites assembled30 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 18 The leaders31 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge32 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

110:1tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. 210:1tn Heb “son.” 310:1tn Heb “a man of Issachar.” 410:2tn Traditionally, “judged.” 510:4sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew. 610:4tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.” 710:6tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.” 810:6tn Or “served;” or “followed.” 910:6sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte). 1010:6map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. 1110:6tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.” 1210:6tn Or “serve”; or “follow.” 1310:7tn Or “the Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.” 1410:7tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.” 1510:8tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation. 1610:8tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view. 1710:9tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.” 1810:9tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.” 1910:10tn Or “served”; or “followed.” 2010:12tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.” 2110:12tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the Lord’s frustration. 2210:12tn Heb “hand.” 2310:13tn Or “served”; or “followed.” 2410:14tn Heb “in your time of trouble.” 2510:15tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.” 2610:15sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.” 2710:16tn Heb “from their midst.” 2810:16tn Or “served”; or “followed.” 2910:16tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”). 3010:17tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.” 3110:18tn Heb “the people, the officers.” 3210:18tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”