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Texts -- Judges 3:1-31 (NET)

Context
3:1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites . 3:2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites , who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war . 3:3 These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines , all the Canaanites , the Sidonians , and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon , from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath . 3:4 They were left to test Israel , so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses . 3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites , Hittites , Amorites , Perizzites , Hivites , and Jebusites . 3:6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites ; they worshiped their gods as well.
Othniel: A Model Leader
3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight . They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs . 3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim . They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects for eight years . 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord , he raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz , Caleb’s younger brother . 3:10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him and he led Israel . When he went to do battle , the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. 3:11 The land had rest for forty years ; then Othniel son of Kenaz died .
Deceit, Assassination, and Deliverance
3:12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight . The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight . 3:13 Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites . He came and defeated Israel , and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees . 3:14 The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years . 3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord , he raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite , a left-handed man . The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment . 3:16 Ehud made himself a sword – it had two edges and was eighteen inches long . He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh . 3:17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab . (Now Eglon was a very fat man .) 3:18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 3:19 But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal . He said to Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, O king .” Eglon said , “Be quiet !” All his attendants left . 3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself . Ehud said , “I have a message from God for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat , 3:21 Ehud reached with his left hand , hand , pulled the sword from his right thigh , and drove it into Eglon’s belly . 3:22 The handle went in after the blade , and the fat closed around the blade , for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly . 3:23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule , he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 3:24 When Ehud had left , Eglon’s servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room . They said , “He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room .” 3:25 They waited so long they were embarrassed , but he still did not open the doors of the upper room . Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master , sprawled out dead on the floor ! 3:26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying . When he passed the carved images , he escaped to Seirah . 3:27 When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country . The Israelites went down with him from the hill country , with Ehud in the lead . 3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies , the Moabites !” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab , and did not let anyone cross . 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites – all strong, capable warriors ; not one escaped . 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day , and the land had rest for eighty years . 3:31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath ; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • PARLOR

    [isbe] PARLOR - par'-ler: This word in the King James Version, occurring in Jdg 3:20-25; 1 Sam 9:22; 1 Ch 28:11, is in every instance changed in the Revised Version: in Judges into "upper room," in 1 Samuel into "guest-chamber," in...
    [smith] a word in English usage meaning the common room of the family, and hence probably in Authorized Version denoting the king?s audience-chamber, so used in reference to Eglon. (Judges 3:20-25)

  • Moabite

    [ebd] the designation of a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:37). From Zoar, the cradle of this tribe, on the south-eastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over the region on the east of Jordan. Rame...

  • MOAB

    [ebd] the seed of the father, or, according to others, the desirable land, the eldest son of Lot (Gen. 19:37), of incestuous birth. (2.) Used to denote the people of Moab (Num. 22:3-14; Judg. 3:30; 2 Sam. 8:2; Jer. 48:11, 13). (3....
    [smith] (of his father), Mo?abites. Moab was the son of the Lot?s eldest daughter, the progenitor of the Moabites. Zoar was the cradle of the race of Lot. From this centre the brother tribes spread themselves. The Moabites first inha...

  • Judge

    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • JUDGES, PERIOD OF

    [isbe] JUDGES, PERIOD OF - || I. SOURCES II. CHRONOLOGY III. GENERAL POLITICAL SITUATION 1. The Canaanites 2. Foes Without IV. MAIN EVENTS 1. Struggles of Individual Tribes 2. Civil Strife 3. The Six Invasions 4. Need of Central Go...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Grove

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'asherah, properly a wooden image, or a pillar representing Ashtoreth, a sensual Canaanitish goddess, probably usually set up in a grove (2 Kings 21:7; 23:4). In the Revised Version the word "Asherah" (q.v.) is int...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Eglon

    [ebd] the bullock; place of heifers. (1.) Chieftain or king of one of the Moabite tribes (Judg. 3:12-14). Having entered into an alliance with Ammon and Amalek, he overran the trans-Jordanic region, and then crossing the Jordan, s...
    [smith] (calf-like). A king of the Moabites, (Judges 3:12) ff., who, aided by the Ammonites and the Amelekites, crossed the Joran and took "the city of palm trees." (B.C. 1359.) here, according to Josephus, he built himself a palace...
    [nave] EGLON 1. King of Moab. Assassinated by Ehud, Judg. 3:12-30. 2. An ancient city of Canaan. Taken by Joshua, Josh. 10:23, 35. Allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:39.

  • EGLON (1)

    [isbe] EGLON (1) - eg'-lon (`eghlon, "circle"): A king of Moab in the period of the Judges who, in alliance with Ammon and Amalek, overcame Israel and made Jericho his capital, presumably driven across the Jordan by the turmoil in ...

  • Doors

    [ebd] moved on pivots of wood fastened in sockets above and below (Prov. 26:14). They were fastened by a lock (Judg. 3:23, 25; Cant. 5:5) or by a bar (Judg. 16:3; Job 38:10). In the interior of Oriental houses, curtains were frequ...

  • Colour

    [ebd] The subject of colours holds an important place in the Scriptures. White occurs as the translation of various Hebrew words. It is applied to milk (Gen. 49:12), manna (Ex. 16:31), snow (Isa. 1:18), horses (Zech. 1:8), raiment...

  • Cattle

    [ebd] abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14; Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as, (1.) Neat cattle. Many hun...

  • Caesara Philippi

    [ebd] a city on the northeast of the marshy plain of el-Huleh, 120 miles north of Jerusalem, and 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, at the "upper source" of the Jordan, and near the base of Mount Hermon. It is mentioned in Matt...

  • CUSHAN

    [ebd] probably a poetic or prolonged name of the land of Cush, the Arabian Cush (Hab. 3:7). Some have, however, supposed this to be the same as Chushan-rishathaim (Judg. 3:8, 10), i.e., taking the latter part of the name as a titl...
    [smith] (blackness), (Habakkuk 3:7) possibly the same as Cushan-rishathaim (Authorized Version Chushan-) king of Mesopotamia. (Judges 3:8,10)

  • CRIME; CRIMES

    [isbe] CRIME; CRIMES - krim, krimz: This. term is used in English as the equivalent of the Hebrew mishpaT, "judgment," "verdict" (Ezek 7:23); zimmah, "a heinous crime" (Job 31:11); 'asham = "a fault," "sin" (Gen 26:10, English Vers...

  • CHUSHANRISHATHAIM

    [smith] (chief of two governments), the king of Mesopotamia who oppressed Israel during eight years in the generation immediately following Joshua. (Judges 3:8) (B.C. after 1420.) His yoke was broken from the neck of the people of Is...

  • Blade

    [ebd] applied to the glittering point of a spear (Job 39:23) or sword (Nah. 3:3), the blade of a dagger (Judg. 3:22); the "shoulder blade" (Job 31:22); the "blade" of cereals (Matt. 13:26).

  • Ammonite

    [ebd] the usual name of the descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:38). From the very beginning (Deut. 2:16-20) of their history till they are lost sight of (Judg. 5:2), this tribe is closely associated with the Moabites (J...

  • Amalekite

    [ebd] a tribe that dwelt in Arabia Petraea, between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. They were not the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, for they existed in the days of Abraham (Gen. 14:7). They were probably a tribe that mi...

Arts

Questions

  • It seems to me that the key to the answer to your question is to understand the unique role of the Book of Judges. The statement that is repeated in this book is, "there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in ...
  • First, one needs to understand from the Old Testament, why the Law restricted marriage. Recall that it was the "seed of the woman" though whom salvation was to come (Genesis 3:15), and then this "seed" was further defined a...
  • They formed one of the seven nations of Canaan, descended from Canaan (Gen. 10:15,17). They dwelt near Lebanon. The Shechemites and Gibeonites were affiliated with them (Judg. 3:3; Gen. 34:2; Josh. 9:3-7). Esau intermarried w...
  • They were descendants of Canaan's son Heth. One of the seven Canaanitish nations, they dwelt in Hebron and were governed by kings (Deu. 7:1; Gen. 23:2,3,10; I Kin. 10:29). Their land was promised to Israel and it was commande...
  • The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times was selective and temporary. He was nevertheless working in the lives of people to do much of the same type of thing as seen in John 16:8-11, though the object of faith...
  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • In obedience to God's command Abraham took his promised heir to Moriah to sacrifice him to the Lord. Because Abraham was willing to slay his uniquely begotten son God restrained him from killing Isaac and promised to bless hi...
  • Moses included this relatively short genealogy (toledot) in the sacred record to show God's faithfulness in multiplying Abraham's seed as He had promised. He also did so to provide connections with the descendants of Esau ref...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • The "rabble"(v. 4) were the non-Israelites who had come out of Egypt with God's people (Exod. 12:38). It did not take them long to become discontented with conditions in the desert and to complain about their bland diet of ma...
  • This chapter is a logical development of what Moses said in chapters 5 and 6. God had called on His people to acknowledge that He is the only true God and to be completely loyal to Him. In Canaan they would encounter temptati...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • 15:1-12 The writer recorded the boundaries of the whole tribal territory first. The description proceeds counterclockwise from south (vv. 2-4) to east (v. 5) to north (vv. 5-11) to west (v. 12).15:13-19 The writer probably in...
  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • 1:1 The Book of Judges begins with a conjunction translated "now"or "and."God intended Judges to continue the narrative of Israel's history where the Book of Joshua ended (cf. Josh. 1:1). This verse provides a heading for the...
  • The purposes for which God allowed the Canaanites to live among the Israelites were four. He wanted to punish Israel for her apostasy (2:3), and He wanted to test the Israelites' faithfulness to and love for Himself (2:22; 3:...
  • Israel's JudgesJudgeScriptureIsrael's OppressorsLength in YearsNation(s)King(s)OppressionJudgeshipPeaceOthniel3:7-11MesopotamiaCushan-rishathaim8(ca. 1358-1350 B.C.)40(ca. 1350-1310 B.C.)Ehud3:12-30Moab (with Ammon & Amal...
  • The first of six periods of oppression by Israel's enemies began while Othniel, Caleb's younger brother, was still alive and strong (cf. Josh. 15:17; Judg. 1:13). The writer identified each of these periods with the phrase "t...
  • The Moabites and Ammonites were not only neighbors who both lived to the southeast of Canaan, but they were also descendants of the same ancestor, Lot. The Amalekites lived on Israel's southern border and were descendants of ...
  • Several factors suggest that Shamgar's victory took place sometime during the 98 years described in the previous section (vv. 12-30). First, 4:1 refers to Ehud, not Shamgar. Second, there is no reference to Israel doing evil ...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • After Gideon's death the Israelites again wandered from the Lord (cf. 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). They even made a covenant with Baal in disobedience to God's law. "Baal-berith"(v. 33) means "Baal of the covenant."Ironica...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • God's Spirit then clothed Jephthah guaranteeing divine enablement and victory in the approaching encounter with the Ammonite army (v. 29; cf. 3:10; 6:34; 14:6, 19; 1 Sam. 10:10). He travelled through Gilead in the tribal terr...
  • The translation "again did"in verse 1 implies that the Philistine oppression followed the Ammonite oppression chronologically. However the Hebrew idiom these words translate does not necessarily mean that. It can also mean, a...
  • Note again that the Spirit of God gave Samson his supernatural strength (v. 14). He slew 1,000 of the enemy (or one unit) on this occasion (v. 15). The unlikely instrument Samson used, a dead donkey's dentures, proved more th...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • The five Danites continued northward about 100 miles and finally came upon an area they felt would be ideal for their needs. They discovered the isolated town of Laish (Leshem, Josh. 19:47) that they believed they could captu...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
  • God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
  • Mizpah (lit. watchtower, signifying an elevated site) was about two miles northwest of Samuel's hometown, Ramah, on the central Benjamin plateau. Pouring out water symbolized the people's feeling of total inability to make an...
  • Controversy over who should succeed to Israel's throne raged for six years (885-880 B.C.) in Israel and threatened to consume the nation. Civil war followed Zimri's death (vv. 21-22). Omri finally overpowered Tibni and probab...
  • God blessed David and his kingdom because David had honored God by seeking to bring the ark into Jerusalem. The Chronicler recorded three instances of divine blessing in this chapter.First, God gave David favor in the eyes of...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • This oracle clarifies that God's purposes for Egypt, another nation the Judeans wanted to trust for help during this time of Assyrian expansion, would involve judgment followed by blessing. The passage consists of three palis...
  • The Lord turned from addressing His "wife"to her children. Both figures describe Israel, collectively and particularly. This pericope is transitional, but it is more of a conclusion to what has preceded than an introduction t...
  • In the section that follows, the relationship between Israel and Yahweh becomes even clearer. The mention of Baals and Israel's feasts makes this obvious. Hosea's relationship with Gomer recedes into the background.2:8 Israel...
  • 2:8 Probably Zephaniah linked Moab and Ammon because both nations descended from Lot (Gen. 19:30-38) as well as because both lay to Judah's east. Both nations had taunted and reviled the Israelites from their earliest history...
  • 4:6 The angel announced a word of explanation from Yahweh that Zechariah was to pass on to Zerubbabel, the descendant of David who was the leader of the first group of returnees from exile.88He was to tell him, "not by might ...
  • Luke stressed how the Spirit who had come upon Jesus at His baptism guided and empowered Him in His temptation and how Jesus, God's approved Son, pleased His Father by His obedience. Jesus overcame the devil who opposed God's...
  • All the Gospels contain instances of Jesus giving the Great Commission to His disciples, but evidently He did not just give it once. The contexts are different suggesting that He repeated these instructions on at least four s...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Judges 2:1-10The Book of Judges begins a new era, the development of the nation in its land. Chapters 1 through chapter 3:6 contain two summaries: first, of the progress of the conquest; and second, of the history about to be...
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