Judgeschapter 3
31 verses · BSBJudges book hub →
A.Nations left in the land to prove Israelvv. 1-6
1 These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, 2 if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4 These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses. 5 Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
B.Othniel, the first judge, and forty years of restvv. 7-11
7 So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. 9 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him. 11 So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
C.Ehud's left hand and the two-edged daggervv. 12-30
12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak 17 and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man. 18 After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it. 19 But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him. 20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him. 24 After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said. 25 So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor. 26 Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. 28 “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
D.Shamgar and the ox goadv. 31
31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
Chapter summary
The nations left in the land are said to serve a purpose, to prove Israel and to teach war to those who had known none.
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Chapter summary
The nations left in the land are said to serve a purpose, to prove Israel and to teach war to those who had known none.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
The nations left in the land are said to serve a purpose, to prove Israel and to teach war to those who had known none. Israel intermarries and serves the Baalim, and the cycle begins turning. Othniel, Caleb's kinsman, is the pattern judge: the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, he judged, he went out to war against Cushan-rishathaim, and the land had rest forty years. Then Ehud the left-handed Benjamite, with a two-edged sword a cubit long strapped on his right thigh, says to Eglon of Moab, 'I have a message from God unto thee,' and drives it home; ten thousand Moabites fall, and the land rests eighty years. Shamgar slays six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.
Context
History · Samuel — Judges overview
- A. 1–6 Nations left in the land to prove Israel
- B. 7–11 Othniel, the first judge, and forty years of rest
- C. 12–30 Ehud's left hand and the two-edged dagger
- D. 31 Shamgar and the ox goad
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Judges 36 verses
- Judges 3:1These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan,
- Judges 3:9But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
- Judges 3:11So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
- Judges 3:15And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
- Judges 3:20Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
- Judges 3:30So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
- Read Judges 3 →
Judges 24 verses
- Judges 2:14Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
- Judges 2:19But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
- Judges 2:21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.
- Judges 2:22In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.”
- Read Judges 2 →
Judges 52 verses
- Judges 5:6In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.
- Judges 5:31So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
- Read Judges 5 →
Deuteronomy 72 verses
- Deuteronomy 7:3Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,
- Deuteronomy 7:22The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would multiply around you.
- Read Deuteronomy 7 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Joshua 132 verses
- Joshua 13:3All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites, from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites;
- Joshua 13:5the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.
- Read Joshua 13 →
1 Samuel 132 verses
- 1 Samuel 13:3Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
- 1 Samuel 13:19And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.”
- Read 1 Samuel 13 →
Exodus 342 verses
- Exodus 34:13Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
- Exodus 34:16And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.
- Read Exodus 34 →
Judges 12 verses
- Judges 1:13So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.
- Judges 1:16Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.
- Read Judges 1 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.