Judges 3:13
in Judges 3After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees.
KJV
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
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This verse in Judges 3
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The children of Ammon (Bent-Ammon), almost always so spoken of from their ancestor Ben-ammi Gen 19:38, seem to be under the leadership of the king of Moab, as do also the Amlekites: this is perhaps the strengthening spoken of in Jdg 3:12. In Judg. 6 the combination is Midianites, Amalekites, and children of the East, or Arab tribes. In the narrative of Jephthah’s judgeship, the Ammonites alone are mentioned; but with a reference to the Moabites, and as if they were one people Jdg 11:
This site's exposition
Once again the Israelites did evil
on Judges 3:12-14
The LORD "gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel", so the enemy's rise comes from the hand that raises the deliverer three verses later, as 2:14 said with the word sold. Moab takes "the City of Palms", Jericho by Deuteronomy 34:3, so the first town Israel captured in the land is held by a foreign king. Eighteen years is more than twice the eight before it.
This site's exposition
taking possession of the City of Palms
John Wesley explains the choice of the City of Palms by its rich soil and its nearness to the Jordan crossing. From there Eglon could join his forces on both banks, keep the tribes on either side apart, and hold his road home. Eglon won with the Ammonites and Amalekites beside him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Here he fixed his camp, for the fertility of that soil, and because of its nearness to the passage over Jordan, which was most commodious both for the conjunction of his own forces which lay on both sides of Jordan; to prevent the conjunction of the Israelites in Canaan with their brethren beyond Jordan; and to secure his retreat into his own country.
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek,....
It was well for the Kenites that they had left this city ( ch. i. 16 ) before it fell into the hands of the enemy. See how quickly the Israelites lost that by their own sin which they had gained by miracles of divine mercy.
It was an aggravation of their wickedness that they did evil again after they had smarted so long for their former iniquities, promised so fair when Othniel judged them, and received so much mercy from God in their deliverance. What, and after all this, again to break his commandments! Was the disease obstinate to all the methods of cure, both corrosives and lenitives?
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord--The Israelites, deprived of the moral and political influences of Othniel, were not long in following their native bias to idolatry. the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab--The reigning monarch's ambition was to recover that extensive portion of his ancient territory possessed by the Israelites.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The city of palm trees - This the Targum renders the city of Jericho; but Jericho had been destroyed by Joshua, and certainly was not rebuilt till the reign of Ahab, long after this, 1Ki 16:34. However, as Jericho is expressly called the city of palm trees, Deu 34:3, the city in question must have been in the vicinity or plain of Jericho, and the king of Moab had seized it as a frontier town contiguous to his own estates. Calmet supposes that the city of palm trees means En-gaddi.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֶּאֱסֹ֣ף | vaiyeesof | and he gathered | H622 → | 200 times |
| אֵלָ֔יו | ʾelav | to himself | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּ֖וֹן | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
| וַעֲמָלֵ֑ק | vaamalek | and Amalek | H6002 → | 39 times |
| וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ | vaiyelekh | and he went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַיַּךְ֙ | vaiyakh | and he attacked | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ | vaiyireshu | and they took possession of | H3423 → | 231 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עִ֥יר | ʾir | [the] city of | H5899 → | 8 times |
| הַתְּמָרִֽים׃ | hatemarim | the palm trees | H5899 → | 8 times |
וַיֶּאֱסֹ֣ףand he gathered
vaiyeesofH622 →200 times
אֵלָ֔יוto himself
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמּ֖וֹןAmmon
amonH5983 →106 times
וַעֲמָלֵ֑קand Amalek
vaamalekH6002 →39 times
וַיֵּ֗לֶךְand he went
vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times
וַיַּךְ֙and he attacked
vaiyakhH5221 →499 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּand they took possession of
vaiyireshuH3423 →231 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עִ֥יר[the] city of
ʾirH5899 →8 times
הַתְּמָרִֽים׃the palm trees
hatemarimH5899 →8 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
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…
it leads to
- Numbers 10:29–32
Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us,…
- Judges 4:11
Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
- 1 Samuel 15:6
And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away…
- Deuteronomy 34:3
the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.
- Numbers 21:1
When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.
- Numbers 10:29–32
Through
Deuteronomy 34:3the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 28:15
Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed…
- Judges 1:16
Now 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…
- 2 Chronicles 28:15
Through
Judges 5:14Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.
it leads to
- Numbers 32:39–40
The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.
- Numbers 32:39–40
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.