Judges 1:6
in Judges 1As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
KJV
But Adoni–bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
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This verse in Judges 1
Commentary
5 notes on this verseCut off his thumbs - That he might never be able to draw his bow or handle his sword, and great toes, that he might never be able to pursue or escape from an adversary.
This site's exposition
found Adoni-bezek and fought against him
on Judges 1:5-8
The captured king sentences himself, "As I have done to them, so God has repaid me". He is the one Canaanite in the book given a line of theology. Jerusalem burns at verse 8, yet verse 21 finds the Jebusites still there, so the city was struck and not held.
This site's exposition
cut off his thumbs and big toes
Matthew Henry calls this treatment of a captive barbarous, except that Adoni-bezek was a Canaanite devoted to destruction who had done the same to others. Henry also records that Josephus says they cut off his hands and feet. The king himself names the reason in verse 7.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It had been barbarous thus to triumph over a man in misery, and that lay at their mercy, but that he was a devoted Canaanite, and one that had in like manner abused others, which probably they had heard of. Josephus says, "They cut off his hands and his feet," probably supposing those more likely to be mortal wounds than only the cutting off of his thumbs and his great toes.
But Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him,.... It is very probable his view was to get to Jebus or Jerusalem, a strong and fortified city and he made his way thither as fast as he could, but was pursued and overtaken by some of the forces of Judah and Simeon; and the rather it may seem he took this course, since when he was taken by them, they brought him thither, as follows: and cut off his thumbs and his great toes; whereby he was disabled both for fighting and for fleeing.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֙נָס֙ | vaiyanos | and he fled | H5127 → | 159 times |
| אֲדֹ֣נִי | ʾadoni | Adoni- | H137 → | 6 times |
| בֶ֔זֶק | vezek | Bezek | H137 → | 6 times |
| וַֽיִּרְדְּפ֖וּ | vaiyirdefu | and they pursued | H7291 → | 143 times |
| אַחֲרָ֑יו | ʾacharav | after him | H310 → | 715 times |
| וַיֹּאחֲז֣וּ | vaiyochazu | and they seized | H270 → | 67 times |
| אֹת֔וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וַֽיְקַצְּצ֔וּ | vaykatzetzu | and they cut off | H7112 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּהֹנ֥וֹת | behonot | [the] thumbs of | H931 → | |
| יָדָ֖יו | yadav | hands his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְרַגְלָֽיו׃ | veraglav | and feet his | H7272 → | 247 times |
וַיָּ֙נָס֙and he fled
vaiyanosH5127 →159 times
אֲדֹ֣נִיAdoni-
ʾadoniH137 →6 times
בֶ֔זֶקBezek
vezekH137 →6 times
וַֽיִּרְדְּפ֖וּand they pursued
vaiyirdefuH7291 →143 times
אַחֲרָ֑יוafter him
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
וַיֹּאחֲז֣וּand they seized
vaiyochazuH270 →67 times
אֹת֔וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
וַֽיְקַצְּצ֔וּand they cut off
vaykatzetzuH7112 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּהֹנ֥וֹת[the] thumbs of
behonotH931 →
יָדָ֖יוhands his
yadavH3027 →1618 times
וְרַגְלָֽיו׃and feet his
veraglavH7272 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies14
On this verse
On this chapter
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.