KENT, CHARLES FOSTER. The Founders and Rulers of United Israel (in The Historical Bible), pp. 15-62. 1908.

LIAS, J. J. The Book of Judges (in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). 1902. Text and Commentary.

MCFADYEN, J. E. The Messages of the Prophetic and Priestly Historians (in The Messages of the Bible), pp. 121-138. 1901. MOORE, GEORGE FOOT. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (in The International Critical Commentary). 1895. MOORE, GEORGE FOOT. The Book of Judges (in Paul Haupt's Polychrome Bible). 1898. Text, printed on colored background indicating the sources, with notes.

MÜLLER, DAVID HEINRICH. The Structure of the Song of Deborah, in American Journal of Theology, Vol. II (1898), pp. 110-115. THATCHER, G. W. Judges (in The Century Bible). Text and commentary.

VERNON, AMBROSE W. The Religious Value of the Figure of Samson, in Biblical World, Vol. XXXII (July, 1908), pp. 33-38.

WATSON, ROBERT A. Judges (in The Expositor's Bible). 1890. WELLHAUSEN, JULIUS. Prolegomena to the History of Israel, pp. 228-245. 1885.

EXPLANATION OF LETTERS IN THE MARGIN OF TEXT (SEE ALSO THE

Passages by a redactor or editor of uncertain date.

Additions by the redactor who combined J and E.

Additions by the Deuteronomic redactor.
Additions by the Priestly redactors.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

A. THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN AND THE
SETTLEMENT OF THE TRIBES, 1:1-2:5

I. CONQUESTS IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PALESTINE,

I: I-26

1. And it came to pass after the death of Joshua, that RP the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, Who J

1:1–2:5. In this section of the Book of Judges are given in the briefest outline an account of the conquest by the tribes of Judah and Simeon of the Canaanites of the district near Jerusalem (1: 1-8), of those located at Hebron and Debir (1:9-15), of those of the land farther south (1:16 f.), and likewise of those of the lowland or Shephelah to the west (1: 18-21); an account of the conquest by the house of Joseph of Bethel (1: 22—26); and then lists of unconquered Canaanites who dwelt in the territories of the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan (1:27-36); and finally an explanation of the presence of these unconquered Canaanites (2:1-5). The section is from the primitive document J, but has been annotated or glossed by the priestly editor, RP.

1. And it came to pass after the death of Joshua. A statement from the canonical editor to show the relation of the Book of Judges to the Book of Joshua which closes with the death of Joshua. In reality, however, this chapter describes the conquest, and is another version of that related in the Book of Joshua as having taken place under Joshua. That the children of Israel asked of the Lord. The original connection of this asking is not here given. It presupposes that the Jordan had been crossed and Jericho conquered (cf. Josh. 3-6). We may think of the tribes of Israel encamped in the neighborhood of

I:I

shall go up for us first against the Canaanites, to 2. fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. 3. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up

with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy RP 4. lot. So Simeon went with him. And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they smote of them in

that city. The asking was probably either by the Urim and Thummim, 1 Sam. 14:41 (Greek text) or by the Ephod, 1 Sam. 23:9; 30: 7, i.e. by some kind of lot. The Canaanites. The pre-Israelitish inhabitants of Western Palestine. Canaan as a geographical name seems to have been first applied to the coast land of Phoenicia and then southward to Egypt and eastward into the highlands west of the Jordan.

2. The response of the oracle or inquiry is here given.

3. Simeon his brother. The two tribes of Judah and Simeon together with Reuben and Levi were closely related. The patriachal legend made them the successive sons of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 29:31-35). Into my lot. This implies that in some way the invading tribes had divided the land between them. While historically this is not impossible, more likely it is a later conception. So Simeon went with him. In historic times Simeon and Judah occupied adjacent territory, the former dwelling to the south of the latter.

4. The Lord delivered. The writer ignores the second cause, and after the usual Old Testament method ascribes the victory to Jehovah. The Perizzites. An obscure designation of a people of Palestine. It is uncertain whether they represented a tribe, perhaps of an earlier population than the Canaanites, or a class of Canaanite villagers. Bezek. An unknown locality not far, as the context shows, from Jerusalem. Another Bezek is mentioned in 1 Sam. II: 8. This has been identified with Ibzik, some fourteen miles southwest of Beisan, the ancient Beth-shan.

5. Bezek ten thousand men. And they found Adoni- J bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and 6. they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

7.

8. And the children of Judah fought against Jeru- RP salem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the 9. sword, and set the city on fire. And afterward the

5. Adoni-bezek. This name, meaning lord of Bezek, is anomalous. Probably by some confusion it stands for Adoni-zedek, "lord of righteousness," the name of the king of Jerusalem according to Josh. 10: I, 3.

6. Cut off his thumbs and his great toes. Such mutilation was not uncommon in ancient warfare, although not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. The Greeks and Hannibal and Cæsar are said to have thus treated captives.

7. Threescore and ten kings. This seems like an exaggeration, yet each city in Palestine generally had its king. Under my table. The table was a small low stand: diners sat on the ground; hence the captives were not actually under the table, but gathered like dogs pieces which fell from the table (cf. Matt. 15:27). And they brought him to Jerusalem. His own people, since Jerusalem was not taken (v. 21).

8. And the children of Judah fought, etc. This verse contradicts v. 21 and all that is known of the history of Jerusalem elsewhere (cf. 19: 11 f.; Josh. 15:63). The city was not taken until the time of David (2 Sam. 5:6-9). Hence this verse is a gloss added by some one who interpreted the last clause of the previous verse to mean that the men of Judah carried Adonibezek to Jerusalem.