Section 2.

Renewed conflict with the inhabitants of Palestine.

(1) Shamgar and the Philistines

(2) Oppression of Jabin

(3) Barak offers resistance

..iii. 31.

.iv. 1-3.

..iv. 4-14.

(4) Battle of the Brook Kishon, Discomfiture and

death of Sisera

............

Section 3. The triumph song of Deborah.

......iv. 15—24.

(1) Introduction and prelude to Part I. Part I.—
the Gathering

(2) The glorious acts of Jehovah

.V. I, 2.

.v. 3-5.

....v. 6-8.

(3) The condition of Israel before Deborah's inter

vention

(4) Glorious results of the patriotism of the people .v. 9—11. (5) Prelude to second part of song. Part II.

the battle

(6) The muster

.V. 12.

.v. 13-15a. (7) Contrast between the warriors and the laggards.v. 156.-18. (8) The gathering of the foe-his discomfiture ......V. 19—22. (9) The curse of Meroz, the blessing of Jael .........V. 23, 24. (10) Jael's exploit

..v. 25-28. (11) Sisera's mother and her high expectations .......v. 28-30. (12) Conclusion

DIVISION II. Gideon and his son Abimelech : vi.-ix.

Section 1. The overthrow of the freebooters.

(1) The oppression by Midian

(2) The message of the prophet

(3) The Call of Gideon

.v. 31.

.vi. 1–6.

..vi. 7-10.

.vi. II-24.

(4) The destruction of the altar of Baal and its results vi. 25-32.

(5) Preparations for the conflict

(6) The selection of the warriors

.vi. 33-40. .vii. 1-8.

(7) The dream, and Gideon's encouragement thereby vii. 9—14.

(8) The defeat of Midian

(9) The complaint of Ephraim ..:

(10) The pursuit

(11) The chastisement of Succoth and Penuel

.vii. 15-25.

.viii. 1-3.

I

.viii. 4-12.

.viii. 13—17.

(12) Death of Zebah and Zalmunna and dispersion of

their host

..viii. 18-21.

.ix. 1-6. ...ix. 7—21.

.ix. 22-33.

(4) Battle before Shechem. Defeat of Gaal ..........ix. 34–45.

(5) Further campaign and death of Abimelech

(6) Judgeship of Tola and Jair ..

(7) Renewed Apostasy of Israel

..ix. 46–57.

...X. I-5.

(8) Repentance of Israel and preparations for resist

ance

DIVISION II. Jephthah and his successors: xi., xii.

Section 1. Jephthah's deliverance.

(1) Jephthah's antecedents and election to the leader

ship

(2) Jephthah's negotiations

Section 2. Jephthah and his daughter.

(1) Jephthah's Vow........

.x. 6-9.

.X. 10-18.

..xi. I—II.

.xi. 12-28.

.........xi. 29-33.

(2) The fate of Jephthah's daughter.....................xi. 34—40.

Section 3. Jephthah and the Ephraimites, xii. 1—7.

Section 4. Jephthah's successors, xii. 8—15.

(5) The destruction of 1000 men with the jaw-bone

of an ass

(6) The miracle at Lehi...

..XV. 14—17. ......XV. 18-20.

Section 3. Samson's Fall.

(1) Samson's exploit at Gaza..........

(2) Samson's infatuation for Delilah
treachery.......

(3) Revenge and Death of Samson

PART III.

and her

..xvi. 1-3.

......xvi. 4—20.

.......xvi. 21-31.

Incidents illustrative of the social condition of Israel.
Ch. xvii.-xxi.

DIVISION I. Micah and the Danites.

Section 1. Micah's idolatry.

(1) Micah's theft and image worship................

...xvii. 1-6.

(2) The Levite appointed Micah's priest...............xvii. 7—13.

Section 2. The settlement at Laish.

DIVISION II. The outrage at Gibeah and its punishment.

Section 1. The outrage, xix. 1—30.

Section 2. The war between Israel and Benjamin.

(1) The deliberation and decision of Israel..........................XX. I—10. (2) Israel's action and Benjamin's reply

(3) The conflict

.XX. 11-17.

....xx. 18-48.

Section 3. How the tribe of Benjamin was preserved from extinction, xxi. 1-25.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES.

CHAP. I. 1-9. The prosecution of the Conquest of Canaan.

ow after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the 1

No children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall

CHAP. I. 1-9. THE PROSECUTION OF THE CONQUEST OF
CANAAN.

1. Now...it came to pass] Literally, "and it came to pass."

These words are the usual ones in Hebrew for the continuation of a narrative. So Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges 1 and 2 Samuel, and 2 Kings begin. Exodus, Deuteronomy (according to the Peshito and the Alexandrian Codex of the LXX.), and I Kings begin with the copulative conjunction only. It is obvious from this commencement, that the book of Judges is marked out "as a link in the chain of books which in unbroken connection relate the history from the creation of the world to the exile of the inhabitants of the southern kingdom (Bertheau). Thus we may infer that these books were from the first intended to form the authorized collection of historical books of the Jewish nation.

after the death of Joshua]. This fixes yet more distinctly the purpose of the author of the book of Judges to continue the history from the point at which the book of Joshua had left it. It will be observed that these words correspond verbally with those that form the commencement of the book of Joshua, substituting Moses for Joshua and omitting that title of respect "the servant of the Lord" (or rather "Jehovah " -see note below) which in this special position seemed only suitable to the founder (under God) of Jewish institutions, though the title "servant of Jehovah" is given to Joshua, naturally enough, at the close of the record of his great doings, in Josh. xxiv. 29, and is quoted from thence in this book in ch. ii. 8.

asked the Lord] No doubt "after the judgment of Urim" (see Numb. xxvii. 21), as in ch. xx. 18, 23, 27; 1 Sam x. 22, xxii. 10, and many other places. The Targum says that the Meim'ra, or Word of God, was consulted. For the Lord, here and elsewhere read Jehovah, or, as is preferable, Jahveh, the name by which Israel's God was distinguished from the gods of the nations round about. The name signifies Him of Whom existence can be predicated as an attribute-the self-existent, and it is identical with the third person of the verb to be.