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they might indulge the spirit of ridicule over their humbled foe. The expected sport, however, soon terminated in a terrible calamity. Samson requested the lad who led him about, to allow him to obtain a little relief, by leaning against the two pillars which supported the building. The lad acceded to his request, and, after a fervent prayer “to be avenged of the Philistines for his two eyes," Samson took hold of the pillars, the one with the right hand and the other with the left, and, putting forth the final effort of his gigantic strength, he pulled them from their positions, and so brought down the whole structure to the ground. Upon the roof of the building "there were about three thousand men and women," " "the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there." All were now buried in one mighty ruin. It was the last act of his vengeance; Samson died for the cause of his country. Thus ended the strange exploits of twenty years. The awful catastrophe so paralysed the Philistines that they neither attempted to prevent the removal of Samson's body by his relatives nor to molest the Israelites for a long time after. The number Samson had slain at his death was more than the number he had slain in his life. His remains received honourable interment in his father's sepulchre, and, on account of the signal services which by his strength and courage he had rendered to his country, his name lived on as that of the greatest of its champions. In his "Samson Agonistes," the English poet Milton has finely pourtrayed the grandeur of Samson's prowess and the ignominy of his fall. His subjection to the power of unholy desire prevents us from respecting his character and duly appreciating the importance of his work, but his faith in the presence and power of God seems to have been firm and sincere (Heb. xi., 32).

Samson was the first conqueror of the Philistines—the longest and deadliest enemies of Israel-whose hostilities, commencing at the close of the period of the Judges, did not terminate till the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings xviii., 8). In him the Danites also had contributed to the defence of Israel, and had in some measure seen the fulfilment of Jacob's blessing upon the tribes (Gen. xlix., 16, 17).

A long blank in the sacred History succeeds to the crash of the Philistine temple and the silent burial of Samson in the sepulchre of his native hills," "between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burial-place of Manoah his father." Eli, already far advanced in years, is at once Judge and High Priest of Israel, when again in the Book of Samuel the narrative is resumed.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES.

WHY

HY SO CALLED?-It is so called from the account it gives of the Israelites under the Government of thirteen Judges, after the death of Joshua, from 1426 B.c. to the death of Samson, 1117 B.C., and the time of Eli, a period of about 309 years.

WHO WROTE IT?-Samuel is generally considered as the writer, and for the following reasons:—

1. "In those days there was no king in Israel." (Judges xvii., 6; xxi., 25).

From which passage we must clearly infer that there was a king when the account was written. This therefore makes the writer live after the establishing of a monarchy.

2. "The Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day" (Judges i., 21).

Jerusalem therefore had not as yet been captured when the account was written. Now, from 2 Sam. v., 6-9, we know that David, as soon as he was acknowledged king by the twelve tribes, marched against Jerusalem and took it, and made it the capital of his kingdom under the name of the "City of David." Therefore the writer must have lived during the reign of Samuel and first seven years of David's rule, and we know of no other person living than Samuel as likely to have written such an account as that contained in the Book of Judges.

Some have thought that it was not composed before the Babylonian exile, or at all events before the fall of the

kingdom of the ten tribes, and they base their arguments on the passage "the captivity of the land," in chap. xviii., 30. Others again suggest the prophets-Nathan and Gad, or some one under their supervision, as the writer.

THE DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK.-The book may be divided into three chief portions.

I. The state of the Israelites after the death of Joshua until they began to turn aside from serving the Lord (chap. i.-iii.).

II. The history of the oppressions of the Israelites, and their deliverances by the Judges (chap. iv.-xvi.).

III. An account of the introduction of idolatry among the Israelites, and the consequent corruption of religion and manners among them, for which God gave them up into the hands of their enemies (chap. xvii.-xxi.).

PROFANE HISTORY. From the accounts in this book probably originated such ingenious fictions as the story of the Sabine rape; of Nisus' hair, and the golden lock given to Pterelaus by Neptune; that of Hercules and Omphale, of the pillars of Hercules; of the death of Cleomedes Astypalous; and of Agamemnon and Iphigenia.

REFERENCES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Acts xiii., 20.

Hebrews xi., 32, 40.

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS.

1. Whence does the Book derive its name?

2. Who is generally supposed to have written the Book of Judges ? Give your reasons. Mention others who have any claim to be con

sidered as the Authors of this Book.

3. What inference would you draw from such expressions as

(i.) In those days there was no king in Israel.
(ii.) Until the day of the captivity of the land.

CHAPTER I.

ANALYSIS.

The further prosecution of the Conquest of Canaan. Adoni-bezek justly punished. Jerusalem taken. Hebron taken. For the taking of Debir, Othniel hath Achsah for a wife. The Kenites dwell in Judah. Hormah, Gaza, Askelon and Ekron taken. The Acts of Benjamin, of the house of Joseph, who take Bethel of Zebulun, of Asher, of Naphtali, of Dan.

NOTES.

V 1. "Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass." Literally, "and it came to pass," &c. Compare with this, the opening words of Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, 1 and 2 Samuel, 2 Kings. They are the usual words in

Hebrew for the continuation of a narrative.

"After the death of Joshua." These clearly show the purpose of the writer, viz., to continue the history from the point at which it had been left off in the "Book of Joshua." Just before his death Joshua had set before the tribes the task of completely destroying the Canaanites; this they were to do with the help of the Lord God of Israel; he also pointed out to them the danger of apostasy. Therefore remembering his admonitions and warnings, it was natural that they should inquire, who should lead them against the Canaanites who still remained in the land.

"Asked the Lord," i.e., asked Jehovah. The name Jehovah means, the self-existent, i.e., one whose existence can be predicated as an attribute.

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