PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Judges
Arthur Charles Hervey [1808-1894] · 186,338 words · 202 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 121
&elf-sacrifico for the good of his country which marked the career of Ehud and Gideon. What, however, is here especially to be remarked and treasured up in our minds is, that the cup of prosperity and joy which God's goodness had mixed for Jephtbah was turned into a cup of bitterness by his own perverse folly and rashn…
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men, not only as a verbal communication, but as a law illustrated in life and conduot. These interests were the highest interests of the world, and Israel was custodian of them for all future ages. There is n humanitarianism that discounts truth and would reduce all duty to the nearer and more external utilities of …
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be considered as specially for his honour. It was a " blank form " to be filled up by Providence as it would. II. THE UNEXPEOTED FORM THE SACRIFICE ASSUMED, How it astonishes men when God takes them at their word I Not that they do not mean what they say, but they do not realise all it implies. God ever does this that…
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,~rs. 30-40.-Je~>litli,ali's vow.. Je_phthah'e ~01:1duct should be viewed in the light ~f his age and of his o~v~ conecient1~us convictions, and not judged by the clearer light and changed convictions of Chnstendom. Measured by modern standards it may appear superstitious, cruel, insane ; but measured by the only st…
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lie north-east of Ephraim, it hardly seems e. Omitting the long explanatory parenthesis natuml description of the Ephra.imite move- from the letter part of ver. 4 to the latter ment to say they " went northwards ; " part of ver. 6, the narrative runs (ver. 4), whereas if they marched to Ze.phon the And the men of Gikad…
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:esen_t and envy the great deed_s and successes of those whom they look upon as very mfenor to themselves. Ephraim was the largest and most powerful of the tribes of Israel. The great lead~r, Josh~a, was of that trib~, and they seem to have thought thnt they hnd' an hereditary prunacy among the tribes. We have alrea…
1,234 wordsSECTION 127The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 127
Ver. 4.-The reproach of the righteous. "Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephra1mites, and among the Manassites." J. THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO TRUTH AND GOODNESS OFTEN OBJECT TO THE CIRCUM· STANCES IN LIFE AND THE CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO ARE REPUTED TO DO GREAT WORKS IN Goo's SERVICE. IC Fugitives" is a t…
1,189 wordsSECTION 128The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 128
in the pnst and its hostile attitude to Jephthah on the present occasion it plays the traitor. It despised its brethren, and refused to recognise the leader God had chosen, and now it threatened to overthrow the advantage acquired by the Ammonite victory. It became e. public nuisance and a political danger. II. PRIDE …
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Ver. 6.-S!iihboleth. l. lF A MAN'S PROFESSION IS FALSE TO HIS ClIARACTER, THIS WILL BE MADE MANIFEST BY THE HABITS OF HIS LIFE. The Ephraimite who denied his tribal relation was betrayed by his dialectic pronunciation. Thus Peter was con- victed of falsehood (Matt. :x:xvi. 73). It matters little what we say if our cond…
1,025 wordsSECTION 130The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 130
HOMILETICS. Vere. 8-15.-.Tke calm after the storm. Jephthah's day of life had been a stormy one indeed. The strife with his own brethren ; the strife with the children of Ammon ; the strife between nature and superstition, and the throbbings of a distracted heart ; the strife with the tribe of Ephraim, and the strife …
602 wordsSECTION 131The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 131
,ii. 3-14). We may suppose the date of improper to apply to nn angel, seeing that the ensuing narrative to be somewhere in Galn-ul means man of God, I asked him the first decade of the Philistine oppression. not, &c. No doubt from awe. Jacob, on the Ver. 2.-Zore.h. Enumerated among the contrary, asked the angel with w…
1,046 wordsSECTION 132The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 132
was nbout to worship said, "Seo thou do it Ver. 21.-But. It is better rendered cund, not" (Rev, x.xii 9); nnd Bnrnnbas and Paul in close sequence to the preceding words. It rem in among the people of Lycaonio. to follows, Then, i. e. when they saw him go restrain them from offering sacrifice to them up, they knew that …
1,204 wordsSECTION 133The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 133
HOMILETICS. Vers. ~-25.-Married life; Many deep and valu~ble teachings may be gathered out of this chapter. The ministry of angels to the heirs of salvation and connected with it, the sublime con?eptio:n _of the c<;mntless hosts ~f heaven; fo; the ~re~ence of one angel upon earth bnngs tidmgs, as it were, from dist…
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the wife's instinct led her straight to the mark: "she came and told her husband.'' He was her husband, her natural, legitimate, only counsellor and adviser. His was the ear into which to pour her strange confidence. What she knew, be ought to kno,v, and her conduct must be guided by his counsels. So she came at once a…
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The natural life of man or woman is incomplete apart from the married state and children are the blessing and crown of marriage. But they may also be its ~urea !,t is_ only as God .~hapes thei~ destiny nnd mo_ulds their character, only as h~ bm)ds the house, that happmess and prospenty can be insured. Improvident ~…
1,170 wordsSECTION 136The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 136
Vera. 1-5.-Divine punishment.and preparation of deliverance simultaneous. The heaviest 'udgments in human history Iiave been secretly charged with such merciful proV1sions. This circumstance alters the character of the infliction; it ceases to be mere vengeance, and becomes discipline. I. INSTANCES OF THIS IN SACRED H…
1,179 wordsSECTION 137The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 137
pnmllel with, but indefinitely above, the orrlinary lines of (so-called)" natural religion " and constitute a distinct revelation, of which the core is reached in the miracles ~f Jesus Christ. As this moral or Divine side of miracle is increasingly sturlied, the riches of the Word made flesh will grow upon us, fascinat…
769 wordsSECTION 138The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 138
tial characteristics which fit us for the service of God are the same in all cases 80 that it is not necessary to know the exact form of service to which God will cafl a child, in order to lay the foundations of his character in the main principles which devotion to God's service in any form invoh•es. II. ABSTEMIOU…
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FOR TIIE SERV!CE 011 Goo, Sam.son \s to b,e t~ained for God. Parents are too negli- gent of the highest ends of their children s lives. Careful to preserve their health and develop their natural powers of body and mind, anxious to instruct them in useful and liberalising secular knowledge, energetic in securing them a …
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on earth. But it matters little that the rays of revelation seem to melt into the dark- n11ss of the Infinite if only they shine bright and clear on our path of duty.-A. Vers. 22, 23.-Thefear of the 'Vi,si,on of God. The Divine vision was connected mth a blessing to Manoah and his wife. The vision of God by the soul…
1,083 wordsSECTION 141The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 141
EXPOSITION. eventual overthrow of the Philistine domin- CHAPTER XIV. ion is in exact accordance with other decla.r- Ver. 1. -Timnath, or,1 more correctly, ations of Holy Scripture (cf. e. g. Exod. vii Thimnathah, as in Josh. xix. 43, a town in 3, 4; Josh. xi. 20 ; l Sam. ii. 25 ; 1 Kings the tribe of Dan, the no.me…
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HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-9.-The link of the clw.i1i. A swarm of bees light one day in the carcase of :i, li?n which had been k:ill~d in the vineyards of Thimnathah. They constmct their hive there, and make their honey. It was no doubt an unusual circumstance that the bees should form their hive in such a place rather th…
759 wordsSECTION 143The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 143
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-4.-Human des-ire overruled/or Divine ends. This incident in the life of Samson has a universal human interest. He no sooner comes to manhood than bis destiny begins to determine itself. He sees a woman of the Philistines, and at once his fancy is captivated, and the str:>!lg nat…
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Ve~. 5, 6.-:-The lwn in the way. Very natural is this description. The wild ~ast m the vmeyards, the weaponlessness of the hero, &c., are all in keeping with the character of the times. Local names still extant prove the former existence of lions in Palestine ; the particular district was a border one between milita…
1,212 wordsSECTION 145The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 145
Ver. 10.-So hie father went down. It bride has the privilege of choosing the Is not clear what is meant by this mention minister who is to officio.ta at the marriage. of his father alone ; but it WA.'! probo.bly Ver. 11. -When they saw him, i. e. eome part of the wedding etiquette that the when the father and mother an…
1,296 wordsSECTION 146The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 146
(Cccur de Lion) hold his court." The onion The pa.rents of the Thimna.thite, having no co.lied eschalot, or shallot, is named from doubt obtained Samson's dower, and sup- Eehknlon, or Aehke.lon. Their spoil-that posing him to have finally broken with his which was stripped from them. His anger treacherous wife, proceed…
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the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ; the union of two minds in all rational and sober pursuits, whether intellectual, political, or social; the identity of interests 1• the community of pnrp_ose to make the most of what God has given to each for the com- mon stock of happmess; the care of each for the other as the fi…
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Vera. 15-20.-Unlawful method,s of interpreting IJivine mysteries. Samson is betrayed into revealing his riddle. ft was a mean subterfuge, and the fraud is promptly avenged. I. THERE ABE ILLEGITIMATE WAYS OF GETTING AT DIVINE TRUTH. False prophets. Unwilling prophets, as Balaam. Mercenary attempts at obtaining a peculi…
1,083 wordsSECTION 149The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 149
EXPOSITION. Samson's father-in-law might well have CHAPTER XV. thought that Samson had forsaken his wife, Ver. 1.-Within a while-the same ex- and would never forgive her treachery. pression as that in eh. xiv. 8, rendered Possibly too he was a covetous man, and '' after a time," and in eh. xi. 4, rendered glad to ge…
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it been so, his breach with the Philistines might have been hol\led, e.nd his whole future career would have been changed. But this was prevented by the intempemte haste of Samson's father-in-law. Instead of waiting to see whether Se.meon'e just anger would subside, e.nd keeping the door of reconcilfation open, he ge…
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Vers. B-16.-Requiting ml for good, and good for evil. It was truly unhand- some conduct on the part of the men of Judah. They had received aid and service from Samson, and their enemies had been put to shame ; and now, when they are threatened with consequences for harbouring him from their foes, they are ready to betr…
709 wordsSECTION 152The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 152
EXPOSITION. Ver. 9.-Went up, i. e. from their own masters to deliver up Samson bound into their ~ountry in the Shcphelah to the hill country hands. But it is not very unlike the spirit in of Judah. As Samson had avenged his which the Hebrews looked upon Moses when wrongs on the whole Philistine people, so h~ first …
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nn nss, menns also om, heap. If one were to thence ; whereas the statement is quite clear imitnto tho passnge in English, snpposing that God clave the holl!YID place wM.ch is that the jaw of e. sheep ha.d been the imple- in Lehi (hal-Lehi, ver. 9, note), and that a ment, it might run something like thi&-By spring of wa…
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them becaus~ they h~d no trust in God. The elevating, enno~ling, sustaining feeling that they ~·ere God s chosen people, and that the unchangmg love and power of God were on their side to sustain them in every virtuous effort, and give effect to every ~ood ~nd ho~y desire, was ~xtinct within them. T~1eir calamities …
1,038 wordsSECTION 155The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 155
Vers. 17-19.-The self-refreshment of Divine service. After his great exploit Samson was exhausted and athirst. The zeal for the glory of Jehovah is upon him, and he cannot brook the tarnishing of his glorious victory by a base surrender to the Philistines. He immediately calls upon God, and is answered in the very scen…
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Vers. 18, 19. - Di-stress after triumph. I. ONE GREAT DELIVERANCE IS No SECURITY AGAINST ALL FUTURE TROUllLE. Samson is surprised and vexed that a new trouble should fall upon him after his great victory. There is a danger lest we should rest contented with past triumphs. • The Christian warfare can only end with t…
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once B strong pince, but now n Ie.rge open Hebron "was about nine geographical, or town. It was the 111st town in South-West between ten and eleven English, miles from Palestine on the road from J eruse.lem to Gaza, sitnated in a deep, narrow valley, with Egypt (Acts viii. 26, 27). It played e.n im- high hills on eithe…
1,025 wordsSECTION 158The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 158
them to her. And there were liera. Rather, Ver. 16.-Thy great strength lieth-as as before, and the liers ?'.n wait were abul,i'Tl{J, before, ver. 6, thy strength i,s great. &c. Each time she had persuaded the lords Ver. 16.-So that. Omit so. The mertn- that Samson had divulged his secret, and ing is, that in consequ…
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value, neither more nor Iese, and there ia no reason why we should not appraise them at their true value. Samson did not overrate hie strength when he submitted to be bound by the men of Judah, nor when he put the gates of Gath upon hie ehouldere, and carried them to the hill over againRt Hebron. But the transition to …
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to be carefully guarded against and nipped in the very bud. That simplicity of aim nnd purpose which was so sublimely apparent in the words nnd works of the Lord Jesus should be the mark which his disciples should constantly strive to attain. The work v:hich is done partly for a man's self is only half done. The wor…
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Vere. 4-21.-Samson's betrayal and fall. The long-suffering of God, which the saints are exhorted (2 Pet. iii. 15) to account salvation, is in Samson's case presumed upon, and the besetting sin at last finds him out. The sin is single, but it is not the first of its kind, nor is it isolated. The years of self-indulgence…
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Vera.15--17.-Samson's weakness. Samson's weakness is twofold. Through lack of moral strength he reveals the secret of his physical strength, and is thus betrayed into the loss of this also. I. SAMSON'S MORAL WEAKNESS. This is the man's great failing, apparent through- out his history, but reaching a climax in the p…
1,231 wordsSECTION 163The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 163
EXPOSITION. Ver. 23.-Gathered them, i. e. themselves. \ Dagon their God. Dagon (from dag, a fish To rejoice. The Hebrew is for a festivity, in Hebrew), the national male god of the or mernJ-making, or feast There was to be Philistines, as Atergatis, or Derceto, was a great feast upon the sacrifices offered to their eo…
1,080 wordsSECTION 164The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 164
from this that Samson's mother bare other the temple of Hercules at Tyre were two children after the birth of Samson. But remarkable pillars, one of refined gold, the the Hebrew use of the word brethren is eo other of emaragdus, some green stone like wide, applied to cousins, or members of the an emerald (ii. 44). But …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 21-31.-.A hero's e,:rodus. The blind captive, led by a boy, and degraded to the office of a buffoon in the idolatrous services of the Philistines, is a sad spectacle. But inwardly he was nobler than when carrying the gates of Gaza. His soul's eyo has opened, and he repents. The lock…
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exitet meaning of tho two words here used, took two hundred shekels nnd gnve them to and their relation to one e.notlter in the the founder. It is a great puzzle to explnin worship to which they belong. The molten why two hmidred shekels onlr e.re hero image (massech.ah), however, seems to be spoken of, and wl111t b…
1,006 wordsSECTION 167The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 167
or tribe of Judah. Some explain the words that counsel to those who came to inquire to be merely B more accurate definition of (see note to ver. 5). It may be added that llethlchcm-juda.h, as if he would say, I the idea. of counsellor seems to be inherent mean Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah. in the word <XJhen or prie…
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her way a de,ont woman. The scraping together 1100 shekels was probably not effected v-rithou!· considerable effort and self-deni~l, for it was a larg·e sum (more than £110), ele,en times the yearly wages of the Lev1te. She meant to consecrate it to Jehovah, the God of Israel. She seems too to have been a good mothe…
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enbject of coneideratfon what forms of worship are most calcula.ted to increase and heighten the devotion of the wo!shippere. Forms which tend merely to please the eeneee a~e w:orthless _; f?nns which t~nd to soo!he the conscience of the impenitent, cmd to stifle 1te questionmgs by creating a feelmg of duty performed a…
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mother, and so she straightway blesses whom she had cursed (cf. James iii. 10). Only 200 shekels are actually approrriated to the end proposed. II. ITs MOTIVES. Apparently the warding off of the curse is the first concern with both. But an equally powerful motive was the securing of the gain resulting from fees and…
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nttempt at restoring family peace by a compromise between selfish greed and religiouR devotion-200 shekels only are devoted to the image, and, though Micah had intended all to go to this object, the remaining 900 shekels are retained by the mother. 2. The same degradation of morality is seen in the unworthy conduct of …
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neighbours. We 11re children of the great King, and under a supreme obligation to respect his law. The Church is not a republic; it is a kingdom. The Christian is not free to follow his fancy ; he is required to submit to and to obey the mind and will of Christ. Christian liberty is not found in the license of self-wil…
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had not fall en 'llff!to them im, the midst of of the Jordan. Ro bin son identifies it un- the tribes of Israel for an inheritance. The hesitatingly with Tell-el-Kady, "the mount words the land must be supplied after the of the judge" (where Kady has the same analogy of Numb. xxxiv. 2. What follows meaning as Dan), clo…
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ver. 21), • the whole company• must have cheerfully connive at au act of theft and amotmt.ed to two or three thousand souls. sacrilege. Ver. 12.-Kirjath-jearim (city of forests), Ver. 21.-They turned, i. e.,turned their otherwise called Ki1jath-Baal and.Baalah, backs upon Beth-Micah, and ,vent on their in the hill cou…
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slew the one and burnt the other (cf. Numb. it, as is the obvious meaning of the worrls, xxi. 3; Josh. viii. 19; xi. 11, &c.); or the of .~he Assyrian captivity (2 Kings xv. 29; Imming of the city may have been one of xvu. 6). But some of the best ~ommentators tho means by which they destroyed the as Kimchi among the …
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-31.-Society without a hea.d ceasing to be society, The writer of the five l~st chnpten:i of the Book of Judges had a painful task to perform. Writing the history of his people, and they the people of God he had to tell a tale of violence plunder, bloodshed, brutality, civil war, and extern-Iinat…
1,154 wordsSECTION 177The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 177
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-13.-The history of a man-made ministry :-2. Its abuse. A special instance of the manner in which it wrought mischief afforded in the migration of the Danites. The proximity of Micab's house to the great northern highway made it a natural resting-place for travellers, and so the …
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Vers. 23, 2~.-4. The ifl,ola~'s di:stress. ~icah h_as ~t one fell swoop lost gods and ephod and pnest. As his chief gams and his fancied importance were derived from this source, he was desolate. I. THOSE WlIOSE TRUST IS IN OUTWARD THINGS, AND WHOSE HEART IS BOUND UP IN THEM, ARE EXPOSED TO GRAVE DANGERS AND DISADVAN…
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under his frown. The faith which eaves is not self-confidence nor the assurance of success, but submissive and obedient trust in a Lord and Saviour. IV. THEY WHO MAKE A CONVENIENCE OF RELIGION WILL FIND IN THE END THAT IT WILL BE THEIR CONDEMNING JUDGE. The priest told the Danites that their way was before the Lord. G…
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CHAPTER XIX. the temple, n cave, the north, o. pit, a coUlltry, &c., and is used in the dual number (see Ver. 1.-When there was no king (eh. 1 Sam. xx.iv. 4 ; 1 Kings vi. 16; Pa. xlviii. mi. 6; xvi.ii. 1; m. 25). It appears from 3 ; cxxviii. 3 ; Iso.. xxxvii. 24 ; Ezek. xxxii. eh. xx. 27, 28 that the events narrate…
643 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.