9 By inward Inſpiration and Excitation of their minds and hearts, and by outward Dcſignation teſtified by ſome heroical and extraors dinary Ation- » Supreme Magiſtrates, whoſe cffice it was, under God, and by his particular dire&ion, to govern the Commonwealth of Iſrael by Gods Laws, and to prore& and ſave them from their Enemies ; to preſerve and purge Religion ; to maintain the Liber- cies of the people againſt a}] Oppreſſors. See Jusg?s 3. 9, 19,15, Oc. and 4; 4; and 6. :5, 26.and 8. 23.
17 And yet they would not hearken untotheir Judges-, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themſelves unto them : they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the com- mandments of the LORD : but they didnot ſo,
s Who admoniſhed them of their ſin and folly, and of the dan- ger and miſery which would cerainly befall them.
18 And when the LORD raiſed themup judges,thenthe LORD was with the judge,and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies alli the days of the judge : ( forit repented the LORD z, becauſe of their groanings, by
reaſon of them that vexed them, and oppreſſed them: ) t (7.e.) The Lord changed his courſe and dealings with them, as penitent Men uſe ro do ; removed his Judgments, and retur- ned to them in mercy, Gen, 6. 6. 19 And it came to paſs + when the judge was dead, + Chap; that they returned &, aud || corrupted themſelves more 3: 12.
than theirfathers x, in following other gods.toſervethem, cavkwrg pt.
and to bow down unto them ; Þ they ceaſed nor from HH. their own doings y, nor from their tubborn way z. ler no.
u To their formers and uſual. and natural, tho? interrupted thing fall courſe. x In Ezypt, or in the Wilderneſs. y ( 7. e. ) From their evil of their prattices, which he calls their own,partly becauſe they were agree- able to their own natures, which in all mankind are deep'y and uni- verially corrupted, Gen 6. 5. and 8. 21. and partly,becautc they were familiar and cuſtomary to them. Compare 1/3. 58, 13. and 66. Jo Ezek. 36. 32. AF. 14+ 16. Jude. 16 % Heb. hard way: ſo hecalls their way of wickedneſs, cither becauſe it proceeded from an hard heart, and was managed with an hard and ſtiff n<ck : or to ſignifie, that al:ho' ir ſeemed at firft very ſoft, and eaſie, and pleaſant, yer they would certainly, and did conſtantly find, that it was hard, and diffi= cult, and troubleſome to them, as an hard way is to the Travellere
a0 T And the anger of the LORD was hot againſt Ifrael, and he ſaid, Becauſe that this people hath tranſ- greſſed my Covenant, which I commanded their fa- thers, and have not hearkened unto my voice : 2T *I alſo will not henceforth drive out any from be-
tore them of the rations which Joſbua left when he died:
22 Thatthrough them I may prove Iſrael ||, whether they will keep the way of the LORD,to walk therein, as their fathers did keep 3r, or not.
| Either, Firſt, that I may try, and ſee whether 1ſ-ael will be frue and faithful to me, or whether they will ſuffer themſelves ro be corrupted by the evil counſels and examples of their bad neigh- bours, whom I will leave among them for their tryal and Exerciſe. Or, Secondly, that by rhem 1 may :Mi& and puniſh 1ael; for afMiftions are commenly and juſtly called trials. But the former ſcofe ſuits betrer with the following words.
23 Therefore the LORD || left thoſe narions, with- pos, fil out driving them out haſtily F, neither delivered he fered.
them into the hand of Joſhua, T Or, ſpeedily, when the Iſraelites deſired it, and needed it- CH AP. HE The Nations left to prove Iſrael mentioned, 1 4. The Iſraelites mar« rying their Daughters, and ſerving their gods, they are delivered wp to the King of Meſoputamia : are reſcued by Othniel, 5<=—-11, Continuing to do Evil, they are again puniſhed and oppreſſed by the King of the Moabi=
res 5 are reſcued hy Ehud : Tenthouſand Moabites are ſlain, 12 === 30
They are afterwards delivired from the Philiſtines by Samgar, 7 1. S
Ow theſe are the nations which the LORD lef: to prove Iſrael by them, ( even as many of Iſrael as had not known all the wars of Canaan a *
a (7. e. ) Such who had no experience of thoſe Wars, nor of Gods extraordinary Power and providence manifeſted in them. |
2 Only that the generations of the children of Iſrael might know to teach them war b, at the leaſt ſuch as be- fore knew noching thereof. )
6 That by the Neighbourhood of ſuch Warlike and potent Ene- mies, they might be purged from Sloth and Security, and oblidged to inurethemlſelves to martial Exerciſes, and to ſtand continually upon their guard, and conſequently to keep cloſe to that God whoſe Ailiſtance they had fo great and conſtant need of.
3 Namely, * five lords of the Philiſtines c, and all * Joſh. . a Fe 3 . #® . the Canaanites 4 and the Zidonians e, and the Hivites 13 3 that dwelt 1n mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-her-
mon f, unto the entring in of Hamath.
c Whereof three had been in ſome ſorr ſubdueds Juds. 1. 18. But afterwards reſcued themſelves, and recovered their former ſtrength. Sec on Juages 1, 18. d Properly ſo cail:d, who. were very nume- rous, and diſperſed through ſeveral parts of the Land, whence they gave denomination to all the zcit of the People, e The people 1i-
ving
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| i III. 7 DU DG BS | Chap. IIT, up VINg riear Zinn, and ſubje& to its Juriſdiction. F Which Was the I4 So the children of Iſrael ſerved Fglon the king Ill Faftern part of mount L:hanon: See Dent. 3: 8, 9 of Moab eizhteen years. | : 4 And they were to prove Iſrael ty them, to know I5 But when the children of Tſrael cried unto the
26, g whether they would heaken unto the commandments LORD, the LORD raifed them up a + deliverer, Ehud + 5. a os of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers Dy | the ſon of Gera |, a Benjamite r, a nian + left handed Savicur.
the hand of Moſes. 7 s, and by him the children'of Iſrael ſent a preſent un- £05 O90 g (i.e. ) Thar they and others might know by experience. to Eglon the king of Moab.
; £ : Jemini. 5 © And the children of Hrael dwelt among the Ca » Heb. the ſor of Jemini, who was of the Tribe of Benjamin, 2 Sam: + 124 ſhut naanites, Hitrites, and Amorites, and Per1zzites, and 16. tx. and 19. 17. 1 Kings 2. 8. This Tribe was next to him, and of his