,? | on VI. Baal: His name Jerub-baal,"22 "32+ The Midianites gather t0- fron to frahe And Gideon prepares agatnſt them : God flrengthens and | NF cnfirms him by a miracle, 32 ———-40 We | [| Nd the children of Iſrael did evil in the ſight of the | LORD : and the LORD deliver2d them 1nto PHab.3:5: the hand * of Midian « ſeven years. || s For alchough-the generality of the Mizianites had been cut off 4 by Moſes abr ut 200 years ago, yet many of them doubtleſs fled into | the neighbouring Countries, whence afterwards they returned 1n-
:r own Land, and in that time mig{tt caſily grow tobe a very _— when God furthered rheir increaſe, people 1/rae! when they
F reat Number ; eſpecially, 1 or they might be a fir icourge for his
| ſpreſſed. : ; [+ Heb. was TO yo nd the hand of Midian Þ prevailed againſt Ifra-
£ Eel, and becauſe of the Midiavites che children of Ifrael made them the dens which are in che mountains, and
caves b, and ſtrong holds. _ | þ In which they might ſecure their perſons and proviſions from
the hands of che Midianites. : '2 And fo it was when Iſrael had ſown, that the Mi-
3 UDGES
be with thee, and thou ſhalt ſmite the Midianites as one man #.
t Aseaſily, as if they were all but one Man; or, thou fhalt de. ſtroy them to a Man, as he did, Judges 8.
17 And he ſaid unto him, If now T have found grace in thy ſight, then ſhew me a ſign, that thou
calkeſt with me #.
u That it is chou, to wit, an Angel or Meſſenger ſent from Ged, that appears to me, and diſcourſes with me; and not a Phancy or Deluſion ; that thou art in- truth what thou ſeerreſt and pretendeſt to be, ve 12. Or. a ſign of that which thou talkeſt with me; ( i.e.) That thou wilteſt by me ſmite the Miarzanites,
18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee,and bring forth my || preſent x,8 ſet ir before thee y. | Or;nea And he faid, I will tarry until thou come again. Jerng.
x Not a Sacrifice, becauſe neither was Gideon a prieſt, nor was this the place of Sacrifice, nor was any Altar here, nor was there any ſuch Sacrifice as here follows appointed by God; Lut arepaſt, or ſome food for the Angel, which he thoughr to be a man, as ap- pears by wv. 22. Compare Judz. 13. 15. and Gen 18. 5+ y That thou maiſt eat and refreſh thy ſelf.
dianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children
c (4. e. } The Arabianc, who are commonly called the children of the Eaſt, as Gen. 29+ 1. Judg. 8+ 10, IT. Jeb 1. 3+ Exek, 25, 4. Nor all the rab:ans, tor in that Were many, and divers people ; but in
the Eaftcr., part of Arabia. 4 And they encamped againſt them, and deſtroyed
the increaſe of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza 4, and left no ſuſtenance for Iſrael, neither || ſheep, nor 7 oo”; ) -Þ the Eaſt, on which ſide they entred, to the Weſt, where Gaza was near the Sea : ſo they deſtroyed the whole Land.
5 For they came up withtheir cartel, and their tents, and they came as graſhoppers for mulritude ; for both they and their camels were without number e: and
they entred into the land to deſtroy it.
e ( i. e:) So many that it was not eaſte to number them. Ir is
Hyperbole. ry 6 And Iſrael was greatly. impoveriſhed becauſe of
the Midianites, and the children of 1frael cried unto the LORD. i
7 © And it came to paſs when the children of Ifrae] cried unto the LORD, becauſe of the Midianites,
3- That the LORD ſent + a prophet unto the chidren of Iſrael, which {aid unto them, Thus faith. the Loid GOD of Ifrae), I brought you up from Egypr, and brought you forth from the houſe of bondage :
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyp- tians, and out of the hand of all that oppreited you, and drave them out from b<fore you, and gave you their land: |
' xo AndI faid unto your I am the LORD your God, * > King. * fear not f the gods of the Amorites, in whole land ye 17-35-38.» dwell : but ye have not obeyed my voICe. : EI» 10-22 F(; e.) Do not ſerve or Worlbip them.
11 © And there came an angel of the LORD, and | ſat under an oak which was in Ophrah g, that pertained
FHeb. r:. unto Joaſh the Abi-ezrite b: and his fon * Gideon 3:.c-l:4 threſhed wheat 3 by the winepreſs &, | to hide zx from 4704 ,, the Midianites. =p
: To wit, in Manaſſeh * for there was another Ophrah in Benjamin, cauſe it to To 18. 23. h Of the Poſterity of Abiezer, of whom, ſee Joſ. 17. 2. flee, 1 Chron 7. 18. See Judg. 8, 27, 32. 7 Nor with Oxen, as the.man-
ner was Deut. 25. 4. but with a Staff ro prevent diſcovery. & Jn the place where the Winez-preſs ſtood, notin the common Fleor.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him and ſaid unto him, The LORD z: with thee /, thou mighty man of valour | |
I (5. ) Will afliſt thee againſt thine and mine Enemies. m To whom I have given Strength and Courage for this end. ;
12 And Gideon ſaid unto nim, Oh my lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, ſaying, Did not the LORD bring us up from E- gypt ? but now the LORD hath forſaken us, and de- livered us into the hand of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him », and faid, * Go in this thy might 0: and chou ſhalt ſave Irael from the hand of the Midianites; have not 1 lent thee p ? F
n Witlr a ſetied and pleaſ:znt Countenance, as a teſtimony of his - favour to him, and of his readineſs to he]p him. o Or, go now, or at this time #n thy might : the ſtrength which chou haſt already received, and doſt.now further receive from me, 1s ſufficient with my help, p I do hereby give thee Command and Commiſſion for this Work, and therefore am oblidged in Honour to affiſt thee in it. 15 And he ſaid unto him, Oh my lord, wherewith + Heb. my ſhall Ifave Iſrael? behold + my family 9 is poor 7 in Ma- ghouſand is yafſeh, and I am the leaſt 5 in my fathers houſe. | the menn- q Heb. my thouſand : for the Tribes were diſtributed into ſeveral eff. thouſands, whereof each thouſand had his peculiar Governour. y ( i» e, ) Weak and contemprible. S Either tor Ages or for wiſ-
[ Or, £0#lge
+ Heb M4n, a pro-
phct.
* 1 Sam. T' 2. I Fo Heb. II: 32s
of the caſt c, even they came up a4.ainlt them.
\and ficneſs for ſo great a Work. ; TT "And the LORD faid unto him, Surely I will
=”
19 © And Gideon went in, and made ready Þ a kid, + Heb. ; and unleavened cakes of an Ephah of flour 2: the fleſh 4 of the he put in a bisket, and he put the broth in a por, ©: and brought it unto him under the oak, and preſen- ted z7.