1:ax 4; 1. earoth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, aud 6, 1. and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of ad 13* 1 Ammon, and the gods of the Philiſtines, and fofook the —_ 2 LORD, and ſerved not him g.
3" He ſhews how they grew worſe and worſe, and fo rip=-ned them- ſc]ves for the Ruine which afrerward came upon them. Before they Worſhipped GOD ard Idols tegether : now they utterly forſake GOD, and wholly cleave to [dols.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot againſt Iſra-
*, Ha and he * ſold them into the hands of the Philiſtines. © andinto the hands ofthe children ef Ammon þ.
*50 1 94M 36: 4-
12: 9s ; þ The one on the Weſt, the other on the Eaſt; fo they were moleſted on both ſides. + Heb: 8 And that year they vexed and Þ oppreſſed the het, children of Iſrael eighteen years i, all the children or
Iſrael that were on the other tide Jordan, in the land of the Amorites which zs in Gilead.
3 Or, That year they had wexed and oppreſſed the children of Iſrael vighteen years, Or, They wexed them in that year, that was the e:gh teenth yeay ; to wit, of that Vexation. Tius was the eightceat, year from the beginning of that Oppreſſion. And theſe ciyhreen years are notto be reckoned from Fair's Death, becauſe thar would enlarge the time of the Judges beyond the juſt bounds ; as may ap- pear from 1 Kings 6: 1. Nor from Fephthah's beginning to Reign becauſe heReigned bur ſix yezrs,and in the beginning rher-of pur an end to this Perſecution, bur from the tourth year of Jair's Reign : ſo that the greateſt part of Jair's Reign was contemporary with this AfffiQion. And although this Oppreflion of the Ammonites and Phi- liſtines, and the cauſe of it, the I:!o!arry of the Iſraelites, be rot men- tioned till after 7air's death, becauſe the Sacred Pen-man would de- liver the whole Hiſtory of this Calamity eatirely and together; yer they both hapened before it ; and Jair's death is mentioned before that, only by a Pro/epſis or Anticipation, than which, nothing 1s more frequent in Scripture» The cafe of Jair and Samſon ſeem to
* UV DGES
Chap. be much alike. For as it is ſaid of Samſon, that be judged i/rael in the day: of the Tyranny of the Philiſtines, twenty years, Judges | 5: 20. by which it is evedenr, that his Judicature, and their Dominion, were Contemporary 3 the like is to be conceived of Jair, that he b:gan to judge J-ael, and endeavoured to referm Re!igion, and purge out all abuſes ; but being unable to effe& this through the backwardneſs and baſeneſs of the People, GOD wou!d not inable him to deliver the People, but gave them up to this ſad Oppreſſion; ſo that Jair could only perform one half of his Office, which was to derer- mine Differences amongſt the 1/aelites, but could not deliver them from their Enemies, : 9 Moreover, the children of Ammon paſſed over
Jordan,to fight alfo againſt Judah,and againſt Benjamin, and againſt the houſe of Ephraim : fo that Iſrael was ſore Giſtreſſed. |
10 © And thechildren of Ifrael cried unto the LORD, {-ying, We have ſinned 2gainſt thee, both becauſe we have forſaken our GOD, and alſo ſerved Baalim &.
& B:cauſe not contented to add Idols to thee, we have preferred Ts befure thee , and rejeted thee to receive and worſhip them,
11 And the LORD faid } unto the children of Iſrael, Dud not 1 deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the
Amcrites m, from the children of Ammon », and from the Philiftines » 2 ;
{ Either by himſelf, the Son of God appearing in a viſib'e ſhape, which then was uſual ; or by ſome Prophet whom heraiſed and ſent to this purpoſe: or by the High-Prieſt, who was conſulted in the caſe. m Both $S:hon and Og, and their people, Numb: 21. and other Kings of the Amorites within Jcrdan, Joſhs 103 5” nu Wha were con« federate with the Meabites, Judges 33 13,14. o See Judges 3: 31.
t2 The Zidonians p alſo, and the Amalekites q, and Maonites r did oppreſs you, and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
p For theugh we do not read of any cpprefſion of 1/-ael, particu= larly, by the Sidomans ; yet there might be ſuch a thing : as many things were ſaid and done, both in the Old and New Teftament, which are net Recorded there: Or, they might joyn their Forces with the King of Meſoporamia, Judg; 33 8- Or with ſome other of their Oppreſſors : for it is certain, tieſe were left among others t9 prove Iſrael, Judg: 33 1, 2. 3- q Of whom, ſee Jadgs 3: T3» and 6; 3. 7 Either Furſty thoſe who lived in, or near the Wilderneſs of Maon, in the South of Judah, 1 Sam: 233 25, and 25: 2. whether Edomites or ethers. Or, Seconcly, the Mehunims, a People living near the Arabians, of whumy 2 Chr 26: 7. For in the Hebrew, the Letters of both Names are the ſame, only the one is the Singular, the other the Pjural Number. Or, Thirdly, The Midianites, whoſe Oppreſhion he would not omit ; it being uſual for one and the ſame Perion or Perſons to have two Names: although the M:dianites may be comprehended under the Amalckites, with whom they were joyned, Judges 6: 3, 33- Or Fourthly, Some other People now unknown, and not expreſſed elſewhere in Scripture;
13 * Yet ye have forfaken me,and ſerved other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more s.
s To wit, except you Repent in another manner than you yet have done 3 which when they performed,God ſuſpends the executi- on of this Threatn:ng, Compare Jer: 18: 7.
14 Go and * cry unto the gods which ye have cho- ſen ?, let them deliver you in the time of your tribula- t10Nn.
t You have not been forced to worſhip thoſe gods by your Oppreffors and Tyrants 3 bur you have treely chojen theſe gods before me. ;
15 & And thechildren of Iſrael ſaid unto the LORD, We have ſinned, do thou unto us whatlover + ſeem- eth good unto thee «; deliver us only, we pray thee this day.
« Do not give us up into the hands of theſe cruel Men, bur do thou chaſtiſe us with thine own hand as much as thou pleaſcſt ; to wit, if we be not more fairhful and conſtant to thee, than we have hirherto been.
16 And they put away the + ſtrange gods from a- mong them x, and ferved the LORD :