%« 1.e This Land of Gilead, which was mine, bur unjuſtly taken from me, by Sihon and Og, the Kings of the Ammorites; and the ins jury perpetuared by 1/rae!'s detaining it from m2. This Land, be« tore the Conqueſts of $40n and Og, belonged partly to the Ammonites, as 1S affirmed, Joſh 13. 25. and partly, and principally, to the Moabites, as appears from Numb. 21. 24, 26. Deut. 3- 11: And indeed, Moab and Ammon did for the moſt part joyn their Intereſts and their Forces, as appears from Scripture-Story ; and as Balak the King of the Moa- bites ated for the Anmmonites, ſo now the King of Ammon ſeems to aCt for the Moabites, either as being now his Subje&s ; or, as his Con. federates; whence it comes to paſs that Moab and Ammon are here promiicuouſly mentiened, as wv. 15. 17, 18, 25. and Chemeſh the known god of the Moabites, Numb. 21. 29s 1 Kings 11. 33. 2 Kings 23. 13. Jer.48. 13, 46. is here called the god of the Ammovites, 5 24. though to ſpeak ſtritly, Moloch or Milchom was their gad, x Kings Ile 5, 7, 33. and 2 Kings 23« 13:
5 And it was ſo, that when the children of Ammon made war againſt Iſrael, the elders of Gilead went to |
fetch Jephthah 5 out of the land of Tob.
h By direCion or inſtin& from God, who both qualified him for, | and called him to the office of a Judge. 32. Otherwiſe they might not have choſen a Baſtard,Deut.3 2. 2. Un- Jeſs we will ſay, that their being no other Perſon among them fit for, and willing to this Work, neceſſity diſpenſed with this Law, as it did with other poſitive Laws, as thoſe of the Sabbath and Sacri- fices-
6 And they ſaid unto Jephthah, Come and be our Captain 3, that we may fight. with the children of Am-
NION « : = 27 £ They ſay not, eur King 3 for the experience of Ab:melech's king-;
ſhip had cooled their Appetite in that particular ; but our Captain. '
7 And Jephthah ſaid unto the elders of Gilead, * Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my fathers houſe k,? and why are ye come unto me now, when ye
are in diſtreſs ? |
k And deprive me of all ſhare in my Father's Goods, which, , though a Baſtard, was due ro me. This expulſion of him was the a& of his Brethren ; bur he kere aſcribes it to the Elders of G:lead ; either becauſe ſome of them were a8mong theſe Elders, as 1s very probable from the dignity of this Family ; or becauſe this a&t,though deſired and promoted by his Brethren, was executed by the decree of the Elders, to whom the determination of all Controverſies about Inheritances belonged; and therefore it was the'r fault that they did not prote& him fiom the Injuries of his Brethren, as their dury
WAS»
$ And the Elders of Gilead ſaid unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now /, that thou mayeſt go with us, and fight againſt the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
{ Being ſenſible that we have done thee Injury, we come now to make thee full Reparations.
9 © And Jephthahſaid unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again »» to fight againſt the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, ſhall I be your head » ?
92 If you recall me from this place where T am now ſettled, to the lace whence I was expelled. » Will you really make good this pro» miſe? Jephthah was ſo ſollicitous in this caſe, either from his zeal for the publick Good, which required that he ſhould beſo; or from the Law of Self-preſervation, that he might ſecure himſelf from his Brethren ; whoſe ill-will he had experienced, and whoſe injuries he could not prevent, if, after he had ſerved their ends, he had been re- duced to his private Capacity ; ory there might be ſome Tin&ure of Ambition in him ; for which God therefore ſeverely, theugh pater- nally, chaſtiſerh him, as we ſee afterwards.
See Judges 12. 7. Heb. 11. | | | x
Jer. 15. 13. and
14 And Jephthah ſent meſſengers again unto the king of the childrenof Ammon. |
15 And ſaid unto him, Thus ſaith Jephthah, * Iſrael took not away the land of Mpab, nor the land of the *Deutizy children of Ammon,
16 But when Iſrael came up from Egype, and walked through the wilderneſs unto the red-1ea x,and + Numb: came to Kadehſh : I 4: 25, x Unco which they came three times ; once, Exed. 13-18. again * Numb a little after their paſſage over ir, Exod. 15. 22. and a third time, 208 Io long after, when they came to Ezion-Gaber. Numb. 33. 35+ Dent. 2.8, | which was upon the Shoar of the Red-lea,r Kings 9..6: 2 Chron.8.17,
from whence they went to Kad b. 20. TIS _ ence they o Kadeſh, Numb. 20. of this time he ſpeaks
17 Then * Ifrael ſene Meſſengers to the king of E- dom, ſaying, Let me, I pray thee, paſs through thy land : but the king of Edom would not hearken thre- fo: andin like manner they ſent unto the king of Moab : but he would not conſent and Iſrael abode in Kadeſh y.
y Peaceably, and did not revenge their tinkindneſs and ; | . ty, as they could haye done. dinhumanie
18 Then chey went along through the wild 5 and * compaſſed the land of Fg the land _ ab, and came by the eaſt-ſide of the land of pitched on the other ſide of Arnon, within the border of Moab : for der of Moab.
* Numb:
20714,
* Numb! Moab,and 2: y
X* but came not 1.4, Arnon Was the bor- 217 13+
Chap.. *_ ;
and 21:6 19 And * [Iſrael ſent meſſengers unto Sihon king of x the Amorites, the king of Helthbon, and” Iſrael {aid unto him. Let us paſs, we pray unto my place z.
z 1-e Unto the Land of Canaan,
> _ _ truſted not coalt * but Sihon gathered all his people tovether. : pitched in Jahaz, and fought with ICacl Ag ns
# So Sihon was the aggreſſor or beginner of th . : e War; p raelites were forced to it for their own Defence. þ an he 3+
21 And the LORD God of Iſrael delivered Sihon: and all his people into the hand of Iſrael, and they {mote them: fo Iſrael poſſeſſed all the land of the A- morites, the inh2bitants of that countrey.
* Deut; 25 26!
chee, through thy lang ©
which God hath given to me.
Iſrael to paſs through his
. 22 And they poſſeſſed * all the coaſts b of the Amo. rites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wil- * Det derneſs c even unto Jordan. 2: 36!
b Or Borders; together with all the Land included withi Borders ; for ſo that word is oft uſed, as Exod, 8. bo — pans 17. 3+ c To wit, the Deſart of A4ratia. EN
xo © And the elders of Gilead ſaid unto Jephthah, The LORD + be witneſs between us o, if we do not
ſo according to thy words. o They confirm their Promilſe by a Solemn and Sacred Oath,