been preserved in the Bible (see eh. viii. 13, Israel's sin, of their oppression by the Am- not.e). From the Egyptians, as related Rt monites, of their repent,tnce o.nd return to large in the Book of Exodus ; from the the God of their fathers, nnd of God's merci- Amorites, AS related in Numb. xxi. 21-35; ful accoptance of their penitence o.nd prnycr, from the children of Ammon, who were con- was concluded Ill tho last verso. The his- federate with the M oabites under Ehud, as tory of their deliverance by Jephtho.h begins we learn from eh. iii. 13; from the Philis- ~ere. And the ohildren of Ammon, &c., tines, as is briefly recorded in eh. iii. 31. i. e. they encamped, as they had done during Ver. 12.-The Zidonians &!so. This allu- t)lB previous seventeen years, in Gilend, sion is not clear; it mny mean the subjects either to carry off the crops or to wrin"' of Jabin king of Canaan, as the nortlwm tribute from the people, or in some othtr C'anaanites are called Zid011.in1ns in eh. xviii. way to oppress them, expecting no doubt to 7 ; and this agrees with the order in which meet with tame submission as before. But the deliverance from the Zidonians is here a new spirit was aroused among the Israel- mentioned, next to that from the Philistines, ites. By whatever channel the bitter re- and woulcl be strengthened by the conjecture proach in vers. 11-14 had been convey- that has been made, that Harosheth (eh. iv. ed to them, probably by the same channel, 2) was the great workshop in which the whether angel, or prophet, or high priest, trihntnry Israelites wrought in cutting clown had an answer of peace come to them on their timber. kc. for the Ph<X'.nician ships; or it repentance, and so they were roused and en- may allude to some unrecorded oppression. couraged to resistance. As a first step, they The Amalekites, who were in alliance with ence.mped in Mizpeh (see eh. xi. 11, 29, 34). the Midianites (eh. vi. 3, 33), as previously Mizpeh, or Mizpah of Gilead, is probably the with the Moabites (eh. iii. 13) :md with the same as .Mizpah in Gilead where La.ban and Cana.anites (eh. iv. 14), ancl whose signal Jacob parted (Gen. xxxi. 25, 49) ; as ll,amoth- defeat seems to have given the name to the Mizpeh (Josh. xiii. 26), called simply RaTJwth mount of the Amalekites (eh. xii. 15). The in 0ilead (Josh. xx. 8; l Chron. vi. 80); and lll[a.onites. It is thought by many that the as the place well know:n in later Israelite true reading is that preserved in the Septua- history as Ranwth-Gilead (l Kings iv. 13 ; gint, viz., the Muiianues, which, being the xxii, 3, 6), situated in the tribe of Gad, and greatest of all the foes of Israel, could a strong place of much importance. It was scarcely he omitted here (see chs. vi., vii., the place of national meeting for the whole viii.). If Maoniles or lJfaon is the true read- of Gilead. Mizpah means the watch-tower, ing, they would be the same people as the and would of course be upon a height, as the Mehunim, mentioned 2 Chron. xxvi. 7 (Maon, name Ramoth-Mizpeh, the heights of Mizpch, sing., and Meunim, plur.). also shows. It almost always preserves its Ver. 16.-A.nd they put away the strange meaning as an appellative, having the article gods. Here at length were '' the fruits meet prefixed, ham-mizpah, which is its usual for repentance," and "the returning to the form; only once ham-mizpeh (Josh. xv. 38), Lord their God;" the intended result of the and Mizpch (Josh. xi. 18; Judges xi. 29; l severe but loving correction (see Homiletics, Sam. xxii. 3), and onceMizpah (Hosea v, 1). eh. vi. 25-32). Cf. Gen. xxxv. 2; l Sam. Whether Mizpeh in eh. xx. 1-3 is the same vii. 3, in which passages, as here, the phrase will be considered in the note to that pas- the strange gods is the correct rende1ing ; sage. The modern site is not identified with not, as in the margin, gods of strangers. certainty; it is thought to be es-Salt. The Hebrew phrase here rendered his soul Ver. 18. -Gilead. See note to ver. 8. The was grieved occurs Numb. xxi. 4; Judges people and princes. There is no and in the xvi. 16; Zech. xi. 2; it means was impatient Hebrew. 1t is perhaps better, therefore, to -literally, was shortened, i. e. he could bear take the words in apposition, as meaning, it no longer. A somewhat similar descrip- And the assembly of the chiefs of Gilead. The tion of the Divine relenting is contained in first step was to find a competent leader, and the beautiful passage Hosea xi. 7-9. they agreed to appoint such nn one, if ho Ver. 17.-This verse ought to begin the could be fcund, as their permanent head and new chapter. The preliminary matter of captain.
HOMILETICS. Vera. 6-18.-1'/ie Ethiopi,an'a uncha'l:'ged s~in .. Am?ng the ii:ival~abl~ le~sons of Holy Scripture, not the least valuable 1s the ms1Pht gi".en by its h1stone? mto the true nature of the human heart. "The heart 1s deceitful above all thmgs, and desperately wicked," is the prophet's description of the heart of man, and the h~Atory of the Israelites is a signa.l illustration of its truth. We are apt to tliink that 1£ we Lad pa8sed through the waters of the Red Saa, and seen Mount Sinai on a blaze, and CH, .X. 6-18.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 11!1