Commentaria in Judices
Chapter 3. Synopsis of the Chapter
The Hebrews, oppressed by the servitude of tyrants on account of the marriages entered into with the Chanaanites and the worship of idols that followed, repent and call upon the Lord, who frees them first from Chusan king of Mesopotamia by Othoniel, who was accordingly their first Judge and Prince; secondly, verse 12, from Eglon king of Moab by Aod, who was the second Judge; thirdly, verse 31, from the Philistines by Samgar, who was the third Judge.
1. These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites: 2. and that afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war: 3. five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in mount Libanus, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Emath. 4. And he left them to try Israel by them, whether they would hearken to the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses, or not. 5. So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanites, and the Hethites, and the Amorrhites, and the Pherezites, and the Hevites, and the Jebusites, 6. and they married their daughters, and gave their own daughters to their sons: and they served their gods. 7. And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth. 8. And the Lord being angry against Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan-rasathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years. 9. And they cried to the Lord, and he raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, Othoniel, to wit, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb: 10. and the Spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered into his hands Chusan-rasathaim, king of Syria, and he overpowered him. 11. And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel the son of Cenez died. 12. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, who strengthened against them Eglon, king of Moab, because they did evil in his sight. 13. And he joined to him the children of Ammon and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. 14. And the children of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, eighteen years. 15. And afterwards they cried to the Lord, and he raised them up a saviour called Aod, the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent by him presents to Eglon, king of Moab. 16. And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the middle of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded with it under his garment on the right thigh. 17. And he presented the presents to Eglon, king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceeding fat. 18. And when he had presented the presents to him, he followed his companions that came with him. 19. And returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him, 20. Aod went in to him: and he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne. 21. And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly, 22. with such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was enclosed with the abundance of fat. And he drew not back the dagger, but left it in the body as he had struck it: and forthwith by the secret parts of nature the excrements of the belly came out. 23. And Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour, and locking them, 24. went out by a postern gate. But the king’s servants coming in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer chamber. 25. And waiting a long time, till they were ashamed, and seeing that no one opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground. 26. But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols, from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath: 27. and forthwith he sounded the trumpet in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in front. 28. And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which lead to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over, 29. but they slew of the Moabites at that time about ten thousand, all strong and valiant men: none of them could escape. 30. And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel, and the land rested eighty years. 31. After him was Samgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.
1. THAT HE MIGHT INSTRUCT.—That is, that he might teach them to handle arms, and the manner of fighting with enemies through the continual exercise of warring with the Chanaanites. Again, to teach them to worship God, not idols; for on account of these they were delivered to the Chanaanites, from whom God freed them. The Hebrew is nassot, that is, to try, of which I spoke in the preceding chapter, verse 22; where our Vulgate renders, “that I may try.” Moreover it adds: “That he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites.” Here “and” is exegetical, signifying “that is,” as if to say: God willed through the Chanaanites to instruct Israel, that is, all the younger Israelites, who had not known the wars which their fathers under Josue had waged against the Chanaanites, and so were inexperienced in wars: wherefore that by experience they might learn to fight with enemies, God therefore left the Chanaanites as antagonists, with whom they should continually war. Hence, explaining, he adds:
2. THAT AFTERWARDS THEIR CHILDREN MIGHT LEARN TO FIGHT WITH THEIR ENEMIES, AND TO BE TRAINED UP TO WAR.—According to the sense now given, which is clear and obvious, and which most of the Latins accordingly hand down, though the Rabbis explain otherwise, as if to say: That the younger Israelites, inexperienced in wars, might learn what it is to fight with the Chanaanites; how harmful, namely, wars are, as by them they were despoiled by them of their wealth, liberty, and often life; and might therefore beware of the sins on account of which God permitted these wars against them. For war is sweet to the inexperienced, but bitter to the experienced. So Adam, by eating the forbidden fruit, learned by experience good and evil, how good it is to obey God, and how evil not to obey, since by it he with all his posterity incurred death and so many hardships.
3. FIVE PRINCES OF THE PHILISTINES,—that is, five prefects or princes of the Philistines. For there were five cities of theirs, namely Ascalon, Accaron, Azotus, Geth and Gaza, which with their villages and hamlets each constituted satrapies or prefectures, over which as many satraps or prefects presided. Repeat from verse 1: “These are the nations which the Lord left, etc., five princes of the Philistines and all the Chanaanites.” Josue had destroyed very many Chanaanites. Here, then, by Chanaanite understand the Phoenicians; for these, being sprung from Chanaan, are often called Chanaanites even by profane writers, as I said on Josue, and Proverbs 31:24. Hence also the Chanaanite woman, Matt. 15:22, is called by Mark a Syrophoenician, because she was sprung from Phoenicia, namely from the borders of Tyre and Sidon. For the Phoenicians were never subdued by the Hebrews, much less driven out, although their region was comprised within the bounds of the promised land. Hence, explaining, he adds: “And the Sidonians.” For Sidon was the capital of Phoenicia; and this city took its name from Sidon the son of Chanaan, Genesis 10:19.
7. SERVED BAALIM AND ASTAROTH.—So our Vulgate reads in the Hebrew. Others with the Septuagint read ashéroth, that is, of the grove. Groves were woods dedicated to the gods, in which they had erected altars to sacrifice to them. They served the groves, therefore, that is, the idols which they worshipped in the groves. It is a metonymy.
8. HE DELIVERED (in Hebrew vayimkerem, that is, he sold them. He sold, that is, delivered, as though he had sold them to them. It is a catachresis, signifying full delivery; for such is the delivery of a thing sold) THEM INTO THE HANDS OF CHUSAN-RASATHAIM, KING OF MESOPOTAMIA, AND THEY SERVED HIM EIGHT YEARS,—This was the first servitude, and the first chastisement of their idolatry in the Holy Land, in which they were delivered to the king of Mesopotamia. So the region is called which is situated in the midst of two potamoi, that is, rivers, namely the Tigris and the Euphrates, and is encompassed and surrounded by them. Hence in Hebrew it is called Aram-naharaim, that is, Syria of the two rivers, or Syria intercepted by the two rivers just mentioned; for Syria was manifold.
Moreover, Chusan-rasathaim in Hebrew is the same as Ethiopian (for Chusim are Ethiopians, so called from Chus the son of Cham, Genesis 10), of two impieties, says Pagninus, such as this tyrant was, because he oppressed the Hebrews with tyranny, and because he allured them to worship his gods.