Judges 3:4-14

4 They were for ¹testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.

5 ²The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;

6 and ³they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 The sons of Israel did ⁴what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and ⁵forgot the LORD their God and ⁶served the Baals and the Asheroth.

8 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.

The First Judge Delivers Israel

9 When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, ⁷Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

10 ⁸The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed * over Cushan-rishathaim.

11 Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 Now the sons of Israel again ⁹did evil in the sight of the LORD. So ¹⁰the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because * they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed ¹¹the city of the palm trees.

14 The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen * years.

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Judges 3:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 3

This chapter gives an account of the nations left in Canaan to prove Israel, and who became a snare unto them, Jud 3:1-7; and of the servitude of Israel under the king of Mesopotamia for their sins, from which they were delivered by Othniel, Jud 3:8-11; and of their subjection to the Moabites, from which they were freed by Ehud, who privately assassinated the king of Moab, and then made his escape, Jud 3:12-30; and of the destruction of a large number of Philistines by Shamgar, with an ox goad, Jud 3:31.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Deuteronomy 8:2
2. Psalms 106:35
3. Exodus 34:15, 16; Deuteronomy 7:3, 4; Joshua 23:12
4. Judges 2:11
5. Deuteronomy 4:9
6. Judges 2:13
7. Judges 1:13
8. Numbers 11:25-29; Numbers 24:2
9. Judges 2:11
10. Judges 2:14
11. Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 1:16

Footnotes 8

[a]. Lit "testing by them"
[b]. Lit "hear"
[c]. Lit "by the hand of"
[d]. I.e. wooden symbol of a female deity
[e]. Heb "Aram-naharaim"
[f]. Heb "Aram"
[g]. Lit "his hand was strong"
[h]. Lit "smote"