Judges 12:14

14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy asses; and he judged Israel eight years.

Judges 12:14 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 12:14

And he had forty sons, and thirty nephews
Or sons' sons, that is, grandsons; so that he lived not only to see his sons married, but his grandchildren grown up to men's estate; since it follows,

that rode on seventy ass colts;
who were either employed by him to ride about on these animals, which in those times were honourable; see ( Judges 5:10 ) to administer justice throughout the nation in their circuits; or rather, not following any trade, or being concerned in husbandry, or feeding cattle, but being men of estates, rode about like gentlemen:

and he judged Israel eight years;
in his time it is said F2 the city of Troy was destroyed; so Eusebius F3, who calls this judge Labdon, though he elsewhere F4 places it in the times of Eli; (See Gill on Judges 12:9).


FOOTNOTES:

F2 Juchasin, ut supra. (fol. 136. 1.)
F3 Evangel. Praepar. l. 10. c. 11. p. 484.
F4 Evangel. Praepar. l. 10. c. 11. p. 503.

Judges 12:14 In-Context

12 Then Elon the Zeb'ulunite died, and was buried at Ai'jalon in the land of Zeb'ulun.
13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pira'thonite judged Israel.
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy asses; and he judged Israel eight years.
15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pira'thonite died, and was buried at Pira'thon in the land of E'phraim, in the hill country of the Amal'ekites.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.