Judges 1:6

6 And Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him, and took him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

Judges 1:6 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:6

But Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught
him
It is very probable his view was to get to Jebus or Jerusalem, a strong and fortified city and he made his way thither as fast as he could, but was pursued and overtaken by some of the forces of Judah and Simeon; and the rather it may seem he took this course, since when he was taken by them, they brought him thither, as follows:

and cut off his thumbs and his great toes;
whereby he was disabled both for fighting and for fleeing. So the Athenians cut off the thumbs of the right hand of the Aeginetae, the inhabitants of the island of Aegina, to disable them from holding a spear, as various writers ^F6 relate. Whether the Israelites did this, as knowing this king had used others in like manner, and so, according to their law of retaliation, "eye for eye" ( Exodus 21:23-25 ) , required it; or whether, ignorant of it, were so moved and directed by the providence of God to do this, that the same measure might be measured to him which he had measured to others, is not certain; the latter seems most probable, since the Israelites did not usually inflict such sort of punishments; and besides, according to the command of God, they should have put him to death, as they were to do to all Canaanites.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Valerius Maximus, l. 9. c. 2. Aelian, Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 9. Cicero de Officiis, l. 3. c. 11.

Judges 1:6 In-Context

4 And Judas went up; and the Lord delivered the Chananite and the Pherezite into their hands, and they smote them in Bezek to ten thousand men.

5 And they overtook Adonibezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they smote the Chananite and the Pherezite.

6 And Adonibezek fled, and they pursued after him, and took him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

7 And Adonibezek said, Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered under my table: as I therefore have done, so God has recompensed me: and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 And the children of Judas fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote with the edge of the sword, and they burnt the city with fire.