Judges 3:29

29 but they smote in that time about ten thousand Moabites, all mighty men and strong; no man of them might escape. (but they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong and mighty men; yea, not one of them could escape.)

Judges 3:29 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 3:29

And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men,
&c.] Who had been sent into the land of Israel to keep it in subjection, or had settled themselves there for their better convenience, profit, and pleasure; it is very probable there were some of both sorts:

all lusty, and all men of valour;
the word for "lusty" signifies "fat", living in ease for a long time, and in a plentiful country were grown fat; and, according to Ben Gersom, it signifies rich men, such as had acquired wealth by living in the land of Canaan; or who came over Jordan thither and settled about Jericho, because of the delightfulness of the place, and others were stout and valiant soldiers, whom the king of Moab had placed there to keep the land in subjection he had subdued, and to subdue what remained of it; but they were all destroyed:

and there escaped not a man;
for there being no other way of getting into the land of Moab but at the fords of Jordan they fell into the hands of the Israelites possessed of them, as they made up unto them.

Judges 3:29 In-Context

27 And anon he sounded with a clarion in the hill of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came down with him, and he went in the front. (And at once he sounded with a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came down with him, and he went at the front.)
28 Which said to them, Follow ye me, for the Lord hath betaken our enemies, (the) Moabites, into our hands. And they came down after him, and occupied the fords of (the) Jordan (River), that led over into Moab. And they suffered not any man to pass [over],
29 but they smote in that time about ten thousand Moabites, all mighty men and strong; no man of them might escape. (but they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong and mighty men; yea, not one of them could escape.)
30 And Moab was made low in that day under the hand of Israel, and the land rested eighty years. (And Moab was made low on that day under the hand of Israel, and then the land rested for eighty years.)
31 After him was Shamgar, the son of Anath, that smote of Philistines six hundred men with a goad of (an) ox (who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox's goad); and he also defended Israel.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.