against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. word & mâtzâ, found, is sometimes used to denote a hostile encounter; to attack, to surprise, and probably has that sense here. The first word of this verse, 'and,' would be better rendered 'for" in accordance with the remark made above respecting the drift of v. 5-7. 6. Cut off his thumbs and his great toes. Heb. 'the thumbs of his hands and of his feet.' Either by express direction or secret impulse from God, who thus purposed to 'mete to him the measure he had meted to others.' 'The Hindoos call the thumb the revia-viril, the great finger of the hand, and the large toe is named the great finger of the foot. This punishment was exceedingly common in ancient times, and was inflicted principally on those who had committed some flagrant offence with their hands and their feet. Thus, those convicted of forgery, or numerous thefts, had their thumbs cut off. The practice is abolished, but its memory will remain, as it is now one of the scare-crows of the nursery and domestic life: 'If you steal any more, I will cut off your thumbs.' 'Let me find out the thief, and I will soon have his thumbs'-Roberts. The loss of the thumbs would disable them from drawing the bow or handling to advantage the sword or the spear, and so would in effect utterly incapacitate them for war. As to the loss of the great toes, independently of the inconvenience occa 7 And Adoni-bezek said,Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; as I have done, so e Lev, 24. 19. 1 Sam. 15. 33. Jam. 2. 13. sioned in the act of running or walking, the disabling effect to an Oriental is infinitely greater than to an European. The feet and toes are much employed in all the handicraft operations throughout the East, and in many cases the loss of the great toes would completely disqualify a man from earning his subsistence. Besides the many little active operations which they are tutored to execute, the artisans, as they work with their hands, seated on the ground, hold fast and manage all their work with their feet and toes, in which the great toes have a very prominent duty to perform. Ward, in his 'View of the Hindoos,' has fully shown to what excellent uses the toes are applied in India. They are secondhand fingers; they are called feetfingers in Bengalee. house a Hindoo makes use of them to fasten a clog to his feet by means of a button, which slips between the two middle toes. The tailor, if he does not thread his needle, certainly twists his thread with them. The cook holds his knife with his toes while he cuts fish, vegetables, &c. The joiner, the weaver, &c., could not do without them, and almost every native has twenty different uses for his toes.'-Pict. Bible. In his own 7. Three-score and ten kings, &c. Not perhaps all at one time, but first and last, during his whole reign. It would seem that wasting civil wars had very much prevailed among the God hath requited me. And 8 (Now 'the children of Judah they brought him to Jerusalem, had fought against Jerusalem, and there he died. 'Let f See Josh. 15. 63, Canaanites previous to the arrival of have proceeded only from the most the Israelites, and this circumstance barbarous and brutal dispositions. probably tended to facilitate their But we have cause to be humbled conquests. 'Judah,' says Lightfoot, for human nature that such propenin conquering Adoni-bezek did insities still adhere to it. This is evieffect conquer seventy kings.' Indent from the pleasure which childthe case of this cruel tyrant we can- ren often take in torturing insects not fail to perceive the uncertainty and animals, and in vexing and tyof human greatness. The mighty rannizing over those who are weaker potentate is here reduced to the con- than themselves—a disposition which dition of a prisoner, to the very ex-in after life displays itself in a fondtremity of meanness and disgrace; ness for despotic sway, in a vindicshowing that pre-eminence in station tive spirit, and in a career of ruthless often leads only to a sad pre-emi- ambition. But God is known by the nence in misery and distress. judgments that he executeth, and this not the highest be proud, nor the cruel Canaanite was in his turn strongest secure, for they know not made to feel the anguish which he how low they may be brought before had so wantonly inflicted upon oththey die.'-Henry.— TAs I have | ers. The Israelites were led to deal done, so God hath requited me. A with him on the principle of their striking acknowledgment, extorted from a guilty conscience, of the retributive justice of Heaven. 'When God's judgments awaken the conscience we shall own his righteous-tions which, as the Lord's chosen ness, and stand self-condemned before him.'-Haweis. What pretences he had for warring against these kings, we know not; but thus to insult over the misfortunes of the vanquished, to maim their persons, and compel them, like dogs, to gather up the crumbs from under his table, argued a degree of cruelty which one could scarcely have conceived to exist in a rational being. As the personal injuries he had inflicted would of course disable them from harming him as long as they were kept in bondage, thus to sport himself in their miseries, was a conduct of pure gratuitous cruelty, and could own law of retaliation, 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' &c.; although, as it would have been inconsistent with those gracious affec people, they were bound to exercise, they did not reduce him to the same ignominy or insult over him with the same arrogance that he had shown towards others. Thus it is that God sometimes makes men's punishments to correspond with their crimes; and in this case, notwithstanding all the feelings of humanity, we cannot but acquiesce in the judgment that befel him, or help being conscious of a secret satisfaction that the same evils he had so cruelly inflicted upon others should be brought home to himself. 8. Had fought against Jerusalem and had taken it. This event of and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.) 9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of He g Josh. 10. 36. and 11. 21. and 15. 13. prior occurrence is mentioned here to intimate how it happened that they were able to convey the captive king to Jerusalem. It was because they had before taken that city, and it was now in their possession. The reason of removing him thither was perhaps to make him a more public spectacle of the just judgments of God against barbarous and bloodthirsty tyrants. But though the city is said to have been taken, yet the hill of Zion, as appears from the subsequent history, was still held by the Jebusites till the time of David. ¶ Set the city on fire. Heb. ZN) 13U ¬¬n hâir shillehu bâësh, cast ine city into the fire; an inverted phraseology, peculiar to the Hebrew. Thus Ps. 74. 7, 'They have cast fire into the sanctuary;' Heb. ' they have cast thy sanctuary into the fire.' Joel, 3.-18, 'The hills shall flow with milk;' Heb milk shall flow with hills.' This burning the city or a part of it, was probably in token of their detestation of the idolatry which had been practised there. 9. Went down to fight, &c. That is, descended to the hill-country lying south of Jerusalem. 10. And Judah went down against bron before was Kirjath-arba :) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir; and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher: 12 *And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. h Josh. 14. 15. and 15. 13, 14. i Josh. 15. 15. k Josh. 15. 16, 17. the Canaanites, &c. That is, under the conduct of Caleb, as we learn from Josh. 15. 14-19, where substantially the same account with the present occurs. How this has happened; whether the writer of Judges took this narrative from Joshua, or the writer of Joshua inserted his from Judges, it is impossible to determine. That both accounts relate the same events there can be no doubt, but whether those events occurred before or after the death of Joshua, is a point which we despair of ever having satisfactorily settled. As the discussion of the question would encumber our pages with matter of little profit to the general reader, we waive it entirely without offering ar opinion. Slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. In the parallel passage, Josh. 15. 14, Caleb is said merely to have driven out' these sons of Anak. The probability is, that the words before us give the true sense, and that they were actually slain. An enemy driven out is not necessarily understood to be slain, but whoever is slain is virtually driven out, by being expelled from among the living. -T 11-15. See on Josh. 15. 15-19. 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, 'Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14 TM And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou ? 15 And she said unto him, 'Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And 1 ch. 3. 9. m Josh. 15. 18, 19. u Gen. 33. 11. 16. The children of the Kenite, Mo- the Amalekites, he sent a message ses' father in-law. That is, of Jeth- to the Kenites to depart from among ro; but why he is called the Kenite them, as God would not destroy | The probabil- them with that devoted people. From them descended Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab, of whom we have so interesting an account, Jerem. 35.- ¶ Arad. Of this place see on Num. 21. 1.—¶ And they went and dwelt, &c. 'I'hat is, the greatest part of them. Some few families were dispersed in other places, as we find the tent of Jael, who was of this stock, far to the north, the tribe of Naphtali, when Sisera took shel er there, ch. 4. 17. in it is not easy to say. ity is, that he inhabited the country occupied by a people of this name, Num. 24. 21. 22, and on this account in process of time came to be distinguished by the same appellation. Whether Jethro himself accompanied Israel into Canaan, according to Moses' invitation, Num. 10. 32, is not clear, but that his posterity did is certain. After their arrival, they at first pitched their tents near Jericho, called also 'the city of Palm trees,' which lay in the lot of Benjamin, ¶ Among the people. Heb. and here remained during the life-eth hââm that people; viz. the childtime of Joshua. After his death, for reasons now unknown, they united with the tribe of Judah, and went with them to attack Arad. After the conquest of that country, the Kenites established themselves there and remained in it mingled with the Amalekites, and leading a quiet life remote from public affairs, till the days of Saul. When this king received a commandment from God to destroy ren of Judah resident there. They who willingly share with God's Israel in their sufferings in the wil derness, shall share also with them in the inheritance in glory.'-Haweis. 17. And Judah went with Simeon, According to previous compact, v. 3. The thread of the narra. tive which had been interrupted for the purpose of introducing the foregoing account of Caleb and Othniel, &c. it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Also Judah took "Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. 19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. x ver. 2. 2 Kings 18. 7. y Josh. 17. 16, 18. and remained for ages an almost incessant source of annoyance and vexation to the Israelites. t Num. 21. 3. Josh. 19. 4. u Josh. 11. 22, is here resumed.- T Slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath. A valley called Zephathah, is mentioned 2 Chron. 14. 19, as lying near 19. Drave out the inhabitants of Maresha in the southern section of the mountain. Or, Heb. Judah, where Asa gained a signal yoresh eth hâhâr, possessed the mounvictory over the Ethiopian army. tain. The idea of the original howThis is probably the same place. It ever is, possessing in consequence of was now destroyed in pursuance of a previous expulsion. If the former a vow taken by Israel before the sense of 'driving out' be retained, death of Moses, Num. 21. 1-3, and mountain, i. e. the mountainous rewhich for some reason they had de- gion, is of course used for mountainlayed to perform till this time. This eers, or the inhabitants of the mounseems likely from the fact that the tain, as the name of a country or same name, 'Hormath,' importing city often stands for its occupants. utter destruction, is there also bestow-In the parallel member of the sened upon the devoted region, and we tence immediately following, the can otherwise see no particular rea- | word 'inhabitants' is expressed.son for making Zephath an anathe-¶ But could not drive out, &c. That ma on this occasion. Arad appears is, Judah could not. The reason not to have been so much the name of a city, as of a tract of country embracing a number of cities, of which perhaps Zephath was the principal. 18. Took Gaza with the coast thereof. With the adjoining territory thereof; and so in what follows. Having conquered the south, they turned their arms towards the Philistines' country in the west. These cities it is said they took,' but it is nót said that they slew the inhabitants, as they ought to have done. They probably contented themselves with making them tributary, and as a consequence of their ill-judged | have completed their victories. So lenity, they afterwards recovered with believers, when they view outstrength, expelled their invaders, ward difficulties with the eye of But why they could not was their unbelief. Had they duly confided in omnipotence, the chariots of iron would have been no more of an obstacle to them than chariots of straw. although on a former occasion, Josh. 11. 4-9, they had seen how complete was the victory which Joshua, relying upon God, had obtained over these engines of war, yet now they weakly suffer their fears to prevail over their faith, and instead of trusting God under apparent disadvantages, they meanly withdraw their forces, when one bold stroke would |