and ten sons of his body begotten: | of Israel turned again, and went a for he had many wives. whoring after Baalim, and made 31. And his concubine that was Baal-berith their god. in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

34. And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

32. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash 35. Neither shewed they kindness his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ez- to the house of Jerubbaal, namely rites. Gideon, according to all the good33. And it came to pass as soon as ness which he had shewed unto Gideon was dead, that the children | Israel.

The people were now anxious that Gideon should take the government, and make it hereditary in his family. But Gideon knew that the government was a Theocracy, and he had no right to change it. This is what he says: "Jehovah shall rule over you." Declining to accept the government, he tells them what he will accept, if they are willing. He will accept all the ear-rings they had taken from their prey. They readily consent; and they spread out a garment and throw into a vast pile upon it all the ear-rings they had taken, amounting to one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold!

It is intimated that the golden ear-rings were worn by Ishmaelites. These then must have been among the Midianites; and very naturally; for both were descended from Abram-one by Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant-the other, by Keturah, the second wife, successor of Sarah. The modern Arabs are descended from Ishmael, and now as then they inhabit the country east and south-east of Palestine.

The value of one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, reduced to American money, will not vary much from four times that number of dollars, namely, six thousand eight hundred. To this was added much valuable property, in other forms, that had been taken from the enemy.

The ephod, as described by Moses, and designed to be worn by the high priest, was a garment made of fine

linen, with little or no gold about it. It had valuable precious stones, both on the shoulders, and in the breastplate. Gold might be wrought into it, or attached to it. But the greater probability is, that the gold was expended in procuring the precious stones and other valuable materials that were needed to construct an ephod, in the usual form, and of the customary materials. The result to the community was one he least expected; and one he doubtless would have deplored. It is probable that the worship of this ephod was chiefly after his death, when he had no power to prevent it. "As this abuse arose

from the mad caprice of the people, and not from any ill intent in Gideon, he is no more chargeable therewith, than Moses was, with the idolatrous worship which the Israelites in future ages paid to the brazen serpent, which he, for very beneficial purposes, at first set up." Stackhouse, Vol. III. p. 221.

Forty years in the days of Gideon. At the time of the war Gideon had a son, who was a young man, and must himself have been not less than forty years old. He lived through the entire forty years of peace that ensued. He must have been eighty or more, at the time of his death. He had a large family. Men felt it their duty to raise large families in those days. He had many wives, which was no blemish upon a man's character. He had one concubine. He may have had more; but one is mentioned, because it was her son that figured somewhat in the subsequent history.

Baalim and Baal-berith. แ They made a covenant with Baal that he should be their God." Vul. The Septuagint the same. The adjunct berith means covenant, and literally the expression is, Baal of the covenant.

Baal-berith. "Because he was reputed the God and Judge of all covenants and promises and contracts, to whom it belonged to maintain them and to punish the violators of them; and such a god both the Grecians and the Romans had." Poole.

After having shown contempt to Jehovah, who had

delivered them from their enemies, and covenanted with Baal who was no god at all, with perfect consistency, they disregard the claims of justice in respect to Gideon, to whom they had once offered the kingdom!

SECTION II. ABIMELECH SON OF GIDEON.

JUD. IX.

1. And Abimelech the son of Je- | his voice and cried, and said unto rubbaal went to Shechem unto his them, Hearken unto me, ye men mother's brethren, and communed of Shechem, that God may hearken with them, and with all the family unto you. of the house of his mother's father, saying,

if ye have dealt well with Jerub-| baal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands:

17. (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

18. And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother:)

19. If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

20. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo: and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

21. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine, was evidently a man of some vigor, whatever may be thought of his integrity. His family connections were extensive ; and it does not appear to have been any reproach to him that he was the son of a concubine. It was only urged that he was not so justly entitled to the kingdom on this account.

The men of Shechem gave Abimelech three score and ten pieces of silver; and he, with certain vain and light persons, went and slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, three score and ten sons. One would be inclined to think that there was an understanding between the parties, that the sons should be slain for this amount of money. This shows the value then put upon human life. One life was worth one piece of silver, its American value being fifty cents! We ought perhaps to make some allowance for the size of the job. For, the slaying of a smaller number might have cost more in proportion.

The money was taken from the house of Baal-berith, the god of the covenant. It was common to keep valua ble things in the temples, especially if taken in war. The money may have been taken in this way.

The seventy brothers were slain upon one stone. In some other instances we read of men being slain upon a stone or rock. The reason for this is not clear. It

may be that they were slain on or near a rock, that the rock might mark the place of burial. Oreb, one of the princes of Midian, was slain upon a rock. vii. 25. It has been suggested that the men were slain as a sacrifice; and the stone was the altar!

How could it be said that seventy were slain, when Jotham, one of the seventy, escaped? The language is a Hebraism,not uncommon in the Old and New Testament. Millo appears to have been a place not far from Shechem-probably a suburban villa.

By the oak of the pillar. "By the oak where Joshua erected a pillar as a witness of the covenant renewed between God and Israel. Jos. xxiv. 26. This place they chose, to signify that they still owned God and their covenant with him, and did not worship Baal in opposition to God, but in conjunction with him, or in subordination to him." Poole. See Gen. xii. 6; xxxv. 4; Jos. xxiv. 26.

Jotham went up into mount Gerizim. We have before seen that mounts Gerizim and Ebal were near this place; and what is here said of Jotham will help us illustrate the ceremony of pronouncing the blessings and cursings alluded to in Jos. viii. 30-35. It has been doubted whether the people could hear the words of the law. They could hear Jotham; and that is proof that they could hear the priests. Men who live much in the open air, and are accustomed to address each other at a great distance, can be distinctly heard much further than we would think. Lieut. Lynch speaks of one of his Arab guides, calling out to another, a mile distant, asking for a mule, which was brought accordingly. page 428.

Some expressions bere used require remark. The trees went forth to anoint a king. Kings were set apart to their office by the ceremony of anointing. Olive oil was poured upon the head, and it flowed down upon the garments.

The oil is used to honor God and man to honor