Wesley Corpus

Chapter III A general account of Israel's enemies, ver. 1 - 7. A particular account of Othniel, ver. 8 - 11, Of Ehud, ver. 12 - 30. and of Shamgar, ver. 31. Had not known - That is, such as had no experience of those wars, nor of God's extraordinary power and providence manifested in them. Teach them war - That by the neighbourhood of such warlike enemies, they might be purged from sloth and security, and obliged them to innure themselves to martial exercises, and to stand continually upon their guard, and consequently to keep close to that God whose assistance they had so great and constant need of. Five lords - Whereof three had been in some sort subdued, chap.1:18. but afterwards recovered their strength. Canaanites - Properly so called, who were very numerous, and dispersed through several parts of the land, whence they gave denomination to all the rest of the people. Zidonions - The people living near Zidon, and subject to its jurisdiction. Baal - hermon - Which was the eastern part about Lebanon. To know - That is, that they and others might know by experience. Served their gods - Were drawn to idolatry by the persuasions and examples of their yoke - fellows. And the groves - That is, in the groves, in which the Heathens usually worshipped their Baalim or idols. Served - That is, were made subject to him. Mesopotamia was that part of Syria which lay between the two great rivers, Tigris and Euphrates. This lay at such a distance, that one would not have thought Israel's trouble should have come from such a far country: which shews so much the more of the hand of God in it. Cried - That is, prayed fervently for deliverance. Came upon him - With extraordinary influence, endowing him with singular wisdom and courage, and stirring him up to this great undertaking. Judged Israel - That is, pleaded and avenged the cause of Israel against their oppressors. Forty years - It rested about forty years, or the greatest part of forty years: it being most frequent in scripture to use numbers in such a latitude. Nor is it unusual either in scripture, or in other authors, for things to be denominated from the greater part; especially, when they enjoyed some degrees of rest and peace even in their times of slavery.