their own wickedness, and assented to those that invited them, and came down to their own tribe. The Israelites also gave them the four hundred virgins of Jabesh Gilead* for wives.But as to the remaining two hundred, they deliberated how they might obtain wives for them. And whereas they had before the war taken an oath, that no one would give his daughter to wife to any Benjamite; some advised them to have no regard to what they had sworn; because the oath had not been taken advisedly and judiciously, but in a passion; and thought that they should do nothing against God, if they were able to save a whole tribe, which was in danger of perishing; and that perjury was only a sad dangerous thing, not when it is committed out of necessity, but with a wicked intention. But when the senate were affrighted at the very name of perjury, a certain person told them, that he could shew them a way whereby they might procure wives for the Benjamites, and yet keep their oath. And on their asking what his proposal was, he said, "Three times in a year, when we meet in Shiloh, our wives and our daughters accompany us. Let then the Benjamites be allowed to steal away, and marry such women as they can catch; while we will neither incite nor forbid them. And when their parents take it ill, and desire us to inflict punishment upon them, we will tell them, that they were themselves the cause of what had happened, by neglecting to guard their daughters; and that they ought not to be over angry at the Benjamites, since that anger had been permitted to rise up too high already."— So the Israelites were persuaded to follow this advice; and decreed, that the Benjamites should be allowed thus to steal themselves wives. So when the festival† was coming on, these

* Judg. xxi. 14.

All the three great festivals were to be observed in the place where God settled his habitation, which was now at Shiloh; and therefore some are of opinion, that the feast here mentioned, was one of these; particularly, they think it was the feast of tabernacles, because this was a season of great joy, for having newly gathered their vintage, and the only season wherein the Jewish virgins were allowed to dance. At this time they dwelt in booths too, behind which the Benjamites (as they fancy) might very conveniently conceal themselves, and so watch an opportunity of carrying away the virgins. But what seems to make against this opinion is, that at any of these public festivals, the concourse of people would have been too great for a design of this nature to be put into execution, since the violence which must, of course, have been offered to the young women, would

two hundred Benjamites lay in ambush before the city, by two or three together; and waited for the coming of the virgins in the vineyards, and other places where they could lie concealed. Accordingly the virgins came along, playing, and suspected nothing of what was coming upon them, and walked after an unguarded manner. So those that lay scattered in the road, rose up, and caught hold of them. By this means these Benjamites got them wives, and applied themselves to agriculture, and took good care to recover their former happy state. And thus was this tribe, after they had been in danger of entirely perishing, saved by the wisdom of the Israelites. And accordingly it flourished, and soon increased to be a multitude, and came to enjoy all other degrees of happiness. And such was the conclusion of this war.

CHAP. III.

OF THE MISFORTUNES BROUGHT UPON THE ISRAELITES BY THEIR INDOLENCE AND REMISSNESS; THEIR OPPRESSION BY THE ASSYRIANS, AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT DELIVERANCE BY OTHNIEL, WHO RULED OVER THEM FORTY YEARS.

NOW it happened,* that the tribe of Dan suffered in the like manner with the tribe of Benjamin, and on the following occasion. When the Israelites had already left off the exercise of their arms of war, and were intent upon their husbandry, the Canaanites despised them, and brought together an army. Not because they expected to suffer from them, but because they had a mind to have a sure prospect of treating the Hebrews ill when they pleased; and might thereby, for the

hardly have met with a general connivance. It is much more probable, there fore, that this was some festival peculiar to the people of Shiloh, which the Benjamites perhaps might know nothing of, and were therefore put in mind of it by the elders of the congregation. Josephus tells us, that it was celebrated thrice every year; and on this festival it might be a custom for the young women to go out into the fields, and there dance by themselves, which might give their ravishers the very opportunity they wanted. Le Clerc's Commentary. B.

About An. 1455 B. C.

They

time to come, dwell in their own cities more securely. prepared, therefore, their chariots, and gathered their soldiers together. Their cities also combined, and drew over to them Ascalon and Ekron, which were within the tribe of Judah, and many more of those that lay in the plain. They also forced the Danites to fly into the mountainous country, and left them not the least portion of the plain country to set their foot on. Since then these Danites were not able to fight them, and had not land enough for their own support; they sent five of their men into the midland country, to see for a land to which they might remove their habitation. So these men went as far as the neighbourhood of mount Libanus, and the fountains of the lesser Jordan, at the great plain of Sidon, a day's journey from the city. And when they had taken a view of the land, and found it to be exceeding fruitful, they acquainted their tribe with it. Whereupon they made an expedition with an army; and built there the city of Dan, of the same name with the son of Jacob, and of the same name of their own tribe.

The Israelites now grew so indolent,* that misfortunes came heavier upon them; which also proceeded in part from their contempt of the Divine worship. For when they had once fallen off from the regularity of their political government, they indulged themselves farther in living according to their own will; till they were full of the evil doings that were common among the Canaanites. God therefore was angry with them, and they forfeited by their luxury that happy state which they had obtained by innumerable labours. For when Chushan, king of the Assyrians, had made war against them, they lost many of their soldiers in the battle; and when they were besieged they were taken by force. Nay, there were some who, out of fear, voluntarily submitted to him; and though the tribute laid upon them was more than they could bear, yet did they pay it; and underwent all sort of oppression† for eight years. After which time they were delivered in the following

manner :

An. 1449.

From 1449 to 1441 B. C.

There was one whose name was Othniel,* the son of Kenaz, of the tribe of Judah : an active man, and of great courage. He had an admonition from God not to overlook the Israelites in such a distress as they were now in; but to endeavour boldly to regain their liberty, So when he had procured some to assist him in this dangerous undertaking; (and few they were who, either out of shame at their present circumstances, or out of a desire of changing them, could be prevailed on to assist him :) he first of all destroyed that garrison which Chushan had set over them. And when it was perceived that he had not failed in his first attempt, more of the people came to his assistance; so they joined battle with the Assyrians, and drove them entirely before them, and compelled them to pass over the Euphrates. Hereupon Othniel, who had given such proof of his valour, received from the multitude authority to judge the people. And when he had ruled over them† forty years, he died.

CHAP. IV.

OF THE SUBJUGATION OF THE HEBREWS BY THE MOABITES;
AND OF THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM SLAVERY
WHO RETAINED THE DOMINION EIGHTY YEARS.

BY EHUD;

WHEN Othniel was dead, the affairs of the Israelites fell again into disorder; and while they never payed to God the honour due to him, nor were obedient to the laws, their afflictions increased; till Eglon,+ king of the Moabites, taking advantage of the disorders of their political government, made war upon them, and overcame them in several battles, and made the most courageous to submit; and entirely subdued their army, and ordered them to pay him tribute. And when he had built him a royal palace at|| Jericho, he omitted no method whereby he might distress them; and, indeed, he re

It appears by the sacred history, Judg. i. 16. ii. 13. that Eglon's pavilion or

eighteen years.

But when God

duced them to poverty for* had once taken pity on the Israelites, on account of their afflictions, and was moved to compassion by their supplications, he freed them from the hard usage they had met with under the Moabites. And this liberty he procured for them in the following manner :

There was a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud, the son of Gera; a man of very great courage in bold undertaking; and of a very strong body, fit for hard labour, but best skilled in using his left hand,† in which was his whole strength; and he also dwelt at Jericho. Now this man became familiar with Eglon, and that by means of presents, with which he obtained his favour, and insinuated himself into his good opinion, whereby he was also beloved of those that were about the king. Now when on a time, he was bringing presents to the king, and had two servants with him, he put a dagger on his right thigh secretly, and went in to him. It was then summer time, and the middle of the day, when the guards were not strictly on their watch; both because of the heat, and because they were gone to dinner. So the young man, when he had offered his presents to the king, who then resided in a small parlour, that stood conveniently to avoid the heat, fell into discourse with him; for they were now alone, the king having bid his attendants leave him, because he had a mind to talk with Ehud. He was now sitting on his throne ; and fear seized upon Ehud, lest he should miss his stroke, and not give him a deadly wound. So he raised himself up, and said he had a dream to impart to him, by the command of God. Upon this, the king leaped out of his throne for joy of the dream; so Ehud smote him to the heart; and leaving his dagger in his body, he went out, and shut the door after him.

palace, was at the city of Palm-trees, as the place where Jericho had stood is called after its destruction by Joshua; that is, at, or near the demolished city. Accordingly Josephus says it was at Jericho; or rather in that fine country of palm trees, upon or near the same spot of ground on which Jericho had formerly stood, and on which it was afterwards rebuilt by Hiel, 1 Kings xvi. 34. Our other copies, that avoid its proper name Jericho, and call it the city of palm-trees only, speak here more accurately than Josephus.

* From An. 1401 to 1383.

+ Judg. iii. 15.