Judges 10:7-12

Judges 10:7

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

Once again we repeat the scenario.  Once Israel started to worship the false gods, the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and the verse states the anger was hot.  “Was hot” in the Hebrew carries with it the meaning of “hot or literally glowing.”  So in response to their idolatry God sold them into the hands of both the Philistines and Ammonites.  This time the Israelites were split into two groups, as half went to the west with the Philistines and the other half went to the east with the Ammonites.

Judges 10:8

And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

The year in question may be the year that Jair died which means it did not take them long to go seeking after the false gods.  It may also mean from the moment they took the Israelites into captivity they began to terrorize them.  The word “vex” means to “shatter or break in pieces.”  The word “oppressed” carries with it the meaning of “crack in pieces, break, or bruise.”  In other words, the Israelites were suffering tremendously under these two pagan nations.  The tribes which were on the other side of the Jordan were Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  Here they were in captivity for a total of eighteen years.

Judges 10:9

Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

The Ammonites were not satisfied taking the tribes they had so they decided to cross the Jordan and fight against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.  Israel was now feeling the reward of going after false gods.  The word “sore” carries with it the meaning of “vehemently or fervently.”  The word “distressed” carries with it the meaning of “narrowing or vexed.”  So the attack upon them caused them to be physically closer to each other thus making it easy for the Ammonites to attack and overtake them.  When you narrow something, you weaken it.  This is what happened to Israel, they became a very weak nation under oppression.

Judges 10:10

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

Then just as they Prodigal son came to his senses, Israel came to theirs in realizing that all the troubles they have experienced were caused by them sinning against God and forsaking Him.  Not only did they forsake the true God, they began to worship all the false deities of the pagan nations.  What they thought they could do and get away with was to forsake the true God and serve the foreign gods.  They got away with nothing.  The word “cried” carries with it the meaning of “shriek from danger or anguish.”

Judges 10:11

And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

Now the Lord is giving the nation a dose of reality.  The Lord is no doubt speaking to them through a prophet who remained faithful to Him.  The Lord asks them a series of questions which can only bring them back to reality.  They were delivered from the Egyptian bondage.  They were delivered from the Amorites from the kings Sihon and Og.  They were delivered from the children of Ammon when the Moabites joined with them.  (Judges 3)  They were delivered from the Philistines in the times of Shamgar.  How could they answer this question except in the affirmative?

Judges 10:12

The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.