Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 11:8
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
8. Therefore are we turned again ] i.e. this being so, since we have driven thee out. Instead of answering the objection directly, the elders state the reason for the reply they give. For this idiom in conversation cf. Jdg 8:7, Gen 4:15; Gen 30:15, 1Ki 22:19.
head Gilead ] Similarly Jdg 10:18.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. Therefore we turn again to thee now] We are convinced that we have dealt unjustly by thee, and we wish now to repair our fault, and give thee this sincere proof of our regret for having acted unjustly, and of our confidence in thee.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Therefore we turn again to thee now; being sensible that we have done thee injury, we come now to make time full reparations.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah,…. In reply to his objection:
therefore we turn again unto thee now; being sensible of the injury they had done him, and repenting of it, of which their return to him was an evidence; it being with this view to remove the disgrace and dishonour that had been cast upon him, by conferring such honour on him, as to be their chief ruler:
that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead; the end of their coming to him was not only to bring him back with them to his own country, and to fight against the Ammonites, and the defence of it, but to be the sole governor of it; not of all Israel, but of the tribes beyond Jordan, which inhabited the land of Gilead: more than this they could not promise, though he afterwards was judge over all Israel, notwithstanding there was a law in Israel, that no spurious person should enter into the congregation, or bear any public office; so it was a law with the Athenians i, that unless a man was born of both parents citizens, he should be reckoned spurious, and have no share in the government, see Jud 11:2.
i Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 6. c. 10. l. 13. c. 24. “Suidas in voce”
.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The elders replied, “ Therefore ( , because we have formerly done thee wrong) we have now come to thee again to make thee our head, if thou comest with us and fightest against the Ammonites. ” The clauses , , and , which are formally co-ordinate, are logically to be subordinated to one another, the first two expressing the condition, the third the consequence, in this sense, “ If thou go with us and fight, … thou shalt be head to us, namely, to all the inhabitants of Gilead, ” i.e., to the two tribes and a half on the east of the Jordan.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
8. Therefore Inasmuch as we did thee wrong, we turn again to thee now to repair, as far as possible, that wrong by electing thee our head, that is, our captain and chief.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “This is the reason that we are now turned again to you, that you may go with us and fight against the children of Ammon. And you shall be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” ’
The elders frankly and humbly replied that the reason they had come was so that he would fight for them and lead them against the children of Ammon. In return they would offer him the headship of the people who had rejected him. This had not been their first intention but they now recognised that it was necessary. It was a big step, for strictly he had no right to be recognised as a true Israelite, never mind their head.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Just so the sinner in his approaches unto Jesus, when once convinced that there is salvation in no other. Oh! it is precious when once brought by the Holy Ghost, to give all the glory to Him, as our head, and to crown him Lord.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 11:8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
Ver. 8. Therefore we turn again to thee now. ] We see our former oversight, and are ready to make thee amends.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the elders: Exo 8:8, Exo 8:28, Exo 9:28, Exo 10:17, 1Ki 13:6, Luk 17:3, Luk 17:4
we turn: Jdg 10:18
Reciprocal: Jdg 11:11 – head 1Sa 11:1 – Nahash Job 29:25 – chose out
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 11:8. Therefore we turn again to thee Being sensible we have done thee an injury, we come now to make thee full reparation. That thou mayest go with us They acknowledge that they need his assistance and are humble enough to request it.