22<\/strong>. The Midianites, roused suddenly from sleep, gave the alarm and tried to fly (Jdg 7:21<\/span>); now, believing themselves to be completely surrounded, and cumbered by their tents and cattle, they turn their swords against one another (cf. 1Sa 14:20<\/span>, 2Ki 3:23<\/span>), and the flight becomes general. For and against all the host<\/em> read in all the host<\/strong>, LXX, Peshitto<\/p>\n The Midianites no doubt fled down the valley eastwards, and made for the Jordan fords, but the places named as marking the course of the flight cannot be identified with certainty. The accumulation of names (note the double as far as<\/em>) is perhaps due to the fusion of two narratives. Beth-shittah (‘house of the acacia’) has been identified with the present Shih, 6 m. E. of Zer‘n (Jezreel), but this is too near the site of the camp. Zerrah is perhaps to be read Zerdah (with many MSS.) 1Ki 11:26<\/span>, which is generally identified with Zarthan, 2Ch 4:17<\/span> compared with 1Ki 7:46<\/span>; this will bring the place considerably to the south, near to Adam (Jos 3:16<\/span>) = the ford Dmiyeh. But the identification is not certain, for in 1Ki 4:12<\/span> Zarthan is beside Beth-shean, the modern Bsn, and below Jezreel; the two names are perhaps confused, possibly the northern was Zerdah, the southern Zarthan. Abel-meholah (1Ki 4:12<\/span>; 1Ki 19:16<\/span>) is identified by Eusebius, Onom<\/em>. Sacr.<\/em>, 227, 35 with Bethmaila, a village in the Jordan valley, 10 Roman miles from Scythopolis (= Beth-shean). The lip<\/em> of Abel-meholah (see marg.) was no doubt the cliff where the valley ended in a steep descent to the river. Tabbath is quite unknown.<\/p>\n Beth-shittah – <\/B> – House of the acacias, the same trees which gave their name to Shittim Num 33:49<\/span> in the plains of Maab, and which grew plentifully also, in the peninsula of Sinai Exo 25:5<\/span> perhaps Shuttah, in the valley of Jezreel; or it may be another name of Scythopolis, or Beth-shan (compare 1Ki 4:12<\/span>). Zererath or Zeredath, near Succoth Jdg 8:5<\/span>, the same as Zeredah in Ephraim the birth-place of Jeroboam 1Ki 11:26<\/span>, and Zartauah 1Ki 4:12<\/span>. Abel-meholah (field of the dance), the birth-place of Elisha 1Ki 19:16<\/span> is in the Jordan valley, 10 miles from Scythopolis, if identified with Bethmaela: if the same as Abelmea, it lay between Nablous and Scythopolis. (But see 1Ki 19:16<\/span> note.) Tabbath was apparently lower down the Jordan valley, i. e. further south.<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 22<\/span>. Fled to Beth-shittah<\/B><\/I>] This is no where else mentioned in Scripture.<\/P> <\/P> Zererath<\/B><\/I>] This and Tabbath<\/I> are nowhere else to be found.<\/P> <\/P> Abel-meholah<\/B><\/I>] This was the birth-place of the prophet Elisha, 1Kg 19:16<\/span>. It was beyond Jordan, in the tribe of Manasseh, 1Kg 4:12<\/span>. The Zartanah<\/I>, mentioned in this last quoted verse, was probably the same as Zererath<\/I>. Its situation corresponds well with Abel-meholah.<\/P> <\/p>\n They slew one another, either because they suspected treachery, and so fell upon those they first met with; which they might more easily do, because they consisted of several nations, as may be gathered from Jdg 6:3<\/span>, and Josephus affirms; or because the darkness of the night made them unable to distinguish friends from foes; or because the suddenness of the thing struck them with horror and amazement; or because God infatuated them, as he hath done many others. Compare 1Sa 14:20<\/span>; 2Ch 20:23<\/span>. <\/P> Abel-meholah; <\/B>of which see 1Ki 4:12<\/span>; 19:16<\/span>. <\/P> <\/p>\n And the three hundred men blew the trumpets<\/strong>,…. Kept blowing them to continue and increase the terror of the enemy, and still held the lamps in their hands, and stood as torch bearers to light the Midianites and their associates to destroy one another, as follows:<\/p>\n and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow throughout the host<\/strong>; and so slew one another; either suspecting treachery, as Grotius, and so in revenge, wrath, and indignation, drew their swords on each other; or through the terror and amazement they were in at the sounds they heard, and the blazing torches dazzling their eyes, they knew not what they did, or who they fell upon, taking their friends for foes, supposing the Israelites were got into their camp; and the rather they might be led into this mistake, since there were people of different languages among them, as Josephus m observes; but the thing was of God, it was he that took away their reason and judgment from them, and infatuated them, and filled their imaginations with such strange apprehensions of things; and threw into their minds such terror and amazement, and directed them to point their swords at one another:<\/p>\n and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath<\/strong>; that is, which was left of it, which had not destroyed each other; the first of these places should be read Bethhashittah; and perhaps had its name from the “shittah” or “shittim” trees which might grow near it in plenty, or the houses in it might be built of shittim wood; or it may be here stood a temple formerly dedicated to some deity of this name, and near it a grove of the above trees. Zererath, Kimchi observes, is written with two “reshes”, or R’s, to distinguish it from another place called Tzeredah; but where either of these places mentioned were cannot be particularly said; though it is highly probable they were in the tribe of Manasseh, and in the way to Jordan, whither in all probability the Midianites would steer their course to escape to their own land:<\/p>\n and to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath<\/strong>; the former of these was the birth place of Elisha the prophet, 1Ki 19:16<\/span> and it appears very plainly that it was in the tribe of Manasseh, being mentioned with other places in that tribe, 1Ki 4:12<\/span>. Jerome n under this word says, there was in his time a village in Aulon, or the plain, ten miles from Scythopolis to the south, which was called Bethahula; and the Targum is,<\/p>\n “to the border of the plain of Abelmeholah;”<\/p>\n but of Tabbath we nowhere else read.<\/p>\n m Antiqu. l. 5. c. 6. sect. 5. n De loc. Heb. fol. 88. M.<\/p>\n Whilst the 300 men blew their trumpets, “ Jehovah set the sword of one against the other, and against the whole camp,<\/em> ” i.e., caused one to turn his sword against the other and against all the camp, that is to say, not merely man against man, but against every one in the camp, so that there arose a terrible slaughter throughout the whole camp. The first clause, “ and the three hundred blew the trumpets,<\/em> ” simply resumes the statement in Jdg 7:20<\/span>, “the three companies blew the trumpets,” for the purpose of appending to it the further progress of the attack, and the result of the battle. Bertheau<\/em> inserts in a very arbitrary manner the words, “the second time.” His explanation of the next clause (“then the 300 fighting men of Gideon drew the sword at Jehovah’s command, every man against his man”) is still more erroneous, since it does violence to the constant usage of the expression (see 1Sa 14:20<\/span>; 2Ch 20:23<\/span>; Isa 3:5<\/span>; Zec 8:10<\/span>). “ And all the camp of the Midianites fled to Beth-shittah to Zeredah, to the shore of Abel-meholah, over Tabbath.<\/em> ” The situation of these places, which are only mentioned here, with the exception of Abel-meholah, the home of Elisha (1Ki 19:16<\/span>; 1Ki 4:12<\/span>), has not yet been determined. According to the Syriac, the Arabic, and some of the MSS, we should read Zeredathah<\/em> instead of Zererathah<\/em>, and Zeredathah<\/em> is only another form for Zarthan<\/em> (comp. 1Ki 7:46<\/span> with 2Ch 4:17<\/span>). This is favoured by the situation of Zarthan<\/em> in the valley of the Jordan, probably near the modern Kurn<\/em> Sartabeh<\/em> (see p. 35), inasmuch as in all probability Beth-shittah and Abel-meholah are to be sought for in the valley of the Jordan; and according to Jdg 7:24<\/span>, the enemy fled to the Jordan. Beth-shittah<\/em>, i.e., acacia-house, is not the same place as the village of Shutta<\/em> mentioned by Robinson<\/em> (iii. p. 219), since this village, according to Van de Velde’s<\/em> map, was to the north of Gilboa. For although Shutta<\/em> is favoured by the circumstance, that from a very ancient time there was a road running from Jezreel along the valley, between the so-called Little Hermon (Duhy) and the mountains of Gilboa, and past Beisan to the Jordan; and the valley of Jalud, on the northern side of which Shutta was situated, may be regarded as the opening of the plain of Jezreel into the valley of the Jordan (see v. Raumer<\/em>, Pal. p. 41, and Rob<\/em>. iii. p. 176); and v. Raumer<\/em> conjectures from this, that “the flight of the Midianites was apparently directed to Bethsean, on account of the nature of the ground,” – this assumption is rendered very questionable by the fact that the flying foe did not cross the Jordan in the neighbourhood of Beisan, but much farther to the south, viz., according to Jdg 8:4<\/span>, in the neighbourhood of Succoth<\/em>, which was on the south side of the Nahr Zerka (Jabbok). From this we are led to conjecture, that they were not encamped in the north-eastern part of the plain of Jezreel, in the neighbourhood of Jezreel (Zerin) and Shunem (Solam), but in the south-eastern part of this plain, and that after they had been beaten there they fled southwards from Gilboa, say from the district of Ginaea (Jenin) to the Jordan. In this case we have to seek for Abel-shittah on the south-east of the mountains of Gilboa, to the north of Zeredathah (Zarthan). From this point they fled on still farther to the “ shore of Abel-meholah<\/em>.” does not mean boundary, but brink; here the bank of the Jordan, like in 2Ki 2:13<\/span>. The bank or strand of Abel-meholah<\/em> is that portion of the western bank of the Jordan or of the Ghor, above which Abel-meholah was situated. According to the Onom<\/em>. ( s. v.<\/em> , Abelmaula<\/em>), this place was in the Aulon<\/em> (or Ghor), ten Roman miles to the south of Scythopolis (Beisan), and was called at that time or Bethaula<\/em>. According to this statement, Abel-meholah<\/em> would have to be sought for near Churbet<\/em> es<\/em> Shuk<\/em>, in the neighbourhood of the Wady Maleh<\/em> (see V. de Velde<\/em>, Mem. p. 280). And lastly, Tabbath<\/em> must have been situated somewhere to the south of Abel-meholah.<\/p>\n (22) Blew the trumpets.<\/strong>They continued to blow incessantly, to add to the panic.<\/p>\n The Lord set every mans sword against his fellow.<\/strong>We have an exact parallel to this in the mutual slaughter of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, when stricken with a similar panic before the army of Jehoshaphat, in 2Ch. 20:21-22<\/span>; and on a smaller scale in the camp of the Philistines at Gibeah (1 Samuel 14<\/span>). The tremendous tragedy of their flight can only be appreciated by the vivid impression which it made on the national imagination (Isa. 9:4<\/span>; Isa. 10:26<\/span>). In Psa. 83:13-14<\/span>, it is compared to the whirling flight of dry weeds before a rush of flame and wind, recalling the Arab imprecation, May you be whirled like the akukb (wild artichoke, a wheel, a rolling thing) before the wind, until you are caught in the thorns or plunged into the sea (Thomson, Land and Book, <\/em>Judges 36).<\/p>\n Beth-shittah.<\/strong>It should be rather, Beth hash-shit-tah, <\/em>the house of the acaciaa place named from the trees which are still abundant in that neighbourhood, just as we have such names as Burntash, Seven-oaks, Nine Elms, &c. (Comp. Abel-Shittim, Num. 33:49<\/span>; Joshua 21<\/span>.) If Beth hash-shittah <\/em>was the village Shultah, <\/em>with which Robinson (Bibl. Reg., <\/em>3:219) identifies it, some of the host must have fled northwards. It is improbable that it was another name for Beth-shean, though the LXX. have Bethsead in some MSS. It is, however, by no means unlikely that some of the marauders would fly towards the fords of the Jordan near Bethshean (comp. Jos. Antt. v.<\/em> 6, 5), as others fled south to the fords near Succoth, which lay to the south of the Jabbok.<\/p>\n In.<\/strong>Rather, towards, <\/em>as in the margin.<\/p>\n Zererath.<\/strong>Rather, Zererah. <\/em>This is omitted in the Vulgate; the LXX. have the extraordinary reading Tagaragatha, <\/em>or in some MSS. and he led them. The final th <\/em>is no part of the name, but the mode of connecting the name with the particle of motion. Zererath is not again mentioned, but the distinction between the Hebrew letters r <\/em>() and d <\/em>() <\/em>is so slight that the reading Zeredath <\/em>may here be correct; and if so, it may be the Zeredath in Ephraim, which was the birthplace of Jeroboam (1Ki. 11:26<\/span>), and the Zaretan of Jos. 3:16<\/span>, 1Ki. 7:46<\/span>, which is sixteen miles north of Jericho.<\/p>\n To the border.<\/strong>Literally, as in the margin, to the lip, <\/em>or brink, <\/em>as in Gen. 22:17<\/span>; Exo. 4:30<\/span>. It does not, however, necessarily prove that Abel-meholah was on the edge of the Jordan valley.<\/p>\n Abel-meholah.<\/strong>The meadow of the dance. It was in Ephraim, and was the native place of Elisha (1Ki. 19:16<\/span>; see, too, 1Ki. 4:12<\/span>). Eusebius and Jerome place it ten miles south of Bethshean, at Wady Maleb. Abel <\/em>means a moist, grassy meadow.<\/p>\n Unto Tabbath.<\/strong>Literally, upon Tabbath. <\/em>The name seems to mean famous, but the site is unknown, unless it be the remarkable bank called Tubukhat Fahil, 22<\/strong>. <\/strong> Every man’s sword against his fellow <\/strong> Midianite slaughtered Midianite, so that the sword of the enemy did service for the Lord and for Gideon. <\/p>\n Beth-shittah <\/strong> Possibly the modern Shutta, <\/em> between Jezreel and the Jordan. Near this the Midianites must have passed in their flight towards the Jordan. <\/p>\n Zererath <\/strong> Identical with Zarthan, <\/em> (1Ki 7:46<\/span>,) and Zereda-thah. 2Ch 4:17<\/span><\/em>. It was situated in the Jordan valley, and not far from Beth-shean, but its exact locality has not been found. The same must be said of Abel-meholah <\/strong> and Tabbath<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Reader should particularly remark the expression, The Lord set every man ‘ s sword against his fellow. The terrors of the mind make the wicked flee, when no man pursueth. And thus the Lord’s promises are fulfilled. For how otherwise should one of God’s people chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them? Deu 32:30<\/span> .<\/p>\n Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, [and] to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.<\/p>\n Ver. 22. And the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow.] For being smitten by God with a spirit of giddiness, they took their friends for their foes: and, like those terrigenae fratres,<\/em> they slaughtered one another in the place. See the like, 1Sa 14:15-20<\/span> 2Ch 20:23<\/span> . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the host fled to Bethshittah, &c.<\/strong> ] Places unknown to us out of Scripture, save only Abelmeholah, a<\/em> which was in the half tribe of Manasseh within Canaan, 1Ki 4:12 and so, likely, were the rest. But whithersoever they fled, in running from death they ran to it. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n a<\/em> This Abelmeholah was afterwards the habitation of the prophet Elisha. 1Ki 19:16 <\/p>\n blew: Jos 6:4, Jos 6:16, Jos 6:20, 2Co 4:7 <\/p>\n the Lord: 1Sa 14:16-20, 2Ch 20:23, Psa 83:9, Isa 9:4, Isa 19:2 <\/p>\n in: or, toward <\/p>\n Zererath: Probably the same as Zartanah. 1Ki 4:12 <\/p>\n border: Heb. lip <\/p>\n Abelmeholah: Situated, according to Eusebius 16 miles south from Scythopolis, or Bethshan. 1Ki 4:12, 1Ki 19:16 <\/p>\n Tabbath: Probably the town of , mentioned by Eusebius, 13 miles from Neapolis, or Shechem, towards Scythopolis. <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Lev 26:37 – they shall Deu 32:30 – one chase Jdg 8:10 – fell an hundred Jdg 9:20 – let fire come out 1Sa 14:20 – every man’s 1Sa 18:19 – Meholathite 2Ch 20:22 – to sing and to Isa 49:26 – I will feed Jer 51:46 – ruler against Eze 38:21 – every Hag 2:22 – every Zec 14:13 – a great<\/p>\n 7:22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his {l} fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, [and] to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.<\/p>\n (l) The Lord caused the Midianites to kill one another.<\/p>\n And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, [and] to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. 22. The Midianites, roused suddenly from sleep, gave the alarm and tried to fly (Jdg 7:21); now, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 7:22”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6725\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
<\/em><\/p>\nFuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"