Judges Chapter 10 Bible Study
The grandson of a Dodo, brothers riding donkeys, and the Ammonites oppress Israel
This is part ten of my Judges study. Read the previous parts here and watch for part eleven coming on October 16.
This is one of the shortest chapters in the book of Judges, featuring only two minor judges and a brief narrative about Israel’s disobedience. As such, this post will be briefer than usual, though I promise I will make up for it in next month’s Judges study because I have a lot to say about chapter 11!1
The judge after Abimelech is said to be someone named Tola, son of Puah, son of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar. Tola’s name means “worm” and was the name of one of the sons of Issachar (Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23; 1 Chronicles 7:1-2).2 Intriguingly, he did not live in his tribe’s allotment of land, but rather in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim where he was judge for twenty-three years. He is also the only judge whose grandfather is named which could be indicative of a high social standing.3
Next, Jair's account is given. A Gileadite from the tribe of Manasseh who judged for twenty-two years, he is said to have been buried in Kamon. The strangest thing about him is that he “had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys” which honestly sounds quite humorous in English. This statement of his sons each owning a donkey and a town indicates that he was a wealthy individual.4 Jair also would have had a few wives to have had so many sons (and presumably some daughters as well) and may have been a major chieftain to have had such wealth and importance.5
There is a Hittite text, the Tale of Zalpa, in which a queen has thirty of each sons and daughters and the sons ride donkeys.6 It is an interesting similarity to Jair’s family, as well as another of the minor judges who we have yet to cover.
Once again, the Israelites did evil and worshipped other gods. Because of this, God gave them over to the Philistines and Ammonites. I wrote a bit about the Philistines in my post on Judges 3, so I will insert a quote from that post for those who missed it (though you can always read the post in full!)
The Bible records that the Philistines came from the Aegean region (Jeremiah 47:4), something that is also indicated by archaeological evidence.1 Philistine pottery shares many similarities with that of Mediterranean design, specifically in the bright colours used. These Sea Peoples originally sought to live in Egypt but were repelled by Ramesses III in the early 12th century BCE and instead settled in five cities along Israel’s southern coast that became known as the Philistine Pentapolis: Gaza, Gath, Ekron, Ashdod, and Ashkelon.2
As for the Ammonites, they were a group of people descended from Lot and his younger daughter (Genesis 19:38) who resided to the East of the Jordan River and were frequent enemies of Israel during the times of the judges and the monarchy.7 To learn more about the Ammonites and how they relate to the Bible, I recommend watching the following video.
These two groups oppressed Israel for eighteen years, with the Israelites finally calling out to God for help and confessing their sin. The Lord told them that he had already rescued them from many other nations, but as they just kept sinning, they should ask the gods they worshipped to save them. Desperate, the Israelites got rid of their idols and began to worship the Lord alone.
When the Ammonites came and camped at Gilead, the Israelites gathered at Mizpah to discuss how they should proceed. There, the leaders of Gilead asked who among the people of Israel would go out to fight the Ammonites and promised to make this man the leader of everyone in Gilead.
Mizpah is one of those names in the Bible that refers to more than one place. As one commentary says,
There are three places with this name in the books of Joshua and Judges: one just north of Jerusalem in the central highlands (Josh. 13:26; 15:38; 18:26), another in the far north in the vicinity of Mount Hermon (Josh. 11:3, 8), and a third across the Jordan in Gilead (Judg. 11:29, 34). Since the Ammonites have already crossed the Jordan at least once (10:9), it is possible that the assembly in view here in 10:17 took place in the central highlands, with the captains of Gilead crossing the Jordan to attend it. However, given the fact that all the subsequent action takes place in Gilead, it is all but certain that the Mizpah in 10:17 is the place subsequently referred to as Mizpah of Gilead (11:29), which was Jephthah’s hometown (11:34).8
With that cliffhanger of an ending, you will have to wait in suspense for a month… or you could just read ahead, I guess. Anyway, we are almost halfway through this Judges Bible study series with the darkest stuff still to come. I am really excited to learn more about this fascinating book and appreciate all of you who read the posts!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Block, Daniel I. “Judges.” In Joshua, Judges & Ruth, edited by John H. Walton, 198-451. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009.
Boda, Mark J. “Judges.” In Judges, Ruth, edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, 30-347. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012.
Evans, Mary J. Judges and Ruth. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017.
McCann, J. Clinton. Judges. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching Series. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 2011.
Way, Kenneth C. Judges and Ruth. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2016.
Webb, Barry G. The Book of Judges. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament Series. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012.
Younger Jr., K. Lawson. Judges and Ruth. The NIV Application Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.
Editing Rachel here to confirm that the next Judges post is over three times the length of this one — I really did have a lot to say!
Boda, “Judges,” 215.
Younger, Judges and Ruth, 231.
Webb, The Book of Judges, 306.
Block, “Judges,” 322.
Way, Judges and Ruth, 163.
Ibid., 136.
Webb, The Book of Judges, 316.
Thanks for sharing this Rachel. I really enjoyed learning about the Ammonites and the video you shared. Staying tuned for the next episode