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14 And he had forty sons and thirty 'nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts and he judged Israel eight years.

:

15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.

2 Heb. sons' sons.

Verse 1. "We will burn thine house upon thee."-Here is a second proof of the haughty and turbulent disposition of the Ephraimites. Comparing this with their complaints to Joshua, their hostile attitude towards Gideon, and their present insulting language to Jephthah, we cannot fail to discover a disposition to lord it over the other tribes, and an affectation of superior authority and pre-eminence, to which they were certainly not yet entitled. There were many circumstances to excite in them this disposition-such as the distinction assigned them in the blessing of Jacob-the fact that Joshua, the chief conqueror of the land, had been an Ephraimite-and the privilege which they enjoyed of having the tabernacle within their borders. The firm but temperate answer of Jephthah, though less soft than that of Gideon, contrasts well with the personalities and threats of this self-sufficient tribe.

3. "I put my life in my hands."—A strong Orientalism, implying "I risked my life in a seemingly desperate undertaking." Mr. Roberts, who cites several proverbial applications of this phrase among the Hindoos, thinks that the idea is taken from a man carrying something very precious in his hands, under circumstances of great danger.

6. "He could not frame to pronounce it right.”—This is an interesting indication that a difference of dialects had already arisen in different parts of the country, and by which the inhabitants of one part were distinguished from those of another. In later times, we find Peter easily distinguished in Pilate's hall as a Galilean, by his dialect. (Mark xiv. 70.) There is nothing extraordinary in this. England herself offers a considerable variety of dialects and modes of pronunciation; and so does every other country. There is scarcely any so small as to be exempt. In Greece, an Athenian spoke Greek as differently from a Dorian as perhaps a northern man speaks English from a native of the southern counties. In the East itself, the Arabic of Cairo, Aleppo, and Bagdad is so different, that one who has made himself master of the language in one of these cities cannot, without great difficulty, understand, or be understood, in the others. Even in the small island of Malta (where an Arabian dialect is spoken), the inhabitants of the several villages speak the same language with so much difference as to render the market, to which they resort in common, a sort of Babel. While that island was independent, there was a knight (mentioned by De Boisgelin) who gained great credit by being able to tell, by means of this difference, from what villages the country people in the market came. The word chosen by the Gileadites means a stream, which, being the name of the object immediately before them, would seem to be naturally suggested, and was well calculated to put the Ephraimites off their guard. We scarcely need remark, that sh is of peculiarly difficult, if not impossible, pronunciation to persons whose organs have not, in childhood, been tutored to it. It is entirely wanting in many languages; and when persons to whom such languages are native, attempt to learn a language which has it, they find it not the least arduous part of their task to master and use properly this most difficult sound. This was the case of the Ephraimites, who "could not frame to pronounce it right."

CHAPTER XIII.

2 An

1 Israel is in the hand of the Philistines.
angel appeareth to Manoah's wife. 8 The angel
appeareth to Manoah. 15 Manoah's sacrifice,
whereby the angel is discovered. 24 Samson is
born.

AND the children of Israel 'did evil again
in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD
delivered them into the hand of the Philis-
tines forty years.

2¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and 3drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son and 'no razor shall come on his head for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to

deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

6 ¶ Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Ñazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

8 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him,

1 Heb. added to commit, &c. 2 Chap. 2, 11, and 3.7, and 4. 1, and 6. 1, and 10. 6.

3 Num. 6. 2, 3.

4 Num. 6. 5. 1 Sam. 1. 11.

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16 And the angel of the LORD said unto

5 Heb, what shall be the manner of the, &c. 6 Or what shall he do?

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Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is 'secret?

19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

Heb. what shall be his work? 8 Heb, before thes

9 Or, wonderful

21 But the angel of the LORD did no more | offering at our hands, neither would he have appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then shewed us all these things, nor would as at Manoah knew that he was an angel of the this time have told us such things as these. LORD.

22 And Manoah said unto his wife, 10We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 23 But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat

24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

10 Exod. 33. 20. Chap. 6. 22.

Verse 2. "Zorah."-This is one of the towns which were taken out of Judah's lot, and given to Dan. (Josh. xv. 33; xix. 41.) It seems to have been a frontier town towards Judah after the boundary was altered; for when the ten tribes revolted from the house of David, Rehoboam retained Zorah, and it is mentioned among those towns which he made "cities of defence in Judah." (2 Chron. xi. 5.) Its inhabitants were called Zorites and Zorathites. (1 Chron. ii. 54; iv. 2.) Zorah existed as a town in the time of Eusebius and Jerome. It will be well to recollect, that the territory of Dan lay between that of Judah and the Philistines, and consequently at no great distance from any of the places which are mentioned in the remarkable history of Samson, and which were the scenes of his exploits.

5. "Nazarite."-See the note to Num. vi. 2.

19. "Upon a rock."-A rock was signalized much in the same manner in the history of Gideon (chap. vi. 20, 21). Large masses of stone, of various forms, some of which are well adapted to serve occasionally as altars, occur in the plains and valleys of Judea and other hilly countries. Some of these are seen in their natural position, rising out of the ground, while others appear as detached fragments, thrown down from the rocky eminences. To such insulated masses of rock there are frequent allusions in Scripture.

25. "Eshtaol."-This was another principal town of Dan which had once belonged to Judah. It was this place and Zorah that furnished the six hundred armed Danites, who went into the north of the country and took Laish (afterwards Dan), forming a new settlement near the sources of the Jordan. These are the only circumstances which make Eshtaol of any historical importance. It still existed in the time of Jerome, who describes it as being ten miles to the north of Eleutheropolis, on the road to Nicopolis or Emmaus. Eleutheropolis, which must sometimes be mentioned, as the place from which Eusebius and Jerome measure their distances, does not occur in the Bible, or at least not under that name. It is supposed to have been built considerably later than the destruction of Jerusalem, and, in the fourth century, when the eminent men whom we have named lived, was a place of much importance. Its name imports the free city. It lay near what had been the boundary line between Judah and Dan, and is commonly placed about N. lat. 31° 42', E. long. 34° 54'.

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2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for 'she pleaseth me well.

4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an

1 Heb, she is right in mine eyes.

occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did cat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. 10

So his father went down unto the

Heb.in meeting him.

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13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us 'to take that we have? is it not so?

and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his

16 And Samson's wife wept before him, friend. 8 Or, shirts. 4 Heb, to possess us, or to impoverish us.

5 Or, the rest of the seven days, &c,

Or, apparel.

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SAMSON GIVING THE HONEY TO HIS FATHER.-DOMENICHINO.

Verse 1. "Timnath.”—This place was very ancient, it having been mentioned in the time of Jacob. Judah had his sheep shorn in or near Timnath (Gen. xxxviii. 12), his visit to which involved the only stain upon his character with which we are acquainted. The town was at first in the lot of Judah, and afterwards in that of Dan; but we do not know that either tribe ever acquired possession of it (Josh. xv. 57; xix. 43). It is mentioned under the names of Timnah, Timnath, and Timnatha; and is usually stated to have been twelve miles from Eshtaol and six from Adullam. 5. "A young lion roared against him.”—It is evident from this and other passages of Scripture, that lions formerly existed in Judea. Some places, indeed, took their names from the lion, as Lebaoth and Beth-lebaoth (Josh. xv. 32; xix. 6). We do not know that lions are now to be met with in that country; but this is not surprising, as numerous instances might be cited of the disappearance of wild animals, in the course of time, from countries where they were once well known. This is particularly the case with respect to those animals which, like the lion, are no where found in large numbers. Lions have not, however, disappeared from Western Asia. They are still found in Mesopotamia and Babylonia-or rather, on both sides of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. That they existed anciently in Syria (as they do still in the eastern parts of that country), as well as in Mesopotamia, is attested by several ancient writers. Thus Q. Curtius (viii. c. 1) mentions that Lysimachus, when hunting in Syria, had killed a very large lion, single-handed, but not until the animal had torn his shoulder to the bone. The historian mentions this incidentally while relating how Alexander the Great, while hunting, was assailed by a large lion, which he slew. This was thought a great feat even for Alexander, although he was armed with a hunting-spear:-what then shall we say of Samson, who overcame a lion when unprovided with any kind of weapon? It will be observed that "young lion" does not here mean a whelp. for which the Hebrew has quite a different word-but a young lion arrived at its full strength and size, when it is far more fierce than at a later period of its life.

8. "After a time he returned to take her."-She had doubtless been betrothed to him in the first instance, and the "time" mentioned, refers to the interval which it was considered necessary should elapse between the betrothal and actual marriage: that is to say, it was usual for the betrothed bride to remain for a time in the house of her parents, after which the bridegroom came to fetch her home and take her fully as his wife. The length of the interval depended on circumstances. As the young people were often affianced by their parents when mere children, a long interval then elapsed before the completion of the marriage; but when they were already marriageable, the time was shorter, as might be previously agreed upon between the respective parties. Even in such a case, however, the time was seldom less than about ten months or a year, which therefore may be taken to denote the period expressed by "a time," in the present text. The Jews still keep up this custom; the parties being, at the least, betrothed six or twelve months before marriage. After the betrothal, the parties were considered man and wife; and hence a betrothed woman guilty of any criminal intercourse with another was regarded as an adulteress; and if from any cause the husband should be unwilling to complete the engagement, the woman was regularly divorced, like a wife. Yet still, in this time, the man and woman appear to have had little if any communication with each other; but it is difficult to determine exactly the terms on which they socially stood towards each other. Some think that they had no opportunities of even talking together; while others allow that the betrothal entitled the bridegroom to visit the bride at her father's, but without any intimate communication. The latter is the practice among the modern Jews, who retain so much of their ancient oriental ideas as to consider it improper for a young man and woman even to walk together in public without being betrothed; and among whom, therefore, the betrothal merely admits to a restricted courtship. In point of fact, we apprehend that the betrothal was considered necessary to enable a young man to pay to a woman even that limited degree of particular attention which eastern manners allowed. (See Lewis's Origines Hebrææ ;' Jahn's Archæologia ;' and Isaacs's Ceremonies, &c., of the Jews.")

"There was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion."-The preceding note explains in part the present text. It is evident that several months had elapsed between the first and second visit to Timnath, and in that time the carcase of the lion must have been reduced to a clean skeleton; which might form a very suitable receptacle for the bees which abounded in that region. This would be particularly the case, if it remained covered with some portions of the dried skin, or if it was in a secluded place among bushes or high grass, as seems to be implied in the fact of Samson's "turning aside" to look for it, and in its not having been previously discovered by others, who, we may be sure, would have anticipated him in taking the honey. Much less time than the probable interval would amply have sufficed to have rendered the carcase of the lion a perfectly clean habitation for the bees. A day or two for birds, and a night or two for beasts of prey, would, in that country, have cleared the skeleton of every particle of flesh; and, in a few days more, the heat of the sun would absorb all the moisture from the bones and from any portion of the hide which may have been left remaining. There is, therefore, nothing in this fact repugnant to the naturally cleanly habits of bees, and their alleged repugnance to impure smells. Herodotus relates an anecdote somewhat in conformity with this view. He says that the Amathusians revenged themselves on Onesilus, by whom they had been besieged, by cutting off his head which they carried to their city, and hung up over one of its gates. When it became hollow, a swarm of bees settled in it, and filled it with honey-comb (Terpsichore,' 114). Virgil's fourth Georgic, which is devoted to the subject of bees, concludes with the account of an invention by which the race of bees might be replenished or renewed, when diminished or lost. He speaks of it as an art practised in Egypt; and through the absurd distortions of the story, it is not difficult to perceive that it originated in accounts of bees swarming in the carcases of animals. The process, in brief, is to kill a steer two years old, by first stopping his nostrils and then knocking him on the head, so that

"His bowels, bruised within,

Betray no wound in the unbroken skin."

The body is then left in a proper situation; and when the operator repairs thither nine mornings after:—

"Behold a prodigy! for from within

The broken bowels and the bloated skin,

A buzzing sound of bees his ears alarms:

Straight issuing through the sides assembling swarms.

Dark as a cloud they make a wheeling flight,

Then on a neighb'ring tree descending, light:

Like a large cluster of black grapes they show,

And make a large dependence from the bough."-Dryden.

10. "Samson made there a feast."-This feast used to last seven days, as we see by verse 12 (see also the note on Gen. xxix. 27: several other marriage customs are noticed in that chapter, and in chaps. xxiv. and xxxiv); after which the bride was brought home to, or fetched home by, her husband. We must understand probably, in conformity with

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