JugesChapitre 10

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After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.

He judged Israel twenty-three years, and then he died and was buried in Shamir.

After him rose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.

He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.*

Then Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Again the Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him.

So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites.

That year they shattered and crushed the Israelites, and for eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to make war on Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in dire distress.

Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD: "We have sinned against you. We have abandoned our God and served the Baals."

And the LORD said to the Israelites: "Did I not save you from Egypt, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines?

When the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, I saved you from their hand.

But you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more.

Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of distress."

But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to you—only deliver us this day, we beg you."

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he could no longer bear Israel's misery.

The Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, "Whoever takes the lead in fighting the Ammonites will be head over all who live in Gilead."

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Résumé2

Chapitre 10

Main Theme: Israel's apostasy, God's discipline, and the people's repentance preparing the way for a new judge.

Content: After the judges Tola and Jair, Israel again falls into idolatry and serves the gods of seven surrounding nations. God hands them over to the Philistines and Ammonites for 18 years. When Israel cries out to God, He reminds them of past deliverance and initially rejects their plea. But when the people remove their idols and turn back to the Lord, He is moved by their suffering, and the leaders of Gilead seek a commander against the Ammonites.

Key Words/Images:

Minor Judges (Tola and Jair): Two judges who led Israel for a total of 45 years during a relatively peaceful period.
Idolatry: Israel served gods from seven nations—the most extensive apostasy described in Judges.
"Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen": God's sharp rejection shows that apostasy has consequences.
"His soul was grieved over the misery of Israel": God's compassion prevails when the people show genuine repentance.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for Judges 10

People

Tola son of Puah (תּוֹלָע בֶּן־פּוּאָה) was from the tribe of Issachar, but settled in the hill country of Ephraim—something unusual since tribes normally stayed within their allotted territories. His name means "worm" or "scarlet" (the Hebrew word is also used for the scarlet dye derived from a certain insect). The expression בֶּן־דּוֹדוֹ can be understood as "his cousin" (literally "son of his uncle") rather than a proper name, which creates uncertainty about the exact family relationship.

Jair of Gilead (יָאִיר הַגִּלְעָדִי) represents a judge with significant social and economic status. His thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys symbolized wealth and influence, since donkeys were the prestige animals for leaders in that era (cf. Judg 5:10; 12:14). The name Jair ("he enlightens/awakens") also appears in Num 32:41, where a Jair captured villages in Gilead—this chapter explicitly links those villages to the judge.

Places

Shamir (שָׁמִיר) in the hill country of Ephraim is difficult to locate with certainty. Some scholars identify it with Khirbet Samara north of Shechem, while others suggest sites further south. The location's position in the Ephraimite hills, despite Tola being from Issachar, may indicate political instability or strategic considerations.

Havvoth-Jair (חַוֺּת יָאִיר, "Jair's village settlements") were located in the Gilead region east of the Jordan. The term havvot refers to small, unfortified villages or nomadic settlements, typical of the semi-nomadic life in Transjordan. Archaeologically, there are traces of Iron Age settlements in this area that may correspond to such village clusters.

Kammon (קָמוֹן), where Jair was buried, is traditionally identified with Qamm in northern Gilead, about 10 km northwest of Irbid in present-day Jordan. The place is also mentioned in Egyptian sources from the second millennium B.C.E.

Mizpah (מִּצְפָּה, "the lookout") in Gilead was a gathering place for the Israelites. This is likely a different location than Mizpah in Benjamin (Judg 20:1). Gilead-Mizpah can be identified with several possible sites, including Khirbet Jal'ad.

Events and Customs

The chapter's list of foreign gods is the most extensive in the Book of Judges. The Israelites worshipped gods from seven different categories: the Baals (הַבְּעָלִים), the Ashtoreths (הָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת), the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab (probably Chemosh), the gods of Ammon (Milcom), and the gods of the Philistines (Dagon and others). The number seven may symbolize complete apostasy. This religious syncretism reflects cultural pressure under which Israel absorbed cults from all its neighboring peoples.

The dialogue between God and Israel in verses 10–16 is unique in the Book of Judges. God's response—"Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen"—represents a form of "divine sarcasm" found in prophetic literature (cf. Isa 44:9–20). The people's response, removing foreign gods and humbling themselves before God's judgment, shows a deeper repentance than earlier in the book.

Key Terms

The expression "his soul was grieved over Israel's distress" (וַתִּקְצַר נַפְשׁוֹ בַּעֲמַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, verse 16) is remarkably theological. The verb קצר literally means "to become short," and the expression describes an intense emotional reaction—here God's own pain over the people's suffering and distress. The same expression is used for human impatience (Num 21:4; Judg 16:16), but when applied to God, it reveals profound divine compassion.

The verb "crushed and oppressed" (וַיִּרְעֲצוּ וַיְרֹצְצוּ, verse 8) uses two synonymous verbs for crushing/oppressing in an intensifying construction. This literary device (paronomasia) emphasizes the severity of the oppression and was likely used orally for rhetorical effect.

Personnages5

Tola1 Puva1 Ja'ir (Son of Manasseh, captured villages in Gilead)3 Abimelech1 Dodo1

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Mots-clés9

Tola — A judge in Israel who led the nation for 23 years and helped maintain peace and justice.
Ja'ir — Another judge in Israel who ruled for 22 years and sought to promote justice and stability in the land.
Ammonites — An ancient Semitic people group who were enemies of Israel and often came into conflict with them.
Philistines — Another hostile people group against Israel, known for their military strength and conflicts with the Israelites.
Ba'al — A Canaanite god whom the Israelites began to worship, leading them away from their own God.
Gilead — An area east of the Jordan River inhabited by the Israelites that played an important role in the stories in the book of Judges.
Repentance — Sorrow and regret over past actions, especially regarding turning away from God and worshipping other gods.
Jephthah — A judge and warrior chosen to lead Israel in battle against the Ammonites, who made a vow to God to sacrifice the first person he met upon returning home after victory.
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