Judges Chapter 10 — Minor Judges and Israel's Repentance
After the judges Tola and Jair, Israel falls back into idolatry and is oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites, eventually repenting before God.
1After Abimelech, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
2He judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3After him Jair, the Gileadite, arose. He judged Israel twenty-two years.
4He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts. They had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD, and didn’t serve him.
7The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
8They troubled and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9The children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was very distressed.
10The children of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.”
11The LORD said to the children of Israel, “Didn’t I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more.
14Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!”
15The children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, please, today.”
16They put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped in Mizpah.
18The people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Judges 10:13
“Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more.”
This reflects God's initial refusal to intervene, highlighting the seriousness of Israel's recurring apostasy.
Judges 10:16
“They put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”
This verse demonstrates the sincerity of Israel's repentance and God's compassionate response to His people's suffering.
Chapter Summary
Judges 10 begins with the peaceful judgeships of Tola and Jair, who led Israel for a combined forty-five years. Following their deaths, the Israelites again abandoned the Lord to serve various foreign gods, including the Baals and the gods of Syria and Sidon. In response, God allowed the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress Israel for eighteen years, causing great distress across the Jordan and into Judah and Ephraim. When Israel cried out for help, God reminded them of His previous deliverances and initially told them to seek help from the idols they had chosen. However, as the Israelites confessed their sins and removed their foreign gods, the Lord was moved by their suffering. The chapter concludes with the Ammonites preparing for war and the leaders of Gilead searching for a commander to lead them in battle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tola was a man of Issachar who judged Israel for twenty-three years, and Jair was a Gileadite who judged for twenty-two years. They are often called minor judges because the text provides few details about their exploits compared to others like Gideon or Samson.
God reminded the Israelites that He had saved them many times before, yet they continued to abandon Him for other gods. He told them to cry out to the idols they had chosen, testing the sincerity of their repentance before He acted.
The children of Israel were troubled and oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites for eighteen years. This intense distress eventually led them to confess their sins, put away their foreign idols, and return to serving the Lord.
Study Note
The mention of thirty sons riding thirty donkey colts in verse 4 is a sign of significant wealth and high social status in the ancient Near East.
Related Chapters
Judges 2
Explains the recurring cycle of apostasy and deliverance that characterizes the entire book of Judges.
Judges 11
Continues the narrative with the rise of Jephthah to lead Israel against the Ammonite threat mentioned in chapter 10.
1 Samuel 12
Samuel references the cycle of judges and the people's repentance when addressing Israel later in their history.
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