The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

The Book of RUTH. (Book Ruth)

TOwards the aiming and concluding upon the time of the story of the Book of Ruth, these things may not unprofitably be taken into con∣sideration.

• 1. That Salmon who came with Joshua into the land married Ra∣hab, and of her begat Boaz, who married Ruth, Matth. 1. 5.
• 2. That from Salmons coming into the land to the birth of David, were 366 years; namely, 17 of Joshua, 299 of Judges, 40 of Eli, and 10 of Samuel: and yet was this long space of time taken up by four men, viz. Salmon before he begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz before he begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed, before he begat Jesse; and Jesse before he begat David: so that you must al∣low to every one of them near upon a hundred years, before he begat his son.
• 3. That from their coming into Canaan to Ehuds death, were 137 years.
• 4. Now grant that Rahab lived sixty years in Israel before she had Boaz by Salmon; and that Boaz lived an hundred years before he was married to Ruth, both which are fair allowances, yet will this his marriage with Ruth fall but three years after Ehuds death. So that this Book of Ruth may be taken in be∣tween the third and fourth Chapters of the Book of Judges.

The Book of Ruth setteth out the great providence of God in bringing light out of darkness; Ruth a mother of Christ out of the incest of Lot: a special mark over 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the story of Lots eldest daughter, lying with her father, Gen. 19. 34. and a special mark in a great letter in the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in the story of Ruth going to Boaz his bed, Ruth 4. 13. seem to relate one to the other, and both together to point at this providence: Boaz born of a Heathen woman, and married to a Heathen woman, but both these become Israelites and holy. After the reading of the Book of Ruth, the Reader and story return to the fourth of Judges.

JUDGES. CHAP. IV. V.

[World 2691] [Deborah 1] [Deborah 2] DEBORAH and BARAKS forty years begin: Israel after the death [Deborah 3] of Ehud fall to their old Idolatry again, and for that ere long, fall un∣der [Deborah 4] [Deborah 5] oppression. Shamgar got one wonderful victory for them, but wrought [Deborah 6] not a perfect deliverance: Deborab a woman of Ephraim ariseth after him, and [Deborah 7] [Deborah 8] judgeth the people she being a Prophetess, and by the spirit of Prophecy stir∣reth [Deborah 9] up Barak of Nephtali to fight with Sisera whom he overcometh by an ar∣my [Deborah 10] of Galileans: but Sisera himself falleth by the hand of a Proselytess woman; [Deborah 11] [Deborah 12] Then Deborah and Barak sang: Here the man of Nephtali giveth goodly [Deborah 13] words: They tell the sad case of Israel in Shamgars and Jaels times, before the [Deborah 14] [Deborah 15] victory was gotten over Sisera; that men durst not go in the common ways, nor [Deborah 16] dwell in villages and unwalled Towns for fear of the enemy. The rich and [Deborah 17] [Deborah 18] gallant men that used to ride on white Asses, durst not ride in those times, and [Deborah 19] the rulers durst not sit in Judgment for fear of being surprised; and people [Deborah 20] [Deborah 21] durst not go to the Town wells to draw water for fear of the enemies archers; [Deborah 22] but now all these may speak of the actings of God towards the forsaken vil∣lages, [Deborah 23] [Deborah 24] and towards the forlorn places of Judicature in the gates, for they are [Deborah 25] all restored to their proper use again; That now the Lord had given the rem∣nant [Deborah 26] of his people dominion over the great ones that ruled them before; Joshua [Deborah 27] [Deborah 28] of Ephraim had been a root of such victories against Amalek, Exod. 17. and [Deborah 29] Ehud lately against Amalek, Moab, and Ammon, and now the Lord had so stirred [Deborah 30] [Deborah 31] up the hearts of the people to sight the Lords battles, that even the men of the [Deborah 32] best rank, and of the most unmartial profession were yet very ready to jeopard [Deborah 33] themselves in such a quarrel; that the Lawyers of Machir or half Gilead came, [Deborah 34] [Deborah 35] though they lay beyond Jordan, and the Scribes of Zebulon and Princes of Is∣sachar. [Deborah 36] But Reuben and the other half of Gilead on the other side Jordan, and [Deborah 37] [Deborah 38] Dan, not very far from the place of the battle, staid at home, and preferred [Deborah 39] their private imployments before the publick. That the Lord was seen in the [Deborah 40] battle, and by storms and tempests from Heaven, as if the Stars themselves fought against them; he forwardeth their destruction, as he had done for Joshua

and Israel in the valley of Gibeon: that Kishon a river of their antiquities 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a water of much Idolatry among them in ancient time, had now proved their destroyer, and swept away them that vainly, impiously, and foolishly had adored it, &c. Meroz a Town of Galilee that lay very near the place of the battle, yet came not in to help, but played the base neuter, is bitterly cursed, but Jael blessed exceedingly: they of Meroz did Israel no good, though they were of Israel; she a Kenite did Israel so much good, though she were of another Nation.

CHAP. VI. VII. VIII.

[World 2731] [Gedeon 1] GEDEONS forty years begin; they are mentioned Chap. 8. 28. Israel are [Gedeon 2] [Gedeon 3] again spoiled by peace, and after the death of Deborah become Idolatrous; [Gedeon 4] whereupon the Lord in time selleth them into the hands of the Midianites for [Gedeon 5] [Gedeon 6] a woful apprentiship of seven years: these deal more bitterly and cruelly with [Gedeon 7] them, then any enemies they had felt before; old revenge that had lain boiling [Gedeon 8] [Gedeon 9] in the breast of that Nation against Israel for the great slaughter that had been [Gedeon 10] made among them in Moses times, Num. 31. now breaks out; and having [Gedeon 11] [Gedeon 12] power to execute it, grows merciless. Israel addressing themselves to God, have [Gedeon 13] a bitter message from him by a Prophet, yet the Lord forsakes them not; Ge∣deon [Gedeon 14] [Gedeon 15] as he is threshing wheat, is appointed to thresh Midian; he seeth an An∣gel [Gedeon 16] and a miracle, and thereby is incouraged to destroy his fathers Idolatry: so [Gedeon 17] [Gedeon 18] un-reformed is Israel under their affliction, that they retain their Idols still. A [Gedeon 19] bullock of seven years fatting for Baal is mentioned, to shew that even through [Gedeon 20] their seven years calamity under Midian, yet their mind and preparations were [Gedeon 21] [Gedeon 22] still upon, and for their Idols. Gedeon sacrificeth this bullock to God, a sacri∣fice [Gedeon 23] of strange and various dispensations: it was offered by night, in a common [Gedeon 24] place, by a private person, with the wood of an Idolatrous grove, and inten∣ded [Gedeon 25] [Gedeon 26] for an Idol it self; yet an offering of faith, and so accepted. Gedeon by [Gedeon 27] the destruction of Baal, obtaineth the name of Jerubbaal; he hath another sign [Gedeon 28] [Gedeon 29] shewed him by the wet and dry fleece, a proper representation of Israel, wet [Gedeon 30] with the dews of divine doctrine, when all the world besides was dry, and [Gedeon 31] [Gedeon 32] now dry, when all the world besides is wet: by three hundred men that drank [Gedeon 33] of the brook by the way, lifting up their head; as Psal. 110. and carrying lights in [Gedeon 34] earthen vessels, he conquers Midian, as Jericho was conquered, only by a noise [Gedeon 35] [Gedeon 36] and by an amazement. They carried candles in jug-pots, or such kind of [Gedeon 37] earthen vessels, so that no light was to be seen till they had set themselves on all [Gedeon 38] [Gedeon 39] sides of the army, and then they suddenly shout, break their pitchers, and [Gedeon 40] make their candles appear; so that what with their sudden noise, and what with the sudden lights, the heart of Midian trembles, as the curtains of their tents had done in the mans dream of the barly cake: see Hab. 3. 7. Oreb and Zeb taken and slain, and 120000 men; and Zeba and Zalmunna pursued, taken, and their body of 15000 scattered. Gedeon of the jewels of the spoil maketh an Ephod, and setteth it in his own City, which causeth Idolatry in Israel; and the name of Jerubbosheth to himself, 2 Sam. 11. 21.

CHAP. IX.

[World 2771] [Abimelech 1] ABIMELECH usurpeth the Kingdom, having slain his seventy [Abimelech 2] brethren: Jotham on the hill Gerizim, the hill of blessing, denoun∣ceth a curse upon him, and Shechem, which accordingly came to pass; for [Abimelech 3] Abimelech destroyeth Shechem, and is himself slain with a sword and a stone, as he had slain his seventy brethren with a sword upon a stone. Shechem is again a miserable stage of blood-shed as it had been before, Gen. 34.

CHAP. X. Vers. 1, 2.

[World 2774] [Abimelech 1] TOLA of Issachar judgeth twenty three years; he beareth the name [Abimelech 2] [Abimelech 3] of the first-born of Issachar, Gen. 46. 13. He is said to dwell in Shamir, [Abimelech 4] in the hill Country of Ephraim, which may very well be supposed to be Sa∣maria; [Abimelech 5] [Abimelech 6] and so he lived near the place where the late strages and destructi∣on [Abimelech 7] had been made by Abimelech: Shechem from the time of Joshua was de∣signed [Abimelech 8] for the head Town of Israel, till Jerusalem in Davids time obtained [Abimelech 9] [Abimelech 10] that priviledge: For Joseph being reputed the first-born, and this the chief [Abimelech 11] Town of Joseph, it came into that dignity and preheminence; but here it

is laid in the dust by Abimelech. Observe in 1 King. 12. that the Tribes come to Shechem to make Rhehoboam King, for now they begin to stand upon Josephs [Iair 12] priviledge and birth-right again, which Judah had carried all the time of Da∣vid [Iair 13] [Iair 14] and Solomon; when Shechem was thus destroyed by Abimelech, Samaria ari∣seth [Iair 15] by Tola, a man of Issachar, but now a sojourner here. It is probable that [Iair 16] the distracted and low estate of Shechem and Ephraim through the late civil [Iair 17] [Iair 18] wars, did give him the better rise; he himself either taking now advantage for [Iair 19] his own promotion from their helplesness, or the Lord raising him a neighbour [Iair 20] [Iair 21] of another Tribe for their relief when they could not relieve themselves: Issa∣char [Iair 22] is sluggish and unactive at home, as Gen. 49. 14. yet thus active abroad; in [Iair 23] Tola now; and in Baasha in after times, 1 King. 15. 27. and both in and about the same place Shechem and Samaria.

CHAP. X. Ver. 3, 4, 5.

[World 2797] [Iair 1] [Iair 2] JAIR, or Jairus a Gileadite judgeth two and twenty years; he was a man [Iair 3] of great honour, having thirty sons that were lords of thirty Cities, and [Iair 4] that rode upon thirty Asses of state, like Judges or men of honour, as Chap. [Iair 5] 5. 10. This is not that Jair that is mentioned by Moses, [as if he had spoken [Iair 6] of this man and these Towns prophetically,] but this is one of the same family, [Iair 7] and of the same name, as Tola that went before him is of the same name with [Iair 8] the first-born of Issachar, Gen. 46. 13. And whereas it is said by Moses, that [Iair 9] Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small Towns of Gilead, and called them [Iair 10] [Iair 11] Havoth Jair, Numb. 32. 41. Deut. 3. And whereas it is said here that Jairs [Iair 12] thirty sons had thirty Cities which were called Havoth Jair; it is to be understood, [Iair 13] that thirty of those threescore Villages that old Jair had conquered and posses∣sed [Iair 14] in the time of the first plantation of the land; these sons of this Jair being [Iair 15] of this line, had repaired and brought [Iair 16] ELY born in the sixteenth of Jair.] into the form of Cities and dwelt in [Iair 17] [Iair 18] them; and yet they retained their old [Iair 19] name of Havoth Jair for the honour of him that first wan and planted them. [Iair 20] That old Jair was the son of Segub, the son of Prince Hesron by Machirs daugh∣ter, [Iair 21] 1 Chron. 2. 22. and so by his father side of Judah, and by his mothers of [Iair 22] Manasseh.

CHAP. X. from Vers. 6. to the end.

JEphtah a Gileadite ariseth a Judge after Jair; but there is some scruple first to be resolved and removed concerning his time, and the oppression that he was raised to remove. It is said, vers. 6, 7, 8. that Jair died and the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistims, and that year they oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years. Now the question is when these eighteen years began, and whether they are to be taken for a sum of years apart from the years of the Judges, or to be reckon∣ed with them; and what is meant by that expression, and that year they vexed Israel. Answer, These eighteen years are to be reckoned together with the last eighteen years of Jair; and they began with his fifth year: for though he be said to have judged two and twenty years, yet it is not to be so understood, as if no enemy peeped up in all that time, for we shall see the contrary cleared by the Judgeship of Samson: but the meaning is, that the Lord at the first stirred him up for a deliverer, and wrought some great deliverance by him in the beginning of his time; and afterward he continued a Judge, and one that sought the reformation of his people, but he could neither work that to keep them from Idolatry, nor work their total deliverance to keep their enemies under: but in his fifth year Idolatry broke out in Israel, and continued to a horrid increase; so in that very year that this Idolatry broke out, their oppres∣sours broke in upon them, and kept them under for eighteen years, and Jair could not help it, but it continued so till his death: so that the beginning of Vers. 6. is thus to be rendered in Chronical construction. Now the children of Israel had done evil again, &c. This long oppression at last forceth Israel to seek the Lord, and to forsake their Idolatry, and the Lord findeth out Jephtah for a deliverer.

CHAP. XI. & XII. to Ver. 8.

[World 2819] [Iephtach 1] JEPHTAH judgeth six years; subdueth the Ammonites, sacrificeth his own [Iephtach 2] daughter; and destroyeth 42000 Ephraimites. He was the son of Gilead [Iephtach 3] by a concubine; this was not that Gilead that was Machirs immediate son but [Iephtach 4] one that bare the name of that old Gilead, and so we observed of Tola and [Iephtach 5] Jair before: Jair was the chief man in one half of Gilead, and Gilead in ano∣ther. [Iephtach 6]

Jephtah being expelled out of his fathers family for bastardy, betaketh him to arms in the land of Tob in Syria, and prospereth, and thereupon his prowess being heard of, he is called home again and made commander in chief in Gilead. In his transactions with the King of Ammon, he mentioneth three hundred years of Israels dwelling in Heshbon and Aroer, &c. in which sum, five and thirty of the forty years in the wilderness are included; in which they were hovering upon those parts, although they dwelt not in them: it was now three hundred and five years since their coming out of Egypt.

His vow concerning his daughter may be scanned in these particulars: 1. That his vow in general was of persons, for 1. he voweth that whatsoever should come forth of the doors of his house. 2. Whatsoever should come to meet him; now it is not likely nor proper to understand this of Sheep and Bullock; for who can think of their coming out of his house, much less of their coming to meet him. 3. How poor a business was it to vow to sacrifice a Bullock or Sheep for such a victory? Therefore his vow relateth to persons, and so might it be translated, Whosoever cometh forth. 2. What would he do with his vow∣ed person? Make him a Nazarite? He might vow the thing, but the perfor∣mance lay upon the persons own hand. Dedicate him to the Sanctuary? Why he might not serve there as not being a Levite. Sequester him from the world? He might indeed imprison him, but otherwise the sequestring from the world lay upon the persons own hand still. Suppose one of his married maid servants or man-servants or his own wife had met him first, what would he have done with any of them? Therefore I am inforced by the weighing of these and other circumstances in the Text, to hold with them, that hold he sacrifi∣ced his daughter indeed, though I have been once of another mind. And it seemeth that this was a part of the corruption of those times, and was but mutato nomine, a sacrifice to Molech, the God of the Ammonites, against whom he was now to go to sight when he maketh this vow. The Sanhedrin un∣doubtedly was now sitting, and there was the Priest-hood attending upon the Ark at Shiloh, and yet is Israel now so little acquainted with the Law, that neither the Sanhedrin, nor the Priests can resolve Jephtah that his vow might have been redeemed, Levit. 27. But they suffer her thus to be massacred, and only salve it with making a statute for her yearly lamentation. In some time of the Judges, the High-priesthood is translated from the line of Eleazer to the line of Ithamar, as appeareth in Eli in the beginning of the Book of Samuel. Now in all the story of the Judges, we find not any one thing so likely to be the cause of rooting out of that house from the Priest-hood, as about this matter of Jephtah, they not instructing him better, but suffering such a butchery for a sacrifice.

Jephtah hath a new quarrel with the Ephraimites, and slayeth 42000 of them, discovering them by the mis-pronouncing of a letter: he might have offered many words that had Sh double in them; as Shemesh, the Sun; Shelosha, three; Shalsheleh, a chain; but the word proposed is Shiboleh, because of the present occasion: It signifieth a stream; and the Ephraimites are put to call the stream that they desired to pass over, by the right name, and they could not name it.

CHAP. XII. Vers. 8, 9, 10.

[World 2825] [Iephtach 1] [Iephtach 2] IBSAN judgeth seven years: He was a man of Bethlehem, and thereupon [Iephtach 3] imagined by the Jews to be Boaz without any ground or reason: for since [Iephtach 4] [Iephtach 5] Rahab the mother of Boaz was taken into the Congregation of Israel were 270 [Iephtach 6] years; and then guess whether Boaz be likely to be active now? Ibsan is re∣nowned [Iephtach 7] for the number and equality of the number of his sons and daughters.

CHAP. XIII. And CHAP. XII. Vers. 11, 12.

[World 2832] [Elon 1] ELON judgeth ten years: He was a Galilean of Zebulon. In the tenth [Elon 2] year of Ibsan, the Philistims forty years of oppressing begin mentioned [Elon 3] Chap. 13. verse 1. Samson is born about this year if not in it, for when the [Elon 4] Angel telleth of his conception, the Philistims were lords over Israel; see [Elon 5] verse 5. The story of his birth is joyned to the story of his life, that there [Elon 6] might be no interruption in the story of the Judges before him, and that the [Elon 7] whole history of his life and birth might lie together; but in Chronical Series [Elon 8] it lieth about the beginning of the rule of Elon.

[Elon 9] [Elon 10] JESSE the father of DAVID born by this time, if not before.

CHAP. XII. Vers. 13, 14, 15.

[World 2842] [Elon 1] ABDON judgeth eight years: He is exceedingly renowned for his [Elon 2] children, having as many young Nobles and Gallants to his sons and [Elon 3] granchildren, as would make a whole Sanhedrin; namely seventy, and him∣self [Elon 4] the Head. He was an Ephraimite of Pirathon; and so Josephs glory [Elon 5] shineth again in Ephraim, as it had done in Joshua before the time of the [Elon 6] Judges; and had done in Manasseh in the Judges times, in Gedeon, Jair, [Elon 7] and Jephtah. Ephraims low estate in the matter of Abimelech and Shechem, is [Elon 8] now somewhat recovered in Abdon.

CHAP. XIV. XV. XVI.

[World 2850] [Elon 1] SAMSON judgeth twenty years: A man of Dan, [and so as Ephraim [Elon 2] and Dan had bred the first Idolatry, they yield the last Judges;] he [Elon 3] was born supernaturally of a barren woman, and becomes the first Nazarite [Elon 4] we have upon record. He killeth a lion without any weapons, findeth ho∣ney [Elon 5] in the carkass, proposeth a parable to thirty Philistim gallants, which [Elon 6] in three days they cannot unriddle: and on the seventh day, saith the Text, [Elon 7] they said unto his wife, Perswade thy husband, Chap. 14. vers. 15. That is, [Elon 8] on the Sabbath day; their irreligiousness not minding that day, and now [Elon 9] finding the fittest opportunity of talking with his wife alone, Samson being [Elon 10] imployed about the Sabbath duties. He pays them with their own Country∣mens [Elon 11] spoil: Fires the Philistims corn with three hundred Foxes; is destroy∣ing [Elon 12] them all his life, but destroys more at his death: A type of Christ.

[Elon 13] It is observable that the Philistims are said to bear rule and oppress Israel [Elon 14] all Samsons days, Chap. 13. 1. The Lord delivered Israel into the hands of the [Elon 15] Philistims forty year, and Chap. 15. 20. And Samson judged Israel in the days [Elon 16] of the Philistims twenty years. This helpeth clearly to understand that the [Elon 17] years of the oppressours are included in the years of the Judge; and so [Elon 18] endeth the Chronicle of the Book of Judges in the death of Samson, though [Elon 19] the posture of the Book it self do end in another story. No Judge of all [Elon 20] the twelve had fallen into the enemies hand, and under their abuse but only Samson; but he slayeth more at his death then while he was living.