Teks -- Judges 3:11 (NET)

3:11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Jdg 3:11 - Forty years

It rested about forty years, or the greatest part of forty years: it being most frequent in scripture to use numbers in such a latitude. Nor is it unusual either in scripture, or in other authors, for things to be denominated from the greater part; especially, when they enjoyed some degrees of rest and peace even in their times of slavery.

JFB: Jdg 3:8-11 - sold them

That is, "delivered them"

JFB: Jdg 3:8-11 - into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim

Or, Chushan, "the wicked." This name had been probably given him from his cruel and impious character.

JFB: Jdg 3:8-11 - served Chushan-rishathaim eight years

By the payment of a stipulated tribute yearly, the raising of which must have caused a great amount of labor and privation.

JFB: Jdg 3:11 - Othniel . . . died

How powerful the influence of one good man is, in church or state, is best found in his loss [BISHOP HALL].

TSK: Jdg 3:11 - the land // Othniel

the land : Jdg 3:30, Jdg 5:31, Jdg 8:28; Jos 11:23; Est 9:22

Othniel : Jdg 3:9; Jos 15:17; 1Ch 4:13

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Jdg 3:11 - The land had rest // the land

The land had rest either, first, It rested about forty years, or the greatest part of forty years; it being most frequent in Scripture to use numbers in such a latitude. Thus the Israelites are said to bear their iniquities forty years in the wilderness , Num 14:34 , when there wanted near two years of that number; and to dwell in Egypt four hundred and thirty years , when there wanted many years of that number. Thus Joseph’ s kindred , sent for and called by him into Egypt, are numbered seventy-five souls, Act 7:14 , although they were but seventy, as is affirmed, Gen 46:27 Exo 1:5 . So here

the land is said to

rest forty years , although they were in servitude eight of those years, Jud 3:8 . And in like manner the land is said to have rest eighty years , though eighteen of them they served the king of Moab, Jud 3:14 . And so in some other instances. Nor is it strange and unusual, either in Scripture or in other authors, for things to be denominated from the greater part, as here it was; especially when they did enjoy some degrees of rest and peace, even in their times of slavery, which here they did. Or, secondly, It rested , i.e. began to rest, or recovered its interrupted rest, in the fortieth year , either after Joshua’ s death, or after the first and famous rest procured for them by Joshua, as is noted, Heb 4:9 , when he destroyed and subdued the Canaanites, and gave them quiet possession of the land; and the land had rest from war , as is said, Jos 11:23 14:15 . So there is this difference between the years of servitude and oppression, and those of rest, that in the former he tells us how long it lasted; in the latter, when it began; by which, compared with the other years, it was easy also to know how long the rest lasted. To strengthen this interpretation, two things must be noted.

1. That resting is here put for beginning to rest, as to beget is put for beginning to beget , Gen 5:32 11:26 ; and to reign , for to begin to reign , 2Sa 2:10 ; and to build , 1Ki 6:15,36 , for to begin to build , 2Ch 3:1 .

2. That forty years is put for the fortieth year ; the cardinal number for the ordinal, which is common both in the Holy Scripture, as Gen 1:5 2:11 Exo 12:2 Hag 1:1 Mar 16:2 and in other authors.

Haydock: Jdg 3:11 - Died

Died, "forty years after Josue, according to the chronology of Usher, which we follow," (Calmet) or rather Usher translates the land began to rest "in the fortieth year" from the peace of Josue. He places the death to that leader in the year of the world 2570, and the end of Chusan's dominion 2599; so that, if we deduct 40 years from this last date, we shall come to the year 2559, the sixth of Josue's administration, when he began to divide the conquered lands. He supposes that the peace of Othoniel lasted about 62 years, when Eglon disturbed it for eighteen years. "Aod delivered Israel. After him Samgar appeared, and the land rested till the 80 th year from the peace of Othoniel." Houbigant censures this indiscriminate use of cardinal and of ordinal numbers, and the blending times of servitude with those of peace; (Haydock) and "surely this method of reckoning is very harsh, and contrary to the usual acceptation of words." (Calmet) ---

Yet it is adopted by many. (Worthington) ---

IT may suit to form a system, but can have no solid foundation. (Haydock) ---

The epoch from which Usher dates is no where so distinctly specified, as that we should suppose that the author of the Book of Judges had it in view. Moreover, by this method, we are left to guess how long each of the judges reigned, or how long the peace which they had procured, subsisted. Usher admits that they years of servitude are specified; and, why not also the years of peace, since they are expressed exactly in the same manner? If the ordinal numbers 40th, 80th, &c., were intended, b would be prefixed, as [in] Deuteronomy i. 3.; and this grammatical observation along, suffices to overturn the calculation of Usher. (Houbigant, Proleg.) ---

Salien dates from the death of Josue in 2600, and allows that 40 years elapsed from that period till the decease of Othoniel; including the years which some attribute to the ancients, and to the anarchy; (chap. xvii., &c., to the end,) and also the eight years of servitude; so that instead of a rest of 40 years, we shall find that all was in confusion the greatest part of the time. The idolatry of Israel, which shortly brought on the servitude under Eglon, commenced immediately after the conclusion of these 40 years, when Salien begins to enumerate the years of Aod's government. Thus he does from one judge to another. This system does not indeed make the text bend to uphold it, but it supposes that the sacred writer includes anarchy and servitude under the name of rest. In these matters much is to be supplied by conjecture, and hence the chronological difficulties which infidels propose, to invalidate the authority of the Scripture, can have but little weight, till the learned shall have discovered the exact disposition of former times. The first judge of Israel was of the tribe of Juda. The second was chosen from the almost ruined tribe of Benjamin, as the learned commonly place the dreadful catastrophe which befel that tribe during the anarchy which ensued, and the death of Josue and of the ancients. Aod had no share in the crime. (Haydock)

Gill: Jdg 3:11 - And the land had rest forty years // and Othniel the son of Kenaz died

And the land had rest forty years,.... As it should seem from the time of this deliverance; though, according to Ben Gersom and Abarbinel, the eight years' servitude are to be included in them; and Bishop Usher ^r reckons these forty years from the rest first settled in the land by Joshua; but the former sense seems best:

and Othniel the son of Kenaz died: not at the end of the forty years; it is not likely he should live so long, but when he died is not certain; Eusebius ^s says he judged Israel fifty years.