Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?”

my

"Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites."

"And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said, Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of the Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand."

The word Shibboleth signifies "a stream of water," an expression naturally called for by the circumstances, and the repetition of which would excite no suspicion. The detecting a tribe by a peculiar mode of pronunciation, shows that distinct dialects were already spoken in different parts of the country, in the same manner as in ancient Greece and Italy, and in almost every country in Europe at the present day.

Jephthah judged Israel during six years, until his death.

After the death of Jephthah, the following

Judges are enumerated, of whom nothing memorable is recorded.

Ibzan judged Israel seven years.
Elon judged Israel ten years.
Abdon judged Israel eight years.

The next succeeding judge is Samson, whose history will be given in the following chapter.

CHAPTER VII.

SAMSON'S RIddle. CARRIES AWAY THE GATES

OF GAZA. SLAYS THE PHILISTINES.

REVEALS

THE SECRET OF HIS STRENGTH: HIS DEATH.

THE next oppression to which the Israelites were subjected, in consequence of their falling again into idolatry, was under the Philistines ; a warlike and fierce people inhabiting the southern coast of Canaan, adjoining the tribes of Simeon and Dan. It is observed in the history of the Jews, by the Rev. H. Milman, that the yoke of foreign invaders under which the Israelites had hitherto groaned, however severe and debasing whilst it lasted, was not of long duration; and when once thrown off, the invaders withdrew entirely from the country. But it was not so with the Philistines. They possessed strong fenced cities, Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, close upon the borders of the tribes, indeed

within the territory marked out for their possession; and hither, when defeated in the field, the Philistines retired, and could thus wait in security for a favorable occasion to renew their inroads, and harass the Israelites. In the time of Samson, they appear to have made themselves masters of the whole of the territory belonging to Simeon, and were the oppressors and conquerors of all the southern part of Canaan. They were by far the most formidable enemies the Israelites ever contended with; being remarkable for personal strength, skill in war, and vindictive cruelty.*

The Israelites had suffered during forty years the oppression of the Philistines, when a deliverer was foretold to Manoah, an Israelite of the tribe of Dan. An Angel of the LORD appeared to his wife, and afterwards to himself, and announced that they should have a son, who should "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." They were commanded to bring him up a Nazarite; that is, according to the manner prescribed by Moses to be observed by persons separated from the rest of the people for purposes of devotion, or the fulfilling of a These Nazarites wore their hair long: no razor was to come upon their head; and they drank no strong drink nor even ate of the fruit of the vine. In this remarkable manner the

Vow.

It is supposed by some that the "Shepherd kings," so famous in Egyptian history for their cruelty, were Philistines. + See Numbers vi. 2. "When either man or woman shall

child of Manoah was to be prepared for his great work; and, unlike the vow of the Nazarite which lasted only for a certain time, the discipline was to continue through the whole of his life.

The child was named Samson; and he was brought up by his parents in exact conformity with the command they had received: his hair remained long, he drank neither wine nor strong drink, and was as a Nazarite. He was endued with miraculous strength from God; a strength which he was to exert for the protection of his nation, and the subjugation of the Philistines; but it was left to himself to choose the manner in which he used this extraordinary power; and we shall find that personal revenge and impetuous passion too often guided him, rather than a wise and just resistance to an idolatrous servitude. The first account which we read of Samson, relates the history of his seeking a wife from the Philistines, and the dissension which ensued.

"And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father 66 separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate "themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from "wine and strong drink, or vinegar of strong drink, neither "shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes nor "dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that "is made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk. "All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor until the days be fulfilled in the which "he separated himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and "shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow,"

come upon his head

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."

The parents of Samson were strongly averse to his taking a wife from the idolatrous Philistines but Samson insisted upon having the woman he had seen; and Manoah and his wife at length consented to go down, and demand her in marriage for their son.

"Then went Samson down, and his father and mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath and behold a young lion roared against him. 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. And he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well."

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

"So his father went down to the woman; and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. And it came to pass when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.”