| JUDGES |
| Explanatory Footnotes |
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| 1:7 Thumbs and Big Toes A person lacking thumbs and big toes could not grip a weapon or run quickly. So cutting off those appendages guaranteed a captured enemy would never fight again. 4:9 Honor to a Woman The only woman leader in Judges, Deborah had won unquestioned respect. She sent for Barak to lead the army, but he was unwilling to go into battle without her. Deborah predicted that the real hero of the battle would be a woman. 6:37 Putting Out a Fleece How much proof of God's will does one person need? Though the angel of the Lord had assured Gideon of success, he took fright and wanted to doublecheck, then triple-check, by asking for miracles. In some circles today, "putting out a fleece" has come to mean asking God to do something unusual to confirm his guidance. However, Gideon's action seems more like a lack of faith than a model of seeking guidance from God. 8:14 Early Literacy Some scholars argue that much of the Old Testament was handed down by word of mouth and only written at a much later time. This brief mention of a young man's ability to write suggests that literacy was widespread even at this early date - and thus that the Old Testamant books could have been written soon after the events they describe. 11:6 A Man Like David Jephthah, like King David to come, was an outlaw who gained leadership experience at the head of a small band of adventurers. Israel turned to him when they needed military leadership, as they later would turn to David. Yet Jephthah's reputation never equaled David's, and the reason must have something to do with his lack of |