Judges 11:17

Jdg 11:17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken [thereto]. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not [consent]: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

Ver. 17. Then Israel sent messengers.] Apologies in some cases are very necessary - if not vocal, yet real - to stop an open mouth, and clear up our innocency.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(17) Unto the king of Edom.—As narrated in Num_20:14, seq. Even if Jephthah had no written documents before him to which he could refer, the events which he recounts were not so distant as to have been forgotten.

Unto the king of Moab.—This is not recorded in the Pentateuch, but the Israelites did not enter the territory of Moab (Deu_2:9; Deu_2:36). The Arnon bounded Moab from the Amorites (Num_21:13), and Israel encamped upon its banks.

Abode in Kadesh.—“Many days” (Deu_2:1). Probably they were encamped at Kadesh during a great part of the forty years (Deu_2:14).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. Abbreviated from Num_20:14-18 JE. Edom lay to the S. and S.E. of Palestine. There is no mention elsewhere of the embassy to Moab.

Let me, I pray thee] The nation as a whole is personified, a not uncommon idiom; cf. Jdg_11:12, Jdg_20:23, Num_20:18 etc. In Jdg_11:19, Num_20:17; Num_20:19 the plur. and sing, interchange.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then they went along the wilderness,.... The wilderness of Paran, which lay along the borders of Edom; they went, according to Jarchi, from the west to the east on the south border of Edom and Moab:

and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab; all the south of the land of Edom, and all the south of the land of Moab; towards the sunrising, as in Num 21:11.

and pitched on the other side of Arnon; the river Arnon, which, according to Jarchi, was at the east end of the land of Moab, where began the country of Sihon and Og:

but came not within the border of Moab; so far were they from attempting to take away any part of that land from the king of it, though ill treated by him:

for Arnon was the border of Moab; which divided between Moab and the Amorites, Num 21:13.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Moab. This is not specified by Moses, but he sufficiently insinuates that he had done it, Deuteronomy ii. 8, 9. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Peaceably, and did not revenge their unkindness and inhumanity, as they could have done.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. In like manner they sent unto the king of Moab — This fact is not recorded in the Pentateuch along with the other facts here mentioned, for it was a matter of comparatively little moment with Moses to record the refusal of Moab after he had mentioned that of Edom, but it was important for the purpose of Jephthah’s argument.

Some have wondered why so much is here said about Moab in a message to the king of Ammon; but it should be noticed that as Jephthah, who really represented only the eastern tribes of Israel, speaks as the representative of all Israel, so the king of Ammon represents the children of Lot.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I Pray thee, pass through thy land. (country in A.V Num_20:17) The words in italics are found in Num_20:14, Num_20:17. And Israel abode in Kadesh. These words are in Num_20:1; see also Deu_1:46. The king of Edom would not hearken. This is related in substance in Num_20:18-21. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab. There is no mention of this in the Mosaic narrative. The knowledge of it must have been preserved either by tradition or in some other now lost writings; perhaps in the Book of the Wars of the. (Num_21:14) It is in itself very probable that such a message should have been sent to the king of Moab, whose territories Israel was forbidden to meddle with. (Deu_2:9, Deu_2:19)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Abode - Peaceably, and did not revenge their unkindness as they could have done.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Jephthah's messengers continue to speak.

When Israel sent messengers

The messengers were sent by the leaders of Israel. AT: "When the leaders of Israel sent messengers" (See: Synecdoche)

pass through

"go through" or "cross"

would not listen

This phrase is an idiom that means to "refuse." AT: "refused" or "denied their request" (See: Idiom)

They also sent messengers to the king of Moab

The reason that Israel sent messengers to the king of Moab can be made explicit. AT: "They also send messengers to the king of Moab with the same request" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

but he refused

The king of Moab refused Israel's request to pass through Moab. The full meaning of this statement can be made clear. AT: "but he also refused and would not let them pass through the land of Moab" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Arnon

This is the name of a river. See how you translated this in Judges 11:13.

translationWords

Israel

messenger

king

Edom

Moab

Kadesh

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Please allow me to traverse your country. From south to north, in order to enter the land of Canaan.

To the king of Moav as well. Whose country bordered the extremity of the land of Edom, east of Edom, and south of Eretz Yisroel.

And he refused. Moshe alludes to this in the Torah, "As perpetrated against me by the Bnei Eisov residing at Sair, and the Moavites residing at Ar." Just as Edom refused them permission to pass, so did Moav refuse them permission to pass.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.