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territory of the Philistines. Now the punishment of Israel, 

 in the servitude under Sisera, was in consequence of their 

 apostacj and disobedience " after the death of Ehud," 

 (Jud. 3. 1.) who had conquered the Moabites on the most 

 Easterly frontier, so that Deborah, in the North, recognized 

 Shatngar in the West, as a legitimate Judge, and the text ex- 

 expressly relates that the defection meriting the punishment of 

 Israel from the Northern independent states, took place after 

 the death of the Judge, who had conquered in the East; 

 which seems clearly to indicate, that the Judges were succes- 

 sive, and their services universally acknowledged and gene- 

 rally effectual. And the complaint against the several tribes 

 who refused to assist in the war against Hazor evidently 

 supposes that, as the oppression was common to them all, 

 ihe danger should have been equally so, (v. 17.) " Gilead 

 abode beyond Jordan, Dan remained in ships, Asher con- 

 tinued on the sea-shore and abode in his breaches," while 

 " Zebulun and Napthali jeoparded their lives," (v. 18.) 

 " Reuben dwelt among the sheep-folds," (v. 15. 16.) but 

 Issachar joined Barak, (v. 15.) and Ephraim and Benjamin 

 Avere also his auxiliaries, (v. 14.) So that almost all the 

 tribes of Israel are mentioned as useful auxiliaries,, or as 

 faithless neutrals in this war. It is to be observed also, that 

 Reuben, whose dissentions and infidelity to the common 

 cause is lamented with so much force and pathos, is upon 

 the borders of Moab, and, of course, wovdd be subjectefl- 



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