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This appears to me evidently to mean, that in the last year 

 of Jair, they had already oppressed Gilcad 18 years, and the 

 text proceeds to relate, " that Amnion passed over Jordan 

 to tio-ht against Judah, Benjamin, and Epiiraim, so that 

 Israel was sore distressed," which I thns interpret, that after 

 having oppressed Gilcad 18 years, to the last year of Jair, 

 they then joined and passed the Jordan, to subjugate the 

 other adjacent tribes. This will explain to us (v. 10. 18.) the 

 account of the '■'• princes and people, of Gilead" assembling to 

 select a chief and leader, viz. in the room of Jair, who was 

 a Gileadite; for if tlie 18 years of servitude followed his death, 

 how could the people be that year united in opposition to 

 their enemies, and assembled for the purposes of legislation? 

 But by the other hypothesis which I adopt, it is sufficiently 

 clear, that the Ammonites, invading the trides on the other 

 side of the Jordan, the year of Jair's death, those tribes rose 

 to repel the invaders, and Gilead revolted upon the prospect 

 of assistance from their brethren ; for the text continues the 

 narration, " Israel encamped at Mizpeh against the Ammonites 

 in Gilgal." Jephthah, their countryman, was the choice of 

 the princes, and elected their chief; he delivered them from 

 their enemies, and " judged Israel si.x years." (Jud. 16. 7-) 

 Two arguments are almost decisive for this interpretation of 

 the text: first, the continuance of the Israelites in the behef 

 and worship of the true God, will be, on the contrary system, 

 very contradictory to the invariable tenor of their former 



habits 



