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Nach YomiJudges · שופטיםChapter 10

Judges 10

שופטים פרק י״

Section: נביאים · נביאים ראשונים | Book: Judges | Chapter: 10 of 21 | Day: 34 of 742

Date: March 17, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Judges 10 serves as a pivotal transitional chapter in the book, bridging the catastrophic aftermath of Abimelech’s self-destructive reign with the rise of Jephthah in the chapters that follow. The chapter divides neatly into two literary units: a brief notice of the “minor judges” Tola and Jair (verses 1-5), and a far more elaborate account of Israel’s apostasy, divine rebuke, and eventual repentance (verses 6-18). This bipartite structure is itself significant, as the quiet stability of the minor judges contrasts sharply with the theological crisis that erupts the moment their tenure ends.

The opening verses record Tola ben Puah of Issachar and Jair the Gileadite in the characteristically terse style reserved for the so-called minor judges. Tola “arose to deliver Israel” (vayakam lehoshia et yisrael), yet the text offers no narrative of military exploit or divine calling — only twenty-three years of unnarrated leadership. Jair receives slightly more color: his thirty sons riding thirty donkeys and governing thirty towns in Gilead (havvot yair) paint a picture of dynastic prosperity. The Hebrew wordplay on “ayarim” — meaning both “donkeys” and “towns” — is a deliberate literary flourish that underscores the family’s wealth and territorial control. Radak raises the intriguing chronological question of whether this Jair is identical with the Jair ben Manasseh of the Torah, a problem that highlights the compressed and allusive nature of the Judges narrative.

The chapter’s theological center lies in verses 6-16, which present the most elaborate iteration of the recurring Judges cycle of sin, oppression, crying out, and deliverance. What distinguishes this instance is its unprecedented severity. The catalogue of seven foreign deities — the Baalim, the Ashtarot, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the Philistines — represents the most comprehensive list of apostasy in the entire book. Rashi, drawing on the Talmud (Beitzah 25b), notes that these seven idolatries correspond precisely to the seven past salvations God recounts in His response. The symmetry is theologically pointed: each act of divine mercy has been answered by a new betrayal. Most damning is the final clause, “they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him” (vayaazvu et Hashem velo avaduhu) — they did not even maintain worship of God alongside the foreign gods, a total abandonment that the commentators uniformly emphasize.

God’s response in verses 11-14 is unlike anything earlier in Judges. Rather than immediately raising a deliverer, God refuses. The divine speech, delivered through a prophet according to Radak and Metzudat David, recounts a history of salvations and then declares, “I will not deliver you again” (lo osif lehoshia etkhem). The bitter irony of verse 14 — “Go cry to the gods you have chosen; let them deliver you” — marks the only moment in Judges where God explicitly withholds salvation and challenges Israel to test the power of their idols. This rhetorical strategy forces a deeper repentance than the formulaic crying out that had sufficed in earlier cycles.

Israel’s response in verses 15-16 represents a qualitative shift in their teshuvah (repentance). They do not merely cry out in distress; they confess guilt, submit to divine judgment (“do to us as You see fit”), and — crucially — back their words with action by removing the foreign gods from their midst (vayasiru et elohei hanekhar mikirbam). The anthropomorphic expression that follows, “His soul grew short with the misery of Israel” (vatiktzar nafsho ba’amal yisrael), is one of the most striking theological statements in the book. Rashi explains it as God being unable to contain His compassion, while Rambam (as Radak reports) interprets “nafsho” as “His will” — God’s desire to prolong their punishment simply ceased. The chapter closes with both armies assembled and a leadership vacuum in Israel, as the officers of Gilead offer the chieftainship to anyone willing to lead the fight against Ammon. This open question — “Who is the man who will begin to fight?” (mi ha’ish asher yachel lehilachem) — is the narrative hook that draws the reader directly into the Jephthah story of chapter 11, one of the most complex and tragic episodes in all of Judges.

פרק י״ · Chapter 10

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֩קׇם֩ אַחֲרֵ֨י אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ לְהוֹשִׁ֣יעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל תּוֹלָ֧ע בֶּן־פּוּאָ֛ה בֶּן־דּוֹד֖וֹ אִ֣ישׁ יִשָּׂשכָ֑ר וְהוּא־יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּשָׁמִ֖יר בְּהַ֥ר אֶפְרָֽיִם׃

English:

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, of Issachar,aof Issachar Or “Issachar’s man in charge”; cf. 7.14. arose to deliver Israel. He lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

After the destruction caused by Abimelech, Tola from the tribe of Issachar rises as a judge to restore stability to Israel. Radak notes that even Abimelech, despite his flaws, served a deliverer role, and Tola continued that function from his base in the Ephraimite hill country.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
בֶּן דּוֹדוֹ. כָּךְ שְׁמוֹ:
Ben Dodo. This was his name.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁפֹּט֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וְשָׁלֹ֖שׁ שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּ֖מׇת וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר בְּשָׁמִֽיר׃ {פ}

English:

He led Israel for twenty-three years; then he died and was buried at Shamir.

Tola's twenty-three year judgeship ends quietly with his death and burial at Shamir. Metzudat David notes that his final year overlapped with Jair's tenure, following the chronology established in Seder Olam.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֣קׇם אַחֲרָ֔יו יָאִ֖יר הַגִּלְעָדִ֑י וַיִּשְׁפֹּט֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּשְׁתַּ֖יִם שָׁנָֽה׃

English:

After him arose Jair the Gileadite, and he led Israel for twenty-two years.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַֽיְהִי־ל֞וֹ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים בָּנִ֗ים רֹֽכְבִים֙ עַל־שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים עֲיָרִ֔ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים עֲיָרִ֖ים לָהֶ֑ם לָהֶ֞ם יִקְרְא֣וּ ׀ חַוֺּ֣ת יָאִ֗יר עַ֚ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֥רֶץ הַגִּלְעָֽד׃

English:

(He had thirty sons, who rode on thirty burros and owned thirty boroughsbburros…boroughs Imitating the pun in the Heb., which employs ʻayarim first in the sense of “donkeys” and then in the sense of “towns.” in the region of Gilead; these are called Havvoth-jaircHavvoth-jair I.e., “the villages of Jair”; cf. Num. 32.41. to this day.)

Jair's wealth and prominence are demonstrated through his thirty sons, each riding a donkey and governing a town in Gilead. The Hebrew wordplay on 'ayarim' (donkeys/towns) underscores the family's status, and Radak questions whether this Jair is the same as the one mentioned in the Torah, given the chronological difficulty.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
עֲיָרִים. (תרגום:) עוּלִין, סוּסִים בְּחוּרִים: וּשְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים לָהֶם. וּשְׁלֹשִׁים עָרִים בְּלֹא חוֹמָה לָהֶם, לְכָךְ נִקְרְאוּ עֲיָרִים, לְשׁוֹן עֲיָירוֹת:
Thoroughbreds.עוּלִין,1This is Targum Yonasan’s translation. the choicest horses. They owned thirty towns. They owned thirty unwalled municipalities. This is why they are described as עַיָרִים, "towns", meaning the same as עַיָירָוֹת.2Rather than עָרִים meaning walled cities.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֣מׇת יָאִ֔יר וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּקָמֽוֹן׃ {פ}

English:

Then Jair died and was buried at Kamon.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַיֹּסִ֣יפוּ ׀ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת הָרַע֮ בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וַיַּעַבְד֣וּ אֶת־הַבְּעָלִ֣ים וְאֶת־הָעַשְׁתָּר֡וֹת וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲרָם֩ וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֨י צִיד֜וֹן וְאֵ֣ת ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י מוֹאָ֗ב וְאֵת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֔וֹן וְאֵ֖ת אֱלֹהֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וַיַּעַזְב֥וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א עֲבָדֽוּהוּ׃

English:

The Israelites again did what was offensive to GOD. They served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth,dAshtaroth See note at 2.13. and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines; they forsook and did not serve GOD.

Israel's apostasy reaches its worst level yet, as the text lists seven distinct foreign gods they worshipped. Rashi emphasizes that they abandoned God completely — not even worshipping Him alongside these idols, which made this betrayal especially total.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אֶת הַבְּעָלִים וְגוֹ׳. שֶׁבַע עֲבוֹדוֹת זָרוֹת נִמְנוּ כָּאן: וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת ה׳ וְלֹא עֲבָדוּהוּ. אֲפִילוּ בְּשׁוּתָּפוּת עִם אֵלּוּ:
The Baals. Seven pagan gods are enumerated here.3Beitzah, 25:b. “The deities of Aram, Tzidon, etc.” does not explain where the Baals and Ashteros were worshiped, but lists deities in addition to them. Hence, the total is seven. They abandoned Adonoy, and did not worship Him. Not even concurrently with these.4Otherwise, “and did not worship Him” is redundant. (Beitzah, ibid).

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיִּמְכְּרֵם֙ בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּבְיַ֖ד בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃

English:

And GOD, incensed with Israel, surrendered them to the Philistines and to the Ammonites.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַֽיִּרְעֲצ֤וּ וַיְרֹֽצְצוּ֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בַּשָּׁנָ֖ה הַהִ֑יא שְׁמֹנֶ֨ה עֶשְׂרֵ֜ה שָׁנָ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן בְּאֶ֥רֶץ הָאֱמֹרִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּגִּלְעָֽד׃

English:

That year they battered and shattered the Israelites—forefor Meaning of Heb. uncertain; perhaps “enough for” or “continuing for.” eighteen years—all the Israelites beyond the Jordan, in [what had been] the land of the Amorites in Gilead.

Immediately upon Jair's death, the Ammonites begin an eighteen-year oppression of the Israelite tribes east of the Jordan. Rashi explains that the Transjordanian tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh bore the brunt because they were the Ammonites' nearest neighbors.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִיא. כְּשֶׁמֵּת יָאִיר: אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. אֶרֶץ רְאוּבֵן וְגָד וַחֲצִי הַמְּנַשֶּׁה, שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁכֵנֵיהֶם:
That year when Yair died. Across the Yardein. The territory of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menasheh; they were neighbors.5Of the Ammonites. See below, ch.11.

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַיַּעַבְר֤וּ בְנֵֽי־עַמּוֹן֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לְהִלָּחֵ֛ם גַּם־בִּיהוּדָ֥ה וּבְבִנְיָמִ֖ין וּבְבֵ֣ית אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַתֵּ֥צֶר לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מְאֹֽד׃

English:

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to make war on Judah, Benjamin, and the House of Ephraim. Israel was in great distress.

The Ammonites escalate the conflict by crossing the Jordan to attack the western tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, spreading the crisis across all of Israel and causing extreme national distress.

פסוק י״ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר חָטָ֣אנוּ לָ֔ךְ וְכִ֤י עָזַ֙בְנוּ֙ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ וַֽנַּעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הַבְּעָלִֽים׃ {פ}

English:

Then the Israelites cried out to GOD, “We stand guilty before You, for we have forsaken our God and served the Baalim.”

Under the weight of oppression, Israel cries out to God with a confession acknowledging their double sin. Metzudat David explains the twofold nature of their guilt: they both abandoned God and actively served the Baalim.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֲלֹ֤א מִמִּצְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמִן־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י וּמִן־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן וּמִן־פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃

English:

But GOD said to the Israelites, “[I have rescued you] from the Egyptians, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines.

God responds through a prophet by recounting the many times He saved Israel — from Egypt, the Amorites, Ammonites, and Philistines. Rashi notes that God lists seven salvations, corresponding precisely to the seven foreign gods Israel worshipped.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
הֲלֹא מִמִּצְרַיִם. שֶׁבַע תְּשׁוּעוֹת יֵשׁ כָּאן, כְּנֶגֶד שֶׁבַע עֲבוֹדוֹת זָרוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹבְדִים:
Was it not from Mitzrayim. There are seven salvations here, corresponding with the seven pagan gods they worshiped.6V. 6. See Rashi there.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וְצִידוֹנִ֤ים וַֽעֲמָלֵק֙ וּמָע֔וֹן לָחֲצ֖וּ אֶתְכֶ֑ם וַתִּצְעֲק֣וּ אֵלַ֔י וָאוֹשִׁ֥יעָה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִיָּדָֽם׃

English:

The Sidonians, Amalek, and MaonfMaon Septuagint reads “Midian.” also oppressed you; and when you cried out to Me, I saved you from them.

God continues His rebuke, listing additional oppressors — the Sidonians, Amalek, and Maon — from whom He delivered Israel when they cried out, emphasizing His consistent faithfulness despite their repeated unfaithfulness.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וּמָעוֹן. שֵׁם אוּמָּה:
And Maon. The name of a nation.7But not, as generally translated, “a dwelling place.”

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וְאַתֶּם֙ עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם אוֹתִ֔י וַתַּעַבְד֖וּ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים לָכֵ֥ן לֹֽא־אוֹסִ֖יף לְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ אֶתְכֶֽם׃

English:

Yet you have forsaken Me and have served other gods. No, I will not deliver you again.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

לְכ֗וּ וְזַֽעֲקוּ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּחַרְתֶּ֖ם בָּ֑ם הֵ֛מָּה יוֹשִׁ֥יעוּ לָכֶ֖ם בְּעֵ֥ת צָרַתְכֶֽם׃

English:

Go cry to the gods you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress!”

God sarcastically tells Israel to seek help from the gods they chose to worship, challenging the idols to deliver them in their time of need. Metzudat David notes that this is spoken in mockery and derision.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ בְנֵי־יִש��ְרָאֵ֤ל אֶל־יְהֹוָה֙ חָטָ֔אנוּ עֲשֵֽׂה־אַתָּ֣ה לָ֔נוּ כְּכׇל־הַטּ֖וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ אַ֛ךְ הַצִּילֵ֥נוּ נָ֖א הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

English:

But the Israelites implored GOD: “We stand guilty. Do to us as You see fit; only save us this day!”

Israel responds with deeper repentance, accepting whatever punishment God deems fit while pleading only for immediate deliverance. Metzudat David explains that they preferred to fall into God's hands rather than remain at the mercy of their human enemies.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וַיָּסִ֜ירוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ מִקִּרְבָּ֔ם וַיַּעַבְד֖וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה וַתִּקְצַ֥ר נַפְשׁ֖וֹ בַּעֲמַ֥ל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {פ}

English:

They removed the alien gods from among them and served GOD; and [God] could not bear the miseries of Israel.

Israel backs up their words with action by removing their foreign gods and returning to serve God, and the text says God could no longer bear Israel's suffering. Rashi explains this anthropomorphic expression as meaning God's compassion overflowed — He could not contain the pain He felt at their misery.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַתִּקְצַר נַפְשׁוֹ בַּעֲמַל. כִּבְיָכוֹל לֹא הָיָה רַחֲבַת מָקוֹם לִסְבּוֹל וְלִכָּנֵס שָׁם צָרָה שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בַּעֲמַל יִשְׂרָאֵל:
Could not contain Himself at [Yisroel's] anguish. As if one could depict God as lacking the space to bear and encompass His pain at Yisroel's anguish.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַיִּצָּֽעֲקוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּגִּלְעָ֑ד וַיֵּאָֽסְפוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃

English:

The Ammonites mustered and they encamped in Gilead; and the Israelites massed and they encamped at Mizpah.

Both sides prepare for war: the Ammonites muster and encamp in Gilead, while Israel assembles at Mizpah. Rashi explains that the Ammonites were gathered by proclamation, and Radak notes that the Ammonites aimed to capture the city of Gilead itself.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיִּצָּעֲקוּ. נֶאֶסְפוּ עַל יְדֵי כָּרוּז:
Were called together. They were assembled by proclamation.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ הָעָ֜ם שָׂרֵ֤י גִלְעָד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֔הוּ מִ֣י הָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָחֵ֔ל לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם בִּבְנֵ֣י עַמּ֑וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לְרֹ֔אשׁ לְכֹ֖ל יֹשְׁבֵ֥י גִלְעָֽד׃ {פ}

English:

The troops—the officers of Gilead—said to one another, “Let whoever is the first to fight the Ammonites be chieftain over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

The leaders of Gilead offer the position of chieftain to whoever will step forward to lead the fight against Ammon, setting the stage for Jephthah's emergence in the next chapter.

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