Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Judges 10:1-5
Judges 10 The Rise of Ammon.
This chapter gives an account of two judges of Israel, in whose days their parts of Israel enjoyed peace, after which, by sinning against God Israel came into further trouble, and were oppressed by their enemies eighteen years, and were invaded by an army of the Ammonites. When they cried to Yahweh for deliverance, confessing their sins, He at first refused to grant it, although on their continuing and reforming He had compassion on them, and the chapter concludes with the preparations made by both armies for battle.
Further Judges of Israel (Judges 10:1).
‘ And after Abimelech there arose to save Israel, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.'
It is noteworthy that it is not said of Abimelech that he delivered Israel, or saved Israel or acted as judge. His short appearance was an interlude between judges, a blot on the picture. But once again, when he was gone, God raised up judges in accordance with His will.
The first was Tola, the son of Puah (sometimes Puvah). For these names (but not the persons) as connected with Issachar, compare Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23; 1 Chronicles 7:1. The name Dodo appears in 1 Samuel 23:9, and, interestingly, in connection with a cult object in the Moabite stone (‘the altar-hearth of Dodo'), connected with the Israelites in Transjordan. The whereabouts of Shamir is not known.
Thus to this point we have had five judges, Othniel of Judah, Ehud of Benjamin, Shamgar, Deborah with Barak of Naphtali, Gideon of Manasseh and this, Tola of Issachar, is the sixth. He will be followed by Jair of Gilead, Jephthah of Gilead, Ibzan of Bethlehem (in Zebulun - Joshua 19:15), Elon of Zebulun, Abdon the Pirathonite, and Samson the Danite. Thus making twelve in all, the number of the tribes in the covenant.
Tola ‘saved' Israel. This would suggest that he was more than just an administrator, but was a charismatic leader raised in a time of trouble. However, we know no more about him except that he judged Israel for twenty three years.
‘ And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.' We get from these two verses the sense that tranquillity had been restored. The tumult of Abimelech was over. The ‘twenty and three years' may indicate that he judged for twenty years (half a generation) more than Abimelech was prince over Israel (Judges 9:22), an indication that righteous rule had replaced unrighteous rule.
‘ And after him arose Jair, the Gileadite, and he judged Israel twenty and two years.'
Jair means ‘he who enlightens'. He judged in a totally different part of the country than Tola, on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead. ‘After him' may simply signify that he arose after Tola saved Israel and began to judge. Thus the judgeships may overlap. ‘Twenty and two years' may indicate ‘just over half a generation'. He judged the same general area as that conquered by Jair, the ‘son of Manasseh', in Numbers 32:41 (see also Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 13:30 which connect them with Bashan which was part of ‘all the land of Gilead' (2 Kings 10:33)), but the latter only ruled twenty three towns (1 Chronicles 2:22), although compare ‘the towns of Jair' (Joshua 13:30). This suggests that he came from a noble and influential family. His wealth is apparent from Judges 10:4.
‘ And he had thirty sons that rode upon thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.'
He seemingly had a number of wives who gave him thirty sons, each of whom ruled a town. The fact that they rode on ass colts stresses their position and dignity. ‘Havvoth Jair' means ‘the tent villages of Jair', but by now, while retaining the old name, they had progressed to small towns and cities.
‘ And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.'
Both these judges appear to have served well and maintained submission to Yahweh, for it was only on their deaths that the children of Israel again backslid.