Shamgar] the first of the 'minor' Judges. The name is mentioned in Judges 5:6, though not as a 'saviour.' No Philistine oppression is mentioned till later. An ox goad] would be an efficient substitute for a spear—a sixfoot staff tipped with a spike: cp. Judges 15:14; and 2 Samuel 23:21.

The Pursuit of the Kings. Gideon's Subsequent Career and Death

1. Cp. Judges 12. Ephraim claimed to be the leading tribe; later the name was often used as a synonym for the northern kingdom. The natural jealousy of the tribe was appeased by Gideon's ready wit; one might have suspected that, making such claims as these, they would not have left Gideon to take the initiative.

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