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After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel. He lived in Samir, in the hill country of Ephraim
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and he judged Israel twenty-three years; then he died and was buried in Samir.
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After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
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He had thirty sons, who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair, in the land of Gilead.
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Then Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
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The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; they served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines; but they forsook the LORD and did not serve him.
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Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he gave them into the hand of the Philistines and the Ammonites.
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That same year they oppressed and crushed the Israelites; for eighteen years they treated all the Israelites who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead in this way.
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And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.
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Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
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But the LORD said to the Israelites, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,
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the Sidonians, Amalek, and Maon, who oppressed you, when you cried out to me?
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Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.
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Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen; let them save you in your time of distress.”
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The Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good in your sight. Only please deliver us now!”
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And they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. Then he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
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Then the Ammonites were summoned and encamped in Gilead, while the Israelites gathered together and encamped at Mizpah.
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And the leaders of the people in Gilead said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
🛡️⏳😭 Summary of Judges 10 – Israel’s Repentance and the Two Judges before Jephthah
Judges 10 includes two main parts:
- The story of two quiet judges: Tola and Jair,
- Israel’s moral decline, as they returned to worshiping idols, until they were oppressed and finally truly repented. This chapter prepares for the of Jephthah in the next chapter.
📌 1. Tola and Jair – Judges Who Brought Stability (verses 1–5)
- Tola, from the tribe of Issachar, led Israel for 23 years in the city of Samir. He rose up to save Israel, though without a spectacular story.
- Jair, from Gilead, led for 22 years. He had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys and ruled 30 towns, called “Jair’s Villages”.
🎯 Not every leader must be spectacular — those who are steady and faithful are also used by God to keep His people.
📌 2. Israel Does Evil Again (verses 6–9)
- Israel again turned away from the LORD and worshiped seven idols of other nations:
Baal, Ashtoreth, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the Philistines.
- The Lord was angry and gave them over into the hands of the Ammonites and the Philistines for 18 years.
🎯 Spiritual idolatry brings long suffering.
📌 3. True Repentance and God’s Answer (verses 10–16)
- The people confessed their sin and cried out:
“We have sinned against You!”
- The Lord reminded them:
“Did I not save you… yet you forsook Me.”
- Yet they put away the foreign gods, and said:
“Do what is good in Your eyes; only deliver us now!”
- The Lord could no longer bear to see the misery of His people and was moved with compassion.
🎯 True repentance is not only weeping, but leaving idols behind and being willing to accept the consequences.
📌 4. Preparation to Fight Ammon (verses 17–18)
- The Ammonites gathered for war in Gilead.
- The Israelites asked:
“Who will be head over us?”
(This chapter serves as a transition to Jephthah in chapter 11.)
🎯 The Lord prepares a leader when the people are ready to repent and follow Him again.
📖 Main Lessons
- Faithfulness in leadership does not have to be famous.
- The cycle of sin begins with compromise and the desire to be like other nations.
- The Lord is patient, but He cannot be mocked.
- True repentance requires action, not only emotion.
- The Lord longs to restore His people as soon as they return sincerely.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation.”
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just…”
“No one can serve two masters…”
🎯 God does not only see our tears, but what we leave behind for His sake.
“We have sinned against You, because we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.” – Judges 10:10
“Do to us whatever seems good in Your sight…” – verse 15
“His heart could not bear to see Israel’s misery.” – verse 16
