Judges 8

Judges 8:5

Succoth] And so of Penuel, ver. 8. See Gen. XXXIII. 17. and XXXII. 30. They, and Karker were in the tribe of Gad.

Judges 8:24

Ishmaelites] Midianites and Ishmaelites seeme confounded together: as being intermingled one with another. So Gen. XXXVII. 25, 27, 28.

Judges 8:26

Golden ear-rings] The weight and multitude of them. 26 And chaines about their Camels necks. Of ear-rings, see Exod. XXXII. 2. and XXXV. 22.

Judges 8:27

Ephod] See the Observations on 1 Sam. XXIII. 9. and on Hos. III. 4.

Ophrah] In the East border of this Westerne half Manasseh, near Jordan.

Judges 8:33

Baalim] Baalim in the Plural number, signifying Lords, seemes to be a very common name to their He-gods, and Idols, among the Moabitts, Ammonites, Canaanites, Philistines, Sidonians, Phenicians, and other neighbouring Nations, and the idolatrous Israelites themselves: as Ashtaroth of the plural number, and feminine gender, seemes to be so to their She-goddesses, Iudg. II. 13. and X. 6. And there are sundry specifications of Baal; As Berith, and Baal-Berith here, and Ch. IX. 4, 46. the God of the Shechemites. Peor and Baal-Peor, the idol-god of the Moabites and Midianites, Num. XXV. 3, 17, 18.

Baal-Zebub, called also Beelzebub, or Beelzebul, the god of Ekron, 2 King. I. 2. And from Baal, were names imposed, both upon persons, and places: as we read of Ethbaal, the King of Sidon, Iezebels father, 1 King. XVI. 31. of Esh-baal, 1 Chron. VIII. 32. of Baal-hanan, Gen. XXXVI. 38. of Jerubbaal, Judg.

VI. 32. of Merib-baal, the other name of Mephibosheth, 1 Chron. VIII. 34. As also of Baal-Zephon, Exod. XIV. 2. and Baal-Meon, Josh. XVII. 17. And from other particular Idols, specially among the Babylonians, were like denominations take.

Whether Bel be a contraction, or in a didialect, the same with Baal, is not so certaine. God himself also was called Baal; But refused after to be so stiled, because the name had been so commonly given to Idols, Hos. II. 16. Of Bel, see the Annotations on Esay XLVI. 1. Ashteroth or Ashtoreth or Ashtaroth is more specificaly the goddesse of the Sidonians, 1 King XI. 5, 33. 2 King. XXIII. 13. and of the Philistines, 1 Sam.

XXXI. 10. Take also these other names of Idol-gods in Scripture;

Chemosh, of the Moabites, and Ammonites, Iudg. XI. 24. 1 King. XI. 5, 7, 33. 2 King. XXIII. 13. Dagon, of the Philistines, Iudg. XVI. 23. 1 Sam. V. 2,—7. 1 Chron. X. 10. Moloch, or Molech, or Milchom, of the Ammonites 1 King. XI. 5, 7, 33. 2 King. XXIII. 13. Bel, and Nebo, and Belteshazzar, and Merodach, and Succoth-Benoth, of the Babylonians, Esay XLVI. 1. Dan. IV. 8. 2 King. XVII. 30. Ier. L. 2. Nishrosh, of the Assyrians, and Sennacherib, 2 King. XIX. 37. Rimmon of the Syrians, 2 King. V. 18. Nergal, of the men of Cuth. Ashimah, of the men of Hamath; Nibhaz and Tartak, of the Avites; Adrammelech, and Anammelech, of Sephervaim; 2 King. XVII. 30, 31. Siccuth, Chiun, and Remphan; named, Amos V. 26. Acts VII. 43. The seven Planets under several names, by several Nations.

And from the Egyptian Apis the Bull, and Mevis the Cow, the Jewes took their Idol of the golden Calf or Oxe, Psal. CVI. 20. And Ieroboam’s Calves.

These Idols are called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉quasi〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not gods, 1 Cor. VIII. 4. Ier. 2. 11. and V. 7. and Ch. XVI. 20. or nothing worth, Ier. XI. 13. Vanities; They are called Shames, Abominations, 1 King. XI. 5. Dungie, or Dunghil-gods, Deut. XXIX. 17. Devils, Deut. XXXII. 17. 2 Chron. XI. 15. 1 Cor. X. 20, 21. Apoc. IX. 20. Psal. CVI. 37. 2 King. XX. 1.