Texts in Conversation
In Judges, Shamgar kills 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, and in Judges 15 Samson kills a thousand with a donkey’s jawbone. Each is described routing a Philistine army with a simple tool, to say that victory comes from God and not weapons.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Judges 3:31
Hebrew Bible
28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross. 29 That day they killed about 10,000 Moabites—all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for 80 years. 31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. So he also delivered Israel.
Judges 15:15
Hebrew Bible
14 When he arrived in Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they approached him. But the Lord’s Spirit empowered him. The ropes around his arms were like flax dissolving in fire, and they melted away from his hands. 15 He happened to see a solid jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men. 16 Samson then said,“With the jawbone of a donkey I have left them in heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men!”
Search:
Notes and References
... The text has gone to great lengths at 15:15 to show that Samson, like Shamgar in Judges 3:31, is heroic enough to wipe out masses of his enemies with whatever happens to be at hand. Shamgar's weapon of choice is also unusual, as he defeats his enemies with what appears to be an ox-goad. There, an implement of everyday farming was turned to the unusual task of warfare. The incongruity in that case lies in the fact that Shamgar is powerful enough to kill a host of enemies with an agricultural tool designed to keep oxen in line. ...
Lazarus, Benjamin M.
Humanist Comic Elements in Aristophanes and the Old Testament
(p. 116) Gorgias Press, 2014
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.