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[68]
AFTER one month, the war which Saul had with Nahash, the king of
the Ammonites, obtained him respect from all the people; for this Nahash
had done a great deal of mischief to the Jews that lived beyond Jordan
by the expedition he had made against them with a great and warlike army.
He also reduced their cities into slavery, and that not only by subduing
them for the present, which he did by force and violence, but by weakening
them by subtlety and cunning, that they might not be able afterward to
get clear of the slavery they were under to him; for he put out the right
eyes 1
of those that either delivered themselves to him upon terms, or were taken
by him in war; and this he did, that when their left eyes were covered
by their shields, they might be wholly useless in war. Now when the king
of the Ammonites had served those beyond Jordan in this manner, he led
his army against those that were called Gileadites, and having pitched
his camp at the metropolis of his enemies, which was the city of Jabesh,
he sent ambassadors to them, commanding them either to deliver themselves
up, on condition to have their right eyes plucked out, or to undergo a
siege, and to have their cities overthrown. He gave them their choice,
whether they would cut off a small member of their body, or universally
perish. However, the Gileadites were so affrighted at these offers, that
they had not courage to say any thing to either of them, neither that they
would deliver themselves up, nor that they would fight him. But they desired
that he would give them seven days' respite, that they might send ambassadors
to their countrymen, and entreat their assistance; and if they came to
assist them, they would fight; but if that assistance were impossible to
be obtained from them, they said they would deliver themselves up to suffer
whatever he pleased to inflict upon them.
1 Take here Theodoret's note, cited by Dr. Hudson: — "He that exposes his shield to the enemy with his left hand, thereby hides his left eye, and looks at the enemy with his right eye: he therefore that plucks out that eye, makes men useless in war."
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