Judges 3:31
After him was Samgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Post hunc fuit Samgar filius Anath, qui percussit de Philisthiim sexcentos viros vomere : et ipse quoque defendit Israël.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Καὶ μετ᾽ αὐτὸν ἀνέστη Σαμαγὰρ υἱὸς Δεινάχ, καὶ ἐπάταξεν τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους εἰς χ᾽ ἄυδρας ἐν τῷ ἀροτρόποδι τῶν βοῶν, καὶ ἔσωσεν καί γε αὐτὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְאַחֲרָ֤יו הָיָה֙ שַׁמְגַּ֣ר בֶּן עֲנָ֔ת וַיַּ֤ךְ אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ שֵֽׁשׁ מֵא֣וֹת אִ֔ישׁ בְּמַלְמַ֖ד הַבָּקָ֑ר וַיֹּ֥שַׁע גַּם ה֖וּא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל
Haydock's commentary
Samgar. His reign seems to have been short, and only perhaps extended over the tribes of Juda, Simeon, and Dan, while Debbora governed in another part. Some exclude him from the list of judges. But Josephus, Origen, &c., allow his title, with most of the moderns. (Calmet)
The Alex.[Alexandrian?] Chronicle gives his reign of 24 years, which Salien would understand, as if he had acted under the orders of Aod, when the latter was grown too old, if the author had not said that "after the death of Aod, Samgar, his son, judged Israel 24 years," which he subtracts from the 80 years allotted to Aod. He makes Bocci succeed Abisue in the pontificate, at the same time, which Salien admits, in the year of the world 2696.
Hundred. Septuagint, "as far as 600," which might be at different times, when the Philistines were dispersed through the country in order to plunder.
Plough-share. Septuagint aratropodi. (Haydock)
Some translate the Hebrew, "an ox-goad." Maundrell describes those, which are used in Palestine, as eight feet long; and, at the thick end, 10 inches round, with a kind of spade, to clean the plough, while the other end is very sharp. Samgar might probably use such an instrument. From its being mentioned, we may gather that he did not engage the enemy in a pitched battle, (Calmet) but as he could find an opportunity. Thus Samson slew 1000 of the same nation with the jaw-bone of an ass, chap xv. (Haydock)
Defended. Hebrew and Septuagint, "saved," which shews that he was a proper judge. (Menochius)
It is true, he did not rescue the Israelites entirely, but he stood up in their defence. (Calmet)
Read on
The duration of his government is not specified, nor is it said that the land rested, because he ruled for a short time only: Josephus says not quite a year; and the roads were continually infested with the incursions of the Philistines on the south, and of the Chanaanites on the North, chap. v. 6. Samgar seems to have been a ploughman, and he seized the first weapon that came to hand. The Hungarians and Spaniards formerly defended themselves against the attacks of the Turks and Moors with their plough-shares, in memory of which the Spaniards long after went armed to plough. The most valiant Roman generals, Camillus, Curius, Cincinnatus, and Fabricius, were called from the plough to the Dictatorship; and Pliny ([Natural History?] xviii.) observes, that "countrymen make the best soldiers."
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.