1. after Abimelech. This is merely an indication of chronology since Abimelech was no rescuer of Israel.

Tola son of Pua, son of Dodo. The first five verses of this chapter are devoted to bare notices of two judges, Tola and Jair, with no accompanying narrative material. The number of years of their leadership, respectively, twenty-three and twenty-two, are not formulaic, which could conceivably mean that they record actual historical memory.

4. he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. In this period, donkeys, not horses, were the usual mounts for nobility. The number of sons, donkeys, and towns looks formulaic, but the detail about riding is odd enough that it might reflect a remembered historical fact.

6. served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth and the gods of Aram. The first two items are generic terms for pagan gods and goddesses, respectively; adding the gods of the five surrounding peoples mentioned here, one comes to the formulaic number seven.

7. to the Philistines and to the Ammonites. These are enemies to the southwest and to the northeast of the major concentration of Israelite population.

8. in that year—eighteen years. If the received text is correct (some manuscripts of the Septuagint do not show “in that year”), this would mean that the Philistines and the Ammonites battered Israel in direct assaults for a year and continued to dominate them for eighteen years.

11. Was it not from Egypt. The syntax is a little odd, but this is probably best construed as a periodic sentence continuing to the end of verse 12 with the verb “rescued” referring back to the chain of nations, most of which are preceded by “from.” Rashi neatly observes, “Seven rescues appear here corresponding to the seven idolatries that they practiced.”

15. We have offended. God’s sarcastic invitation to Israel to turn for help to the gods it has worshipped drives home to them the point that only He can save them from their enemies.

Do to us whatever is good in Your eyes. The Hebrew uses an emphatic form, literally, “You, do to us.” What they are saying is that they are ready to submit to punishment for their defection, but they nevertheless implore God to rescue them from oppression, which is too unbearable a punishment.

17. And the Ammonites were mustered. A new unit begins here: the circumstances for the impending battle with the Ammonites are established, and the need for a military leader sets the stage for the appearance of Jephthah.

18. the troops, the commanders of Gilead. Perhaps ʿam here means “people.” The appositional phrase “the commanders of Gilead” is awkward and might be a scribal gloss.

the man who begins to do battle. They scarcely permit themselves to imagine victory but are prepared to proclaim as chief whoever will dare to fight the Ammonites.