Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Midrash for Judges 1:7

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲדֹֽנִי־בֶ֗זֶק שִׁבְעִ֣ים ׀ מְלָכִ֡ים בְּֽהֹנוֹת֩ יְדֵיהֶ֨ם וְרַגְלֵיהֶ֜ם מְקֻצָּצִ֗ים הָי֤וּ מְלַקְּטִים֙ תַּ֣חַת שֻׁלְחָנִ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי כֵּ֥ן שִׁלַּם־לִ֖י אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְבִיאֻ֥הוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וַיָּ֥מָת שָֽׁם׃ (פ)

And Adoni-bezek said: ‘Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered food under my table; as I have done, so God hath requited me.’ And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

Sifrei Devarim

"and you will rule many nations": I might think that you will rule others and others will rule you, as in (Judges 1:7) "And Adoni-bezek said, etc."; it is, therefore, written "and they will not rule you."
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Sifrei Devarim

We are not told explicitly of the greatness of the Canaanites, but it may be readily inferred from the following (Judges 1:7) "And Adoni-bezek (a Canaanite king) said: 'Seventy kings, their thumbs and big toes cut off used to glean under my table.'" (Devarim, Ibid.) "And they (the descendants of Joseph) are the thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh": We are hereby taught that they were blessed with thousands and with ten thousands, viz. (Bamidbar 10:36) "the ten thousands thousands of Israel."
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