Judge living before Israel's Monarchy
Shamgar, the son of Anath, was a judge of Israel who delivered the nation by killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.
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Shamgar, mentioned in Jdg.3.31 and Jdg.5.6, was a judge of Israel during the period before the monarchy. He is described as the son of Anath, which may refer to his lineage or his place of origin. Shamgar is noted for his remarkable feat of killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, a long stick used for driving cattle. This achievement is particularly significant because it occurred during a time when the Philistines were oppressing Israel. Shamgar's victory provided a measure of deliverance for the nation, demonstrating his strength, courage, and leadership. In the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), Shamgar is mentioned alongside Jael as a figure who brought relief to Israel during a time of hardship and oppression. Although the text does not provide extensive details about Shamgar's life or the duration of his judgeship, his inclusion in the narrative highlights the role of judges as deliverers and leaders who fought against Israel's enemies and provided temporary respite from oppression.
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The Philistines from the maritime plain had made incursions into the Hebrew upland for the purposes of plunder, when one of this name, the son of Anath, otherwise unknown, headed a rising for the purpose of freeing the land from this oppression. He repelled the invasion, slaying 600 men with an “ox goad” (q.v.). The goad was a formidable sharpointed instrument, sometimes ten feet long. He was probably contemporary for a time with Deborah and Barak (Judg. 3:31; 5:6).
(sword), son of Anath, judge of Israel. When Israel was in a most depressed condition, Shamgar was raised up to be a deliverer. With no arms in his hand but an ox-goad, (Judges 3:31) comp. 1Sam 13:21 He made a desperate assault upon the Philistines, and slew 600 of them. (B.C. about 1290.)
named a stranger; he is here a stranger
SHAM'GAR (cup-bearer ?), a judge of Israel of whom it is related that he slew six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad and delivered Israel. Jud 3:31.
SHAM'GAR (cup-bearer ?), a judge of Israel of whom it is related that he slew six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad and delivered Israel. Jud 3:31.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H8044
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.