[¹] Or, the sword of judgement.
9. the sword, judgement] Render with margin the sword of judgement (compare Ezekiel xiv. 17).
¹⁰And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;
10. mount Seir] Here, and in verse 23 in the enumeration of the allied peoples, “Mount Seir” which was situated in the Edomite territory takes the place of the “Meunim” of verse 1. It is clear, however, that the same contingent is meant, and no difficulty arises if Meunim denotes people from the Edomite district near the town Ma‘īn: see note on verse 1. Even if the south Arabian Minaeans were meant, it might be said that the two peoples were cognate and that Minaean invaders in passing through Mount Seir would probably bring along with them Edomite kinsmen. The region loosely denoted by Mount Seir was practically synonymous with Edom, extending from the south of the Dead Sea to the head of the Gulf of Akaba.
whom thou wouldest not, etc.] Compare Deuteronomy ii. 4, 5, 9, 19; see also Numbers xx. 14–21.
¹¹behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
11. thy possession] A “possession” means that which one takes possession of by the sword. Canaan is God’s “possession” because it was conquered by His arm (Psalms xliv. 3).
¹²O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
12. our eyes are upon thee] Compare xiv. 11.
¹³And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.