‘And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon, and that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel.'
This is a general description before each will be dealt with in full detail, the Ammonites first. The Philistines in the west on the coastal plain and the Ammonites in east Transjordan had Israel trapped in between them. The writer informs us that this was because Yahweh was sick of their behaviour and idolatry so that He ceased to protect them and handed them over into virtual slavery.
The Philistines were powerfully established on the coastal plain in the west and were now expanding outwards seeking tribute. This would affect a number of the tribes and many Israelite cities came under their sway, and on the whole this expansion now continued, with intermissions, until the time of David. Until then lowland Israel was never really fully free from the Philistine menace, and at times this also extended into the mountains. If they wanted Dagon, said Yahweh, they could have him! The beginning of the deliverance from them will come in later Chapter s
Meanwhile pressure also came from the east. The selling into the hands of the children of Ammon affected mainly Beyond Jordan, but it extended for a time into the lands of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim west of Jordan. This was of a less permanent nature, but dreadful while it lasted. They were a cruel people and their god Melek (Molech is the same name with the vowels of bosheth (shame) implanted) demanded continual human sacrifice. Ammon surrounded their territory with small circular tower fortresses built of large stones (Numbers 21:24, as confirmed by archaeology) and regularly worked in conjunction with Moab (Judges 3:13; Deuteronomy 23:3-5; 2 Chronicles 20:1-30). They also worked in conjunction with the Amalekites (Judges 3:13) and the Midianites (Numbers 22:7 with Deuteronomy 23:3-5).
“That year” refers to the year when they first began their maraudings (Judges 10:7).
‘For eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel who were beyond Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.'
This oppression would include the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh and was similar in length of time to that previously by the Moabites, Ammonites and Amalekites (Judges 3:13-14). We need not doubt that the Moabites were also active here. But while in Judges 3 the Moabite king was the stronger, here the Ammonite king was the stronger.