Something Scary?

I started the book of Judges in my daily reading today and happened to look up Judges 1:7 in my Treasury of Scripture knowledge. It contains the following blurb about the practice of cutting off the conquered enemy's thumbs and toes...

their thumbs. Heb. the thumbs of their hands and of their feet. This was not an unusual act of cruelty in ancient times towards enemies.--AEian informs us, that in after ages "the Athenians, at the instigation of Cleon, son of Cleoenetus, made a decree that all the inhabitants of the island of AEina should have the thumb cut off from the right hand, so that they might ever after be disabled from holding a spear, yet might handle an oar." It was a custom among those Romans who did not like a military life, to cut off their thumbs, that they might be incapable of serving in the army; and for the same reason, parents sometimes cut off the thumbs of their children. gathered. or, gleaned. as I have.

Those last three words stick out to me. Is the author, R.A. Torrey, saying he did this to his children so they wouldn't be able to serve in the military? I know some branches of Christianity are pacifist, but this sounds extreme!
 
I started the book of Judges in my daily reading today and happened to look up Judges 1:7 in my Treasury of Scripture knowledge. It contains the following blurb about the practice of cutting off the conquered enemy's thumbs and toes...

their thumbs. Heb. the thumbs of their hands and of their feet. This was not an unusual act of cruelty in ancient times towards enemies.--AEian informs us, that in after ages "the Athenians, at the instigation of Cleon, son of Cleoenetus, made a decree that all the inhabitants of the island of AEina should have the thumb cut off from the right hand, so that they might ever after be disabled from holding a spear, yet might handle an oar." It was a custom among those Romans who did not like a military life, to cut off their thumbs, that they might be incapable of serving in the army; and for the same reason, parents sometimes cut off the thumbs of their children. gathered. or, gleaned. as I have.

Those last three words stick out to me. Is the author, R.A. Torrey, saying he did this to his children so they wouldn't be able to serve in the military? I know some branches of Christianity are pacifist, but this sounds extreme!

Physical mutilation disqualified a person from religious and political office as well as military.

Personally I believe he is using the word "gleaned" as learned. One of his children may have lost a finger or toe thus he learned they would fit the Biblical description of being disqualified.
 
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, .

I think so?

Judges 1:1-7King James Version (KJV)
1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
2 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.




http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/tsk/jdg001.htm

Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge, by R.A. Torrey, [ca. 1880], at sacred-texts.com
Judges 1:1
Now
: Jos 24:29, Jos 24:30
asked: Jdg 20:18, Jdg 20:28; Exo 28:30; Num 27:21; Sa1 22:9, Sa1 22:10, Sa1 23:9, Sa1 23:10
Judges 1:3
Simeon: Gen 29:33; Jos 19:1
I likewise: Jdg 1:17; Sa2 10:11
Judges 1:4
Lord: Exo 23:28, Exo 23:29; Deu 7:2, Deu 9:3; Jos 10:8-10, Jos 11:6-8; Sa1 14:6, Sa1 14:10; Sa1 17:46, Sa1 17:47; Kg1 22:6, Kg1 22:15
Bezek: Eusebius and Jerome mention two villages of this name, near each other, about seventeen miles from Shechem, towards Scythopolis. Sa1 11:8
Judges 1:7
their thumbs: Heb. the thumbs of their hands and of their feet, This was not an unusual act of cruelty in ancient times towards enemies. - Alian informs us, that in after ages "the Athenians, at the instigation of Cleon, son of Cleoenetus, made a decree that all the inhabitants of the island of Agina should have the thumb cut off from the right hand, so that they might ever after be disabled from holding a spear, yet might handle an oar." It was a custom among those Romans who did not like a military life, to cut off their thumbs, that they might be incapable of serving in the army; and for the same reason, parents sometimes cut off the thumbs of their children.
gathered: or, gleaned
as I have: Exo 21:23-25; Lev 24:19-21; Sa1 15:33; Isa 33:1; Mat 7:1, Mat 7:2; Luk 6:37, Luk 6:38; Rom 2:15; Jam 2:13; Rev 13:10, Rev 16:6
 
Last edited:
That makes much more sense! ...especially with the punctuation as it appears. It seems just the formatting of the text in my electronic Bible totally threw off the meaning!

Thanks Aha!
 
Wow that could change the meaning of "giving someone the finger". Ouch!
Anyway, Judges is a very sadistic book full of atrocities. Horror films could be made of some of the happenings.
 
Back
Top