Judges 10

Tola “rose” to power, but there’s no mention of God.

Tola’s dad and grandfather aren’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

Shamir’s location is unknown.

Donkey’s were a primo mode of transportation in Bible times, and one of the most expensive.

Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 13:30.

Kamon may be linked to what is now the town of Qumeim, Jordan, roughly 15 miles (24 km) southeast of the Sea of Galilee.

The Hebrew word is plural, baalim. Some scholars say this refers to different forms of the main Canaanite god, Baal. He was a god of weather and fertility in family, flocks, and fields. People worshiped him using different styles of idols and by calling him various names: Hadad, Cloud Rider, Baal of [fill in whatever the local region was, such as Baal-zephon or Baal of Peor]. Peor was a mountain in Moab where people worshiped Baal. Baal of Peor was apparently a local representation of him. When women from Moab seduced some of the Israelite men to engage in either ritual sex or just plain ol’ illicit sex, it led the men into idolatry (Numbers 25).

Also known as Ashtarte, the Greek form of her name. Like Baal, she was a god of fertility. But she was also a go-to god for matters of love and war. Sometimes she’s described as Baal’s wife. Her figurines portray her as well-endowed, and then some—with her privates exposed and prominently displayed. She’s not the same god as Asherah (3:7), who shows up more often in Canaanite archaeological discoveries. Ashtaroth turns up in what are now Iraq and Iran—the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, known as Mesopotamia. There, she was usually known as Ishtar.

Aram covered much of what is now Syria, with parts of Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq. Sidon is a city on Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. Moab and Ammon were in Jordan.

Mizpah’s location is uncertain.