John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel , etc.] They were too strong for them, and overcame them, and brought them into subjection to them, and no wonder, when the Lord delivered them into their hand: and because of the Midianites ; because of their usage of them, their manner of coming upon them yearly, and pillaging and plundering their substance, as after related: the children of Israel made them dens which are in the mountains ; the word for “dens” has the signification of light in it, and are so called either by an antiphrasis, because they were dark, or, as Kimchi thinks, because they had a window at the top of them, which let in the light but Ben Gersom conjectures they were torches, which gave a great light, and when they that held them saw from the mountains the Midianites, by these torches they made a signal to the Israelites to take care and hide themselves and their substance: and caves, and strong holds ; the caves were for the poorer sort, and the strong holds for the richer to retire to with their goods; though, according to Jarchi, the latter were no other than fences they made in woods, by cutting down trees, and setting them round about them, perhaps much the same as the thickets, 1 Samuel 13:6 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Israel's sin was renewed, and Israel's troubles were repeated. Let all that sin expect to suffer. The Israelites hid themselves in dens an caves; such was the effect of a guilty conscience. Sin dispirits men The invaders left no food for Israel, except what was taken into the caves. They prepared that for Baal with which God should have bee served, now God justly sends an enemy to take it away in the seaso thereof.
Original Hebrew ותעז5810 יד3027 מדין4080 על5921 ישׂראל3478 מפני6440 מדין4080 עשׂו6213 להם בני1121 ישׂראל3478 את853 המנהרות4492 אשׁר834 בהרים2022 ואת853 המערות4631 ואת853 המצדות׃4679
