John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. And they encamped against them , etc.] Formed a camp, from whence they sent out parties to plunder the people; or “they were fixing their tents among them,” as the Vulgate Latin version; and so the Targum, “they dwelt by them,” or fixed their habitations by them; for they seem not to have come as a regular army, but as a sort of banditti to pillage, and plunder, and destroy the fruits of the earth; and the Midianites and Arabians dwelt in tents chiefly: and destroyed the increase of the earth ; the corn and grass before they were well ripe, and fit to cut down; this they did, and gave it to their cattle, and the rest they carried off: till thou come unto Gaza ; a principality of the Philistines, which lay in the western part of Canaan, on the shore of the Mediterranean sea; so that as these people came out of the east, and entered the eastern part, they went through the whole land from east to west, cutting down all the fruits of the earth for forage for their cattle: and left no sustenance for Israel ; nothing to support life with, cutting down their corn and their grass, their vines and olives, so that they had nothing to live upon: neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass ; not anything for those creatures to live upon, nor did not leave any of them, but carried them all away.
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 ויחנו2583 עליהם5921 וישׁחיתו7843 את853 יבול2981 הארץ776 עד5704 בואך935 עזה5804 ולא3808 ישׁאירו7604 מחיה4241 בישׂראל3478 ושׂה7716 ושׁור7794 וחמור׃2543
