Shamgar
Encyclopedia
Shamgar, son of Anath is the name of one or possibly two individuals named in the Book of Judges
. The name occurs twice; at the first mention Shamgar is identified as a Biblical Judge, who repelled Philistine incursions into Israelite
regions, and slaughtered 600 of the invaders with an ox goad, the other mention is within the Song of Deborah, where Shamgar is described as having been one of the prior rulers, in whose days roads were abandoned, with travelers taking winding paths, and village life collapsing.
Unlike the descriptions of other Biblical Judges, the first reference to Shamgar has no introduction, conclusion, or reference to the length of reign, and the subsequent text follows on directly from the previous narrative. In several ancient manuscripts this reference to Shamgar occurs after the accounts of Samson
rather than immediately after the account of Ehud
, in a way that is more narratively consistent; scholars believe that this latter position is more likely to be the passage's original location.
The act of this Shamgar is evidently similar to that of Shammah, son of Agee, mentioned in the appendix of the Books of Samuel
as being one of The Three
, a distinct group of warriors associated with King David
; scholars believe that the same individual is meant, and that the passage in the book of Judges moved to its present location as a result of the mention of a Shamgar in the subsequent (to the present position) Song of Deborah. Scholars also believe that the name of the individual may originally have been Shammah, and became corrupted under the influence of the Shamgar in the Song of Deborah. The term translated as oxgoad is a biblical hapax legomenon
, the translation into English being made on the basis of the Septuagint's translation into Greek.
The other mention of Shamgar, that in the Song of Deborah, connects Shamgar with a low period of Israelite society, and thus some scholars suspect him to have been a foreigner causing the oppression of Israelite society, rather than an Israelite ruler. From the form of the name, it is suspected that Shamgar may actually have been a Hittite
, a similar name occurring with Sangara, a Hittite king of Carchemish
; it is also the case that Anath is the name of a Canaanite
deity, and son of Anath is thus merely a royal title. Additionally, there is reason to suspect that far from being an Israelite hero, Shamgar may actually have been the father of Sisera
.
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
. The name occurs twice; at the first mention Shamgar is identified as a Biblical Judge, who repelled Philistine incursions into Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
regions, and slaughtered 600 of the invaders with an ox goad, the other mention is within the Song of Deborah, where Shamgar is described as having been one of the prior rulers, in whose days roads were abandoned, with travelers taking winding paths, and village life collapsing.
Unlike the descriptions of other Biblical Judges, the first reference to Shamgar has no introduction, conclusion, or reference to the length of reign, and the subsequent text follows on directly from the previous narrative. In several ancient manuscripts this reference to Shamgar occurs after the accounts of Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
rather than immediately after the account of Ehud
Ehud
Ehud ben‑Gera is described in the biblical Book of Judges as a judge who was sent by God to deliver the Israelites from Moabite domination.-Biblical narrative:...
, in a way that is more narratively consistent; scholars believe that this latter position is more likely to be the passage's original location.
The act of this Shamgar is evidently similar to that of Shammah, son of Agee, mentioned in the appendix of the Books of Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
as being one of The Three
King David's Warriors
David's Mighty Warriors are a group of biblical characters explicitly singled out by an appendix of the Books of Samuel. The text divides them into the "Three", of which there are three, and "Thirty", of which there are more than thirty...
, a distinct group of warriors associated with King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
; scholars believe that the same individual is meant, and that the passage in the book of Judges moved to its present location as a result of the mention of a Shamgar in the subsequent (to the present position) Song of Deborah. Scholars also believe that the name of the individual may originally have been Shammah, and became corrupted under the influence of the Shamgar in the Song of Deborah. The term translated as oxgoad is a biblical hapax legomenon
Hapax legomenon
A hapax legomenon is a word which occurs only once within a context, either in the written record of an entire language, in the works of an author, or just in a single text. The term is sometimes used incorrectly to describe a word that occurs in just one of an author's works, even though it...
, the translation into English being made on the basis of the Septuagint's translation into Greek.
The other mention of Shamgar, that in the Song of Deborah, connects Shamgar with a low period of Israelite society, and thus some scholars suspect him to have been a foreigner causing the oppression of Israelite society, rather than an Israelite ruler. From the form of the name, it is suspected that Shamgar may actually have been a Hittite
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
, a similar name occurring with Sangara, a Hittite king of Carchemish
Carchemish
Carchemish or Kargamış was an important ancient city of the Mitanni, Hittite and Neo Assyrian Empires, now on the frontier between Turkey and Syria. It was the location of an important battle between the Babylonians and Egyptians, mentioned in the Bible...
; it is also the case that Anath is the name of a Canaanite
Canaanite religion
Canaanite religion is the name for the group of Ancient Semitic religions practiced by the Canaanites living in the ancient Levant from at least the early Bronze Age through the first centuries of the Common Era....
deity, and son of Anath is thus merely a royal title. Additionally, there is reason to suspect that far from being an Israelite hero, Shamgar may actually have been the father of Sisera
Sisera
Sisera was commander of the Canaanite army of King Jabin of Hazor mentioned in the of the Hebrew Bible. After being defeated by Barak, Sisera was killed by Jael, who hammered a tent peg into his temple....
.