1 Samuel 11 Nahash the Terrorist

[seekeroftruth]

1 Samuel 11:Nahash[a] the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”

2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”​

a. 1 Samuel 11:1 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls gifts. Now Nahash king of the Ammonites oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites severely. He gouged out all their right eyes and struck terror and dread in Israel. Not a man remained among the Israelites beyond the Jordan whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except that seven thousand men fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later, 1 Nahash

This is from Bible.org.

Nahash, the Ammonite king, has besieged the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. The people are about to give up and ask Nahash to declare what his terms for peace are. The people of Jabesh-gilead are willing to be his subjects; they really seem to have no choice. But the king’s terms for peace are severe. He not only wants the Israelite town to surrender to him, he insists that he will pluck out the right eye of each. This will do at least two things: (1) It will humiliate the Israelites, and (2) it will disable them so that they will fight with great difficulty. (Have you ever tried to sight a gun or aim a bow and arrow without your right eye?)​

This is from blueletterbible.org.

The name Nahash means serpent or snake!​

Why did Nahash let the messengers go? It seems strange that the allowed them to leave, and to see if Israel could muster up the troops to come and defeat him. But Nahash had two reasons. First, he was confident of Israel's disunity, and figured they would be unable to find anyone to save them. Second, by allowing the messengers to go through all Israel, he was making his name big and his reputation fearsome throughout the whole nation.​

Honestly.... I named Nahash a Terrorist.... if I were to go with the title from the Bible I am using... it would say something like Saul to the Rescue.... but that's for tomorrow and the next day.... so far... the Pretty Boy king Saul doesn't know anything is wrong over there in Jabesh Gilead. It's located west of the Jordan and it butts right up against the land owned by the Ammonites.

We know that the Ammonites [Nahash's family] have a longtime grudge against the Israelites deeply rooted in lust and desire. The first mention of the Ammonites in the Bible is in Genesis 19:37-38. It is stated there that they descended from Ben-Ammi, a son of Lot through incest with his younger daughter. Bén'ámmî, literally means "son of my people".

I've never ever heard this story.... I think I would remember a story in the Bible about gouging out the right eye of everyone... I mean that's right up there with having everyone in town circumcised so they can't fight.... and that happened back in Shechem in Genesis 34 after the rape of Dinah. Dinah was the daughter of Leah and Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel by God. I never heard this one.... but I bet I'll remember it now.

And one more minor little note.... if you read the footnote.... Nahash the Terrorist had already blinded the Gadites and Reubenites. The two tribes of Gad and Reuben were there when the Shechamites were murdered. Nahash seems to be just as brutal.



I also have to admit... I missed this story when I was reading through the Bible the last time too... so it's not a very well known story I guess....