Judges 10:1

Uncle of Abimelech, i.e., Half-brother to Gedeon, as being born of the same mother, but by a different father, and of a different tribe. (Challoner) --- The wife of Joas might have been married to a person of the tribe of Issachar, by whom she had Phua, who was half-brother of Gedeon. (Haydock) --- Thola was cousin-german of Abimelech. (St. Augustine, q. xlvii., &c.) The Israelites elected Thola for their judge, (Abulensis) out of respect to Gedeon, (Cornelius a Lapide) that he might put an end to the commotions which had been excited by the tyrant. (Menochius) -- Joatham might be passed over on account of his youth. The Septuagint and Chaldean have "Thola, the son of Phua, the son of his uncle by the father's side," which may be true, if the brother of Gedeon adopted him; or this uncle might refer to Abimelech. The uncertainty arises from the Hebrew Dodo, which may be taken as a proper name. "Phua, the son of Dodo;" (Pagnin; Protestants, &c.; Haydock) or as denoting a relation, the paternal uncle of Abimelech, or of Thola, (Bonfrere, &c.; Calmet) or simply "his kinsman." The Hebrew, Septuagint, &c., assert that Thola "arose to defend or to save Israel." He seems to have kept all quiet during the 23 years of his administration. --- Samir. Septuagint (Alexandrian) reads "Samaria;" but the city was not built till the reign of Amri. There was a city on a mountain, (Haydock) called Samir, in the tribe of Juda, (Josue xv. 48,) different from this. (Menochius) --- People were at liberty to dwell where they pleased, out of their own tribe. (Calmet) --- This judge was buried among the Ephraimites. (Haydock) --- But we know not the exact place where Samir stood. (Calmet) --- There seems, however, to be no inconvenience in allowing that there was a town in the vicinity of Sichem, long before Amri made Samaria the capital of his kingdom; (see 3 Kings xiii. 22., and xvi. 24,) and here Thola might reside. He was probably the eldest, or of the second branch, of Issachar, (Numbers xxvi. 23,) of great nobility and virtue, and the 10th judge of Israel.