Give us 7 days to defeat you!
It is interesting that Nahash the Ammonite apparently was willing to wait around to see if the men of Jabesh could find someone to rescue them! Since this doesn't seem to be a wise military strategy, this implies that Nahash couldn't defeat them in a week. The fact that Nahash is said to have "besieged Jabesh Gilead" implies that Jabesh was a fortified city.
It is also interesting that the men of Jabesh said if no one rescues us in a week, we will make a treaty with you and let you gouge out our right eyes! Perhaps they were thinking, "If we don't agree, the Ammonites will starve us to death, or break through the walls and kill us." Maybe the men of Jabesh felt that they couldn't defeat the Ammonites in battle...were they outnumbered? Passage doesn't give us details on the number of Ammonites or the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead. Their statement seems to imply an attitude of fear, rather than faith!
Created about 3 years ago
