ordan. It
is related, however, that they overthrew Adoni-bezek, King of the
Jebusites, and that they had dealt with him as he was accustomed to deal
with his prisoners. "And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings,
having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat
under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me." Although
Adoni-bezek had been overthrown, Jerusalem still remained independent,
as did also Gibeon. Beeroth, Kirjath-Jearim, Ajalon, Gezer, and
the cities of the plain, for the Israelites could not drive out the
inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron, with which
the Hebrew foot-soldiers found it difficult to deal.* This independent
and isolated group was not at first, however, a subject of anxiety
to the masters of the coast, and there is but a bare reference to
the exploits of a certain Shamgar, son of Anath, who "smote of the
Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad."**

* See Josh. ix. 3-27 for an explanation of how these people
were allowed afterwards to remain in a subordinate capacity
among the children of Israel.

** Judges iii. 31; cf. also Judges v. 6, in which Shamgar is
mentioned in the song of Deborah.

[Illustration: 301.jpg TELL ES-SAFIEH, THE GATH OF THE PHILISTINES]

Drawn by Boudier, from photograph No. 265 of the _Palestine
Exploration Fund._

These cities had also to reckon with Ephraim, and the tribes which had
thrown in their lot with her. Dan had cast his eyes upon the northern
districts of the Shephelah--which were dependent upon Ekron or Gath--and
also upon the semi-Phoenician port of Joppa; but these tribes did not
succeed in taking possession of those districts, although they had
harassed them from time to time by raids in which the children of Israel
did not always come off victorious. One of their chiefs--Samson--had a
great reputation among them for his bravery and bodily strength. But the
details of his real prowess had been forgotten at an early period.
The episodes which have been preserved deal with some of his exploits
against the Philistines, and there is a certain humour in the
chronicler's account of the weapons which he employed: "with the jawbone
of an ass have I smitten a thousand men;" he burned up their harvest
also by letting go three hundred foxes, with torches attached to their
tails, among the standing corn of the Philistines. Various events in his
career are subsequentl