“And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle.”
King James Version (KJV)
7:21 Slew - This history is not recorded else where in scripture, butit is in the ancient Hebrew writers. The Philistines (one of whosecities Gath was) and the Egyptians were next neighbours; and inthose ancient times it was usual for such to make inroads one intoanother's country, and to carry thence what prey they could take.And as the Philistines had probably made such inroads formerly intoEgypt, and particularly into the land of Goshen, which was theutmost part of Egypt bordering upon the Philistines land; so theIsraelites might requite them in the like kind: and particularly thechildren of Ephraim, to their own loss. And this seems to have happeneda little before the Egyptian persecution, and before the reign of thatnew king mentioned #Exod 1:8|.And this clause, that were born in that land, may be added emphatically,as the motive which made them more resolute in their fight with theEphraimites, because they fought in, and for their own land, whereinall their wealth and concerns lay.