Judges, Book of

is so called because it contains the history of the deliverance and government of Israel by the men who bore the title of the "judges." The book of Ruth originally formed part of this book, but about A.D. 450 it was separated from it and placed in the Hebrew scriptures immediately after the Song of Solomon. The book contains, (1.) An introduction (1-3:6), connecting it with the previous narrative in Joshua, as a "link in the chain of books." (2.) The history of the thirteen judges (3:7-16:31) in the following order: | FIRST PERIOD (3:7-ch. 5) | Years | I. Servitude under Chushan-rishathaim of | Mesopotamia 8 | 1. OTHNIEL delivers Israel, rest 40 | II. Servitude under Eglon of Moab: | Ammon, Amalek 18 | 2. EHUD'S deliverance, rest 80 | 3. SHAMGAR Unknown. | III. Servitude under Jabin of Hazor in | Canaan 20 | 4. DEBORAH and, | 5. BARAK 40 | (206) | | SECOND PERIOD (6-10:5) | | IV. Servitude under Midian, Amalek, and | children of the east 7 | 6. GIDEON 40 | ABIMELECH, Gideon's son, reigns as | king over Israel 3 | 7. TOLA 23 | 8. JAIR 22 | (95) | | THIRD PERIOD (10:6-ch. 12) | | V. Servitude under Ammonites with the | Philistines 18 | 9. JEPHTHAH 6 | 10. IBZAN 7 | 11. ELON 10 | 12. ABDON 8 | (49) | | FOURTH PERIOD (13-16) | VI. Seritude under Philistines 40 | 13. SAMSON 20 | (60) | In all 410 Samson's exploits probably synchronize with the period immediately preceding the national repentance and reformation under Samuel (1 Sam. 7:2-6). After Samson came Eli, who was both high priest and judge. He directed the civil and religious affairs of the people for forty years, at the close of which the Philistines again invaded the land and oppressed it for twenty years. Samuel was raised up to deliver the people from this oppression, and he judged Israel for some twelve years, when the direction of affairs fell into the hands of Saul, who was anointed king. If Eli and Samuel are included, there were then fifteen judges. But the chronology of this whole period is uncertain. (3.) The historic section of the book is followed by an appendix (17-21), which has no formal connection with that which goes before. It records (a) the conquest (17, 18) of Laish by a portion of the tribe of Dan; and (b) the almost total extinction of the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes, in consequence of their assisting the men of Gibeah (19-21). This section properly belongs to the period only a few years after the death of Joshua. It shows the religious and moral degeneracy of the people. The author of this book was most probably Samuel. The internal evidence both of the first sixteen chapters and of the appendix warrants this conclusion. It was probably composed during Saul's reign, or at the very beginning of David's. The words in 18:30,31, imply that it was written after the taking of the ark by the Philistines, and after it was set up at Nob (1 Sam. 21). In David's reign the ark was at Gibeon (1 Chr. 16:39)

You Might Also Like:

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Noah's Ark

Have you ever heard the story of Noah's Ark? It's a famous story from the Bible about a man named Noah who built a huge boat to save himself and the a...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Tower of Babel

Have you ever heard the story of the Tower of Babel? It's a story from the Bible about a group of people who wanted to build a tower that reached all ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Ten Plagues

Have you ever heard about the Ten Plagues in the Bible? It's a fascinating story about how God showed His power to the Pharaoh of Egypt and freed the ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Ten Commandments

Have you ever heard about the Ten Commandments in the Bible? These are ten rules that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to guide the Israelites and all...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

12 Tribes of Israel

Have you ever heard about the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Bible? These tribes were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was later named Isr...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Ministry of Jesus

Have you ever heard about the Ministry of Jesus in the Bible? Jesus was a great teacher and healer who spent three years traveling throughout Israel, ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Early Church

Have you ever heard about the Early Church in the Bible? After Jesus' death and resurrection, his followers began to spread his teachings throughout t...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Abraham

Today, let's learn about one of the most important figures in the Bible, Abraham. Abraham's story is told in the book of Genesis and is considered a f...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Moses

Let's learn about another important figure in the Bible, Moses. The story of Moses is told in the book of Exodus and is a central part of the history ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Joshua

Let's talk about Joshua, another important figure in the Bible. The story of Joshua is told in the book of Joshua, which follows the book of Deuterono...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

David

David is one of the most well-known figures in the Bible, and his story is told in several books of the Old Testament, including 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Solomon

Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba, and he was known for his great wisdom and wealth. When David was near death, he declared that Solomon...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Jesus

Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith, and his life and teachings have had a profound impact on the world. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Paul

Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. Originally, Paul was a persecutor of Christia...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Israel

Israel is a land that is rich in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Israel was the promised land ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Egypt

Egypt is a country that is steeped in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Egypt is prominently fea...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Assyria

Assyria was a powerful empire that played an important role in the ancient Near East and in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Assyria is known for its ...

Judges, Book of image
Read More

Babylon

Babylon was a great ancient city in Mesopotamia, located in what is now modern-day Iraq. It was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and is mentioned ...