What is the…
Book of Judges

This book of the Bible is called the Book of Judges because it contains the history of the deliverance and government of Israel by the men and women who bore the title of the “Judges.”

The book of Ruth originally formed part of this book, but about 450 AD it was separated from it and placed in the Hebrew Scriptures immediately after the Song of Solomon.

Contents

1. An introduction (1-3:6), connecting it with the previous narrative in Joshua, as a “link in the chain of books.”

2. Over a period of 410 years, the history of the 13 Judges (Judges 3:7-16:31):

   • FIRST PERIOD (Judges 3:7-ch. 5) —206 years

     • Servitude under Chushan-rishathaim of Mesopotamia — 8 years
       1. OTHNIEL delivers Israel, rest — 40 years
     • Servitude under Eglon of Moab: Ammon and Amalek — 18 years
       1. EHUD’S deliverance, rest — 80 years
       2. SHAMGAR — years unknown.
     • Servitude under Jabin of Hazor in Canaan — 20 years
       4. DEBORAH and
       5. BARAK —40 years

   • SECOND PERIOD (Judges 6:1-10:5) — 95 years

     • Servitude under Midian, Amalek, and children of the east — 7 years
       8. GIDEON — 40 years
          ABIMELECH, Gideon’s son, reigns as king over Israel — 3 years
       9. TOLA — 23 years
       10. JAIR — 22 years

   • THIRD PERIOD (Judg. 10:6-ch. 12) — 49 years

     • Servitude under Ammonites with the Philistines — 18 years
       9. JEPHTHAH — 6 years
       10. IBZAN — 7 years
       11. ELON — 10 years
       12. ABDON — 8 years

   • FOURTH PERIOD (Judg. 13-16) — 60 years

     • Servitude under Philistines — 40 years
       13. SAMSON — 20 years

Samson's exploits probably synchronize with the period immediately preceding the national repentance and reformation under Samuel (1 Samuel 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 40 years, at the close of which the Philistines again invaded the land and oppressed it for 20 years.

Samuel was raised up to deliver the people from this oppression, and he judged Israel for some 12 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 15 judges. But the chronology of this whole period is uncertain.

The historic section of the book is followed by an appendix (Judges 17-21), which has no formal connection with that which goes before. It records…

1. the conquest (Judg. 17-18) of Laish by a portion of the tribe of Dan; and

2. the almost total extinction of the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes, in consequence of their assisting the men of Gibeah (Judg. 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.

Author

The author of this book was most probably Samuel. The internal evidence both of the first 16 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 of the covenant by the Philistines, and after it was set up at Nob (1 Samuel 21). In David's reign the ark was at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39).

More information

• What is a Judge?
• Who is Samson?
• What is JUSTICE? What does the Bible say about it? Answer
• Law
• Justice of God
• Just One
• Judgment seat
• Justification
• What are goodness and righteousness?