judges

Background

Authorship and date of composition.   The dating of the book is circumscribed by data in the book itself. First, the thematic refrain, “In those days Israel had no king,” suggests composition was during or even after the monarchy (post-1050). Second, the reference to the exile in 18:30 suggests a much later date.

Though the book is anonymous, Jewish tradition ascribes it to Samuel, the transitional leader who anointed the first two kings. But if exilic or later, that would not be possible.

Historical setting.   The book opens where Joshua closes, with the initial settling of the land after its conquest under Joshua. The latest episode chronologically is the Samson pericope, whose dates seem to overlap those of Samuel (1105–1085, although these dates are open to discussion).[1] Thus the chronological parameters are about 1375–1085.

Internationally the Hittite and Egyptian empires had been dominant in the eastern Mediterranean region, but both were beginning to wane in power. Thus the Israelite invasion and settlement of Palestine was uncontested by the political giants.

The Israelites had failed fully to dispossess the Canaanites, so that during these centuries they struggled to adjust to sharing land with radically different cultures and religions. Often they encountered marauding foreigners. But just as often one from their midst would rise to provide a kind of deliverance from oppression, usually on a relatively localized level. Unfortunately, some of these turned into tyrants themselves.

Chronological problems.   A simple summation of the years of oppression to the years of the judges yields the total 410. The problem is that the events from which that number is composed took place in a period of about 300 years. Obviously there must have been some degree of overlap of events. The simplest explanation is that some of the oppressions and judgeships were local in scope. The study of these chronological details is extremely involved and notoriously difficult.

Argument

Where the tone of Joshua was primarily positive, that of Judges is quite the opposite. The book is dominated by the cycles of judgment (2:11—16:31), chronicling the pattern of Israel’s (Mosaic) covenant failures which resulted in the covenant curses of foreign oppression. Balancing Israel’s invariably repeated apostasies is God’s equally predictable mercy in deliverance occasioned by Israel’s pitiful cries of repentance. The seeds of these cycles were sewn in their days of ‘conquering,’ or better, failing to possess completely the land by dispossessing its native inhabitants (1:1—2:10). The two appended stories (ch 17–21) demonstrate the extent of moral chaos which characterized this era, brought on by spiritual defection. A subtheme of the book has to do with the historical legitimizing of monarchy, evidenced by the repeated statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel” (18:1; 19:1), with the complementary comment, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6; 21:25; cf. Deut 12:8), implying that monarchy brings societal order which the people proved they desperately needed.

The first chapter records the general failures of seven tribes to dispossess the native inhabitants of their allotted lands, which follow, perhaps strangely, the general success of the tribe of Judah (with Simeon). (In light of the long-standing Judah–Ephraim rivalry, this may indicate that the author was a Judahite, writing partly to support the legitimacy of the Jerusalem throne in contrast to that in Samaria either in David’s early years or after the schism. Also, Ephraim is consistently portrayed in the book in a negative light; see 1:29; 8:1–3; 12:1–6; 19:1.) Responsibility for failure is invariably laid on the particular tribe itself, implying they could have driven out the inhabitants if they had been faithful. Because of the people’s failures, God announces his withdrawal of supernatural enablement for any further dispossessing of natives (2:1–5). Then as soon as Joshua died, the apostasy commenced (2:6–10). Verse 10 marks the sad literary turning point from the generation of Joshua to the next: “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

The cyclical pattern is first described (2:11—3:4), and it is then demonstrated by the stories of the twelve judges, seven of which are merely mentioned without elaboration. These judges are commonly styled as ‘charismatic,’ referring to their popular—rather than bureaucratic—rise to power. The character and methods of the judges were often immoral, reflecting the chaotic conditions of this era of disregard for the Law of God. The point is that while the people were unfaithful, God overruled and delivered in spite of them and their immoral methods. As well, he often provided deliverance apart from usual human means, to emphasize to all the heavenly source of victory.

The first story is told without description except that the judge, Othniel, was Caleb’s younger brother’s son (3:5–11). The next judge, Ehud, used intrigue to assassinate the oppressing ruler, Eglon (3:12–30). The third judge, Shamgar, managed to kill 600 Philistines with primitive weaponry (3:31).

The fourth episode is one of the four extended judge stories (the others being Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson). When some northern kings, led by Jabin of Hazor, oppressed northern tribes (contemporaneous with Shamgar in the south; 5:6), a woman arose (reflecting in yet another way the chaos of the era, in that generally speaking, men had failed to provide the leadership Israel required) to throw off the foreign oppression. When Barak, the man she commissioned to lead Israel into battle, demurred, Deborah agreed to accompany him and assured that victory would come through a woman. That woman was Jael who offered safe haven to Sisera, the Canaanite commander, and betrayed him, killing him in his sleep in her tent. The fifth chapter records Deborah’s song of victory, in which she praises God for the victory (5:2–11), and poetically rehearses details of the battle (5:12–30), and concludes with a prayer of cursing on God’s enemies and blessing on those who love him (5:31).

In the Gideon story the Midianite villains would raid Israel at harvest time (6:1–6). God’s chosen deliverer was a coward, first discovered winnowing grain in hiding from the covetous bandits. After announcing his intent to use Gideon to deliver Israel, God confirmed his call first by miraculously consuming a sacrificial offering (6:11–24). Next God encouraged Gideon’s sense of crusade for God by having him destroy the symbols of his father’s and his town’s idolatry (6:25–32). Gideon was then emboldened to summon soldiers from the northern tribes for the purpose of engaging Midian and Amalek (6:33–35). Even so, his faith needed further bolstering, which God provided by the fleece tests (6:36–40). God overruled Gideon’s apparent battle plan (to outman the enemy), reducing his forces by more than 99 percent (7:1–8). God granted yet another prop to Gideon’s faith, allowing him to overhear the superstitious fear in the hearts of the enemy soldiers (7:9–14). Finally Gideon is ready: after instructing his troops (7:15–18), he leads them in the ‘battle,’ and subsequent mop-up operations (7:19—8:21). Along the way he had as well to overcome the obstacles of the wounded pride of Ephraim (8:1–3), and the refusal of assistance by two Israelite cities (8:4–9). Sadly, despite his glorious victory “by faith” (Heb 11:32f), his subsequent rule was characterized by idolatry and his life by polygamy (8:22–32).

Thus the stage was set for more chaotic and abominable history, which was duly provided by Gideon’s son, Abimelech. When Israel reverted to Baal worship after Gideon’s death (8:33–35), Abimelech stepped forward to ‘volunteer his services’ for strong, unified leadership. His first act was to murder his 70 most likely rivals, his own blood brothers (9:1–6). The youngest, Jotham, escaped to raise his voice in parabolic protest, likening Abimelech to a bramble which came to rule over the plants by default (9:7–20). When the men of Shechem sought to avenge the murders by Abimelech (by random terrorism, 9:25), they were betrayed by their mayor (9:22–41) and treacherously slaughtered by Abimelech (9:42–49). Abimelech’s end then came as he sought to subjugate Thebez, but was mortally wounded when a woman threw a millstone which crushed his head (9:50–57). The careers of Tola and Jair are then merely mentioned with the briefest statements, stressing if anything the narrow locality of their rule (10:1–5).

The next story is Jephthah’s, a social outcast of illegitimate birth, and an apparent outlaw gang leader (11:1–3). The relatively extended account of Israel’s sin, oppression, and repentance (10:6–16) indicates widespread and flagrant apostasy and idolatry, answered by widespread judgment (on at least four tribes) from vicious oppressors. God is also shown as exceedingly merciful, providing deliverance time after time, and now once again in spite of Israel’s pattern of apostasy. Gilead was desperate for deliverance (10:17–18) to the point of submitting to the ruffian, Jephthah (11:4–11). He demonstrated amazing diplomacy and historical consciousness in dealing with Ammon, showing Ammon’s lack of cause against Israel (11:12–28). When Ammon rejected his reasoning Jephthah proceeded to destroy them, while making a foolish, rash vow, which he proudly honored, to his daughter’s misfortune (11:29–40). Unlike Gideon, Jephthah met Ephraim’s proud contention with arms and a slaughter which made famous the Hebrew word, Shibboleth (12:1–6). The Jephthah era was followed by three undistinguished judgeships of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (12:8–15).

The last judge (in this book) is probably the most famous of all, because of both the vividness of the episodes and his personal prodigality. The need for a judge was brought on yet again by Israel’s apostasy (13:1). Samson’s birth was announced by extraordinary divine visitations, emphasizing his and his parents’ responsibility that he should keep a Nazirite vow as he fought to punish the Philistine oppressors (13:2–25). Ironically his life was characterized by both supernatural power and vengeance on wicked Philistia together with personal flouting of his vows and covenant morality. His first episode of chastising the Philistines arose from his covenant-violating demand to marry a Philistine girl (14:1–4). On the trip to Timnah, presumably to arrange the wedding, he killed a lion—barehanded—from which he later gathered wild honey (a violation of his vow; 14:5–9). At the wedding he challenged the Philistine boys to decipher his riddle concerning the honey-filled lion (14:10–14). When they could not, they forced his bride to coax the answer out of him by a threat, and then presented it to Samson (14:15–18). Aware of their cheating, he angrily paid his debt by killing and robbing thirty Philistines from a neighboring town (14:19–20). Some time later he returned to claim his bride, and when he was told she had been given to another man, he destroyed their grain crops as well as vines and olives by tying 300 foxes together in pairs by the tails and attaching a flaming torch to each pair of tails (15:1–8). Not surprisingly the Philistines were incensed. They induced his own countrymen to deliver him to them in bonds. Once in their hands he promptly snapped the ropes, picked up an ass jawbone (another vow violation), and killed 1000 Philistines with it (15:9–17). His self-indulgence caught up with him, however, in the arms of a Philistine prostitute. Once again his confidant was used to find his weakness, so that this time he was subdued (16:1–17). Having cut his hair the Philistines were then able to blind him and bind him, making sport of him in the prison grinding room (16:18–22). But when they thought to display their helpless prize publicly, he was one last time empowered by God to collapse the building, killing some 3000 Philistines … and himself (16:23–31).

If these stories portray the best leadership found in Israel in these days, can it come as any surprise to read the sordid tales of the common folk found in the last section of the book? The first is of a man who stole 1100 pieces of silver from his mother; and when he confessed, she blessed him and had the silver made into a pair of idols. He then hired a wandering Levite to serve as his private priest in charge of the idols. Meanwhile, the tribe of Dan, seeking to possess its allotted territory, stumbled across this Levite-priest and the idols and absconded with all, leaving the first man destitute, but glad to retain his life. In the end we learn this is how the tribe conquered and occupied the city they named after their patriarch (17–18).

The book concludes with the story of another Levite whose concubine-wife left him for prostitution. When he arrived at her father’s house to reclaim her, her father threw a four-day bash. The return trip home was the big tragedy which led to others. The Levite stopped in the Benjamite town of Gibeah for a night’s hospitality, where it turned out the men were as perverse as Lot’s Sodom and Gomorrah had been: they demanded the visitor be turned over to them for homosexual rape. When the concubine was presented instead, they ravished her all night so that she died. The Levite then carried her body back to his home, where he dismembered it and sent a part to each of the twelve tribes, seeking to arouse a vigilante reprisal (19). Israelites from one end of the land to the other gathered and demanded Benjamin to hand over the culprits, but the Benjamites decided to stand with their criminal brothers. The armies of Israel attacked, but were twice beaten back. Finally, they sacrificed to and inquired of Yahweh, who answered with a battle plan which succeeded—an ambush which left 25,000 Benjamites and their cities destroyed (20). Grieved at the thought of one of the twelve tribes extinguished, Israel devised one immoral scheme and then another to rebuild the population of Benjamin. First they struck the men of the city of Jabesh in Gilead for their failure to join in the cause against Benjamin and gave their widows to the 600 surviving Benjamite widowers. As that did not supply enough wives, they then advised the remaining widowers to capture young girls dancing at a Shiloh festival and carry them off forcibly as slave-wives (21). The commentary on this era of Israel’s history was that anarchy led to an ancient version of situation ethics; thus Israel demonstrated her need for strong moral leadership (21:25).

Outline

I. Introduction: Failure to possess all the land  1:1—2:10

A. Tribal failures  1

1. Judah’s victories (with Simeon)  1:1–20

a) Judah’s leadership  1:1–3

b) Victory at Bezek  1:4–7

c) Victories in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowland  1:8–10

d) Caleb’s victory at Debir  1:11–15

e) Victories everywhere (except the valley)  1:16–20

2. Benjamin’s failure—Jerusalem  1:21

3. Joseph’s failures  1:22–29

a) Victory—Bethel  1:22–26

b) Manasseh’s failures—Jezreel valley  1:27–28

c) Ephraim’s failure—Gezer  1:29

4. Zebulun’s failures  1:30

5. Asher’s failures  1:31–32

6. Naphtali’s failures  1:33

7. Dan’s failure  1:34–36

B. God’s announced withdrawal of assistance  2:1–5

C. The end of Joshua’s generation  2:6–10

II. Cycles of Judgment  2:11—16:31

A. Introduction: Pattern of Apostasy, Oppression (Testing), Deliverance, Repeat  2:11—3:4

1. The pattern  2:11–19

a) Established  2:11–16

b) Repeated  2:17–19

2. God’s test: Let the nations remain as thorns!  2:20—3:4

a) The test announced  2:20–23

b) The nations listed  3:1–4

B. Othniel and Mesopotamia  3:5–11

1. Israel’s apostasy, intermarriage  3:5–7

2. Oppression by Mesopotamia, Cushan-rishathaim  3:8

3. Israel’s cry  3:9a

4. Deliverance through Othniel (Caleb’s nephew) of Judah  3:9b–10

5. Rest: 40 years  3:11

C. Ehud and Moab  3:12–30

1. Israel’s sin  3:12a

2. Oppression by Moab (with Ammon, Amalek), Eglon: eighteen years; Jericho captured  3:12b–14

3. Deliverance through Ehud of Benjamin  3:15–30a

a) Delivers tribute  3:15–17

b) Delivers private message: assassination  3:18–22

c) Escapes  3:23–26

d) Leads military victory  3:27–30a

4. Rest: eighty years  3:30b

D. Shamgar: killed 600 Philistines  3:31

E. Deborah and Barak; Hazor  4–5

1. Israel’s sin  4:1

2. Oppression by Jabin and Sisera: twenty years  4:2–3

3. Deliverance through Deborah of Ephraim and Barak of Naphtali  4:4–24

a) Deborah’s leadership as judge in Ephraim  4:4–5

b) Deborah’s message to Barak  4:6–10

(1) The message: Muster Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera!  4:6–7

(2) The response: Barak demurs to Deborah’s accompaniment.  4:8

(3) God assures victory—through a woman.  4:9

(4) Barak and Deborah lead the troops.  4:10

c) Heber’s separation from Kenites  4:11

d) Israel’s victory  4:12–24

(1) The battle  4:12–16

(2) The death of Sisera  4:17–22

(3) Subsequent victory over Jabin  4:23–24

4. Song of victory  5:1–31a

a) Introduction: the singers  5:1

b) The praise by Deborah  5:2–11

c) The muster of the tribes  5:12–18

d) The defeat of the Canaanites  5:19–30

e) The concluding prayer of cursing and blessing  5:31a

5. Rest: 40 years  5:31b

F. Gideon and Midian  6:1—8:32

1. Israel’s sin: Baal worship (6:25)  6:1a

2. Oppression by Midian: seven years  6:1b–6

3. Deliverance through Gideon of Manasseh  6:7—8:21

a) Israel’s cry for deliverance  6:7

b) A prophet’s message: Israel has disobeyed her God.  6:8–10

c) Gideon’s call as deliverer  6:11–24

(1) The angelic announcement  6:11–16

(2) The angelic confirmation by fire  6:17–24

d) Gideon’s commission to purge out idolatry  6:25–32

(1) The command  6:25–26

(2) Gideon’s obedience  6:27

(3) Gideon’s defense by his father  6:28–32

e) The defeat of Midian (and Amalek)  6:33—8:21

(1) The battle setting  6:33–35

(2) Gideon’s fleece tests  6:36–40

(3) Reduction of Gideon’s troops from 32,000 to 300  7:1–8

(4) Gideon’s intelligence (encouragement) mission  7:9–14

(5) Instructions to the troops  7:15–18

(6) The ‘battle’  7:19–22

(7) The pursuit  7:23—8:21

(a) Capture of Midian’s military leaders  7:23–25

(b) Ephraim’s objections mollified  8:1–3

(c) Succoth’s refusal to assist  8:4–7

(d) Penuel’s refusal to assist  8:8–9

(e) Capture of Midian’s kings  8:10–12

(f) Punishment of Succoth  8:13–16

(g) Punishment of Penuel  8:17

(h) Execution of Midian’s kings  8:18–21

4. Gideon’s (idolatrous) rule  8:22–28a

5. Rest: forty years  8:28b

6. Gideon’s end  8:29–32

G. Abimelech’s usurpation  8:33—9:57

1. Israel’s sin: Baal worship  8:33–35

2. Oppression by Abimelech, Gideon’s son  9:1–49

a) His consolidation of power by massacre  9:1–6

b) His treacherous rule  9:7–49

(1) Opposition by Jotham  9:7–21

(a) His riddle about the bramble  9:7–15

(b) Its application to Abimelech  9:16–20

(c) His flight to Beer  9:21

(2) Opposition by Shechem  9:22–41

(a) Attempted revenge  9:22–25

(b) Challenge by Gaal  9:26–29

(c) Advice of Zebul to use force  9:30–33

(d) Attack by Abimelech  9:34–41

i) Ambush of Abimelech  9:34

ii) Complicity of Zebul  9:35–38

iii) Rout of Gaal  9:39–41

(3) Slaughter of Shechem  9:42–49

(a) Bloody massacre of workers in the fields  9:42–45

(b) Fiery massacre of leaders in the tower  9:46–49

3. Deliverance: death of Abimelech  9:50–57

a) Capture of Thebez by Abimelech  9:50

b) Attack against the strong tower  9:51–52

c) Abimelech’s death by a millstone  9:53–54

d) Summary: Abimelech repaid  9:55–57

H. Tola of Issachar: twenty-three years  10:1–2

I. Jair of Gilead: 30 sons, donkeys, cities; twenty-two years  10:3–5

J. Jephthah and Ammon  10:6—12:7

1. Israel’s sin: Baals, Ashtaroth; gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, Philistines  10:6

2. Oppression: eighteen years  10:7–9

a) Against Gilead, Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim

b) By Philistines and Ammon

3. Deliverance through Jephthah  10:10—12:6

a) Israel’s prayer and repentance  10:10–16

(1) Israel’s cry for help  10:10

(2) God’s reluctance, because of past infidelity  10:11–14

(3) Israel’s repentance by putting away foreign gods  10:15–16a

(4) God’s mercy  10:16b

b) Jephthah’s elevation to leadership  10:17—11:11

(1) Gilead’s search for a champion against Ammon  10:17–18

(2) Jephthah’s despised background  11:1–3

(3) Jephthah’s appointment as leader of Gilead  11:4–11

c) Jephthah’s victory over Ammon  11:12–40

(1) Ammon’s quarrel: “This is our land.”  11:12–13

(2) Jephthah’s answer from history  11:14–28

(a) Israel’s dealings with Edom and Moab  11:14–18

(b) Israel’s destruction of Sihon and possession of his land  11:19–22

(c) Appeal to give up the quarrel  11:23–28

(3) Jephthah’s slaughter of Ammon  11:29–33

(4) Jephthah’s vow  11:34–40

d) Jephthah’s victory over proud Ephraim: Shibboleth  12:1–6

4. (Rest?): six years  12:7

K. Ibzan of Bethlehem: thirty sons, daughters; seven years  12:8–10

L. Elon of Zebulun: ten years  12:11–12

M. Abdon of Ephraim: forty sons, thirty grandsons, seventy donkeys; eight years  12:13–15

N. Samson and Philistines  13–16

1. Israel’s sin  13:1a

2. Oppression by Philistines: forty years  13:1b

3. Deliverance through Samson of Dan: twenty years  13:2—16:31

a) Birth  13:2­25

(1) The initial angelic visit: he shall be a Nazirite.  13:2–8

(a) Samson’s parents  13:2

(b) The angel’s message: son, Nazirite  13:3–5

(c) His mother’s report to his father  13:6–7

(d) His father’s prayer: Come, tell us more.  13:8

(2) The second angelic visit  13:9–23

(a) His appearance  13:9

(b) His message repeated  13:10–14

(c) Manoah’s hospitality-sacrifice  13:15–20

(d) Their reverence for the divine messenger  13:21–23

(3) Birth and growth of Samson  13:24–25

b) Victories over Philistines  14–15

(1) Marriage and riddle at Timnah  14

(a) Samson’s demand for the girl from Timnah as wife  14:1–4

(b) His killing the lion which yields honey  14:5–9

(c) His wedding  14:10–20

i) The riddle posed  14:10–14

ii) The riddle answered  14:15–18

iii) The debt paid: thirty Ashkelonites killed  14:19–20

(2) Vengeance on Timnah with foxes and torches  15:1–8

(3) Defeat of Philistines at Lehi  15:9–20

(a) Samson delivered by Israel to Philistines in ropes  15:9–13

(b) Killing of 1000 Philistines with ass jawbone  15:14–17

(c) Drink at En-hakkore  15:18–20

c) Humiliation by Philistines and final victory  16:1–31

(1) His shame and humiliation  16:1–22

(a) Shameful immorality—prostitute, gates of Gaza  16:1–3

(b) Humiliating defeat—Delilah  16:4–22

i) Delilah’s requests and his teasing  16:4–14

ii) His disclosure and defeat  16:15–22

(2) His final victory and death  16:23–31

(a) The Philistine revelry  16:23–25

(b) The Philistine—and Samson’s—destruction  16:26–31

III. Two illustrations of contemporary debauchery  17–21

A. Danites’ idolatry and migration  17–18

1. Micah’s (of Ephraim) idolatry  17

a) Micah’s (stolen) silver idol  17:1–6

b) Micah’s Levite-priest (of Bethlehem)  17:7–13

2. Dan’s migration  18

a) Danite spy mission  18:1–10

(1) Visit with Micah and the Levite  18:1–6

(2) Visit at Laish  18:7

(3) Debriefing at Zorah and Eshtaol  18:8–10

b) Danite migration  18:11–31

(1) Movement to Ephraim, led by soldiers  18:11–13

(2) Kidnap and theft from Micah  18:14–20

(3) Flight from Ephraim, led by children, flocks  18:21–26

(4) Conquest, settlement, and idolatry at Laish  18:27–31

B. Benjamites’ (Gibeah) rape-murder and subsequent decimation  19:1—21:24

1. The woman’s rape-murder  19

a) Levite’s trip to retrieve his adulterous concubine  19:1–9

b) The return trip  19:10–26

(1) Passage by Jerusalem to stay with Israelites (Gibeah)  19:10–15

(2) Hospitality (?) in Gibeah  19:16–26

(a) Old man’s kindness  19:16–21

(b) Townsmen’s deadly lechery  19:22–26

c) Dismemberment of woman’s body  19:27–30

2. Israel’s vengeance on Benjamin  20

a) Israel’s case against Benjamin  20:1–13

(1) The Levite’s complaint  20:1–7

(2) Israel’s sentence  20:8–11

(3) Benjamin’s solidarity with the guilty  20:12–13

b) Israel’s military settlement with Benjamin  20:14–48

(1) Soldiers prepared  20:14–18

(2) Israel’s defeats  20:19–25

(a) First battle  20:19–23

(b) Second battle  20:24–25

(3) Israel’s victory  20:26–48

(a) Waiting on Yahweh  20:26–28

(b) Ambush: 25,000 Benjamites, cities destroyed  20:29–48

3. Israel’s measures to rebuild Benjamin  21:1–24

a) Israel’s grief at the loss of Benjamin  21:1–6

b) Israel’s measures to rebuild Benjamin  21:7–24

(1) Jabesh-gilead’s women  21:7–15

(a) Strike against the city for not fighting Benjamin  21:7–11

(b) Their women given to Benjamin  21:12–15

(2) Shiloh’s girls  21:16–24

(a) Dilemma  21:16–18

(b) Solution: capture dancers at Shiloh  21:19–24

C. Summary comment on Israel’s condition  21:25