Bible Commentaries
Judges

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

XXIV

INTRODUCTION

This discussion is an introduction to the book of Judges, and I present it in prepared words.

CONTEMPORANEOUS JEWISH LITERATURE

There is abundant evidence that apart from the sacred biblical books there was a contemporaneous secular Israelite or Jewish literature, both national and tribal, extending over all the periods from the time of the writing of Genesis to the last Old Testament record. Many of the Old Testament books refer to this extant, contemporaneous literature which covered broad grounds of genealogy, history, poetry, and other matters.

Inspiration moved Old Testament writers not in the direction of a complete, consecutive, scientific history of Israel, but in the selection and preservation of such facts as were contributory to its unique purpose of showing the development of the kingdom of God in one people that it might, in later days, reach all peoples. The book of Judges is no exception to this general rule.

PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

This period really extends from a time after Joshua’s death, and the death of the elders contemporaneous with him, to the establishment of the monarchy under Saul. The event which marks the beginning of the period is the general apostasy of the people from Jehovah worship to the worship of idols and their consequent fall before the heathen nations whom they have failed to destroy. This fact is clearly set forth in Judges 2:6-15, which is the real introduction to the period:

”Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah that he had wrought for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.”

"And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim [Baalim is the plural of Baal, the Hebrew plural]; and they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and they provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and Ashtaroth [Ashtaroth is the female form of Baal, as you would say the moon is the female form of the sun]. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed." That is the real introduction to the period and tells why he raised up special deliverers.

THE KEY SENTENCE OF THE PERIOD

This sentence oft appears as a sad refrain and is the closing sentence of this book: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Commentators have inconsiderately interpreted this sentence as referring to human kings, as if what the people needed as a remedy was an earthly monarchy instead of a theocracy. Our sentence refers to their forfeiture of allegiance to Jehovah-king. "There was a king," and they turned away from him. When the monarchy came there came a further revolt and was the culminating act in rejecting Jehovah, as is evident from 1 Samuel 8:7-9:

"And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."

And further, "And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen: and they shall run before his chariots; and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plough his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day."

Get that clear as to what is the meaning of the key sentence of the book, "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes." This doesn’t have any reference to the human king subsequently appointed. Their clamor for an earthly king was merely for a change from "every man doing what was right in his own eyes" to every man doing what was right in the eyes of other men, as is evident from 1 Samuel 8:9-18. The purpose of the book is to show their general failure as a preparation for the messianic kingdom: (1) In turning from the central place of worship, as in the case of Gideon and Abimelech. (2) The failure of their priesthood, as in the case of the grandson of Moses setting up an image worship for the migration part of Dan at Laish, and still later in the case of Eli. (3) Their consequent loss of national unity, as in the case of a number of the tribes from selfish considerations refusing to help Deborah and Barak. As they failed under Moses in the wilderness, and after Joshua’s conquest, so they failed in the period of Judges (Judges 2:17-19) and will fail under the monarchy, and after the return from exile. And all these failures, under the several transitory dispensations, will complete the preparation for the setting up of the spiritual kingdom, that will endure forever.

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN JOSHUA AND THE JUDGES

Joshua was divinely appointed national leader charged with the specific duties (1) of conquest in its national bearings with a national army; (2) of the allotment of territory to nine and a half tribes; (3) of the renewal of the covenant; (4) of the establishment of a central place of worship, with provision for priests and Levites, and cities of refuge. The judges were special deliverers of particular tribal sections when on account of their sins, they were brought into bondage.

The date of the composition of the book. It was certainly written before the first book of Samuel, as that book repeatedly and particularly quotes from it. It is more amusing than edifying to note the radical critics quoting the phrase "there was no king in Israel," cited and explained above, to prove that it must have been written in or after days when Israel had human kings.

The author’s name is not given, but many scriptures show that all Old Testament books were written by prophets, and this book is the second of the earlier prophets, Joshua being the first.

CHRONOLOGY

There are perhaps some difficulties in dating details because the book is more concerned to give the facts than the dates. Moreover it is evident that some of the judges may have been contemporaneous, seeing that they represent different sections and tribes and contended against different enemies. Hence the order of some events may not be consecutive but simultaneous, though other events are consecutive, as is evident from Deborah’s song, citing by name preceding events and persons. But it is a mistake to conclude that the Jews were careless in matters of chronology. No other people on earth were more careful and painstaking on this point.

The difficulties in determining the chronology of the period as a whole and its great events are more fanciful than real. It is idle to seek to establish definitely the chronology from the many genealogies of the period cited in both Old Testament and New Testament, since they themselves are indeterminate on one point, namely, giving every name. But we do have chronological data every way reliable and sufficiently determinate in substance to establish every material point. In round numbers from the call of Abraham to the establishment in Canaan was 490 years; from the establishment in Canaan to the establishment of the monarchy was 490 years; from the establishment of the monarchy till its downfall was 490 years; from the downfall of the monarchy to the coming of the Messiah was 490 years. The date in Acts 13:20, makes it 450 years from the settlement of Canaan until Samuel the prophet.. Add forty years for Samuel’s rule before the establishment of the monarchy and we have the full period of the judges, 490 years. Every date given in the book of Judges can be harmonized with this date of the full period.

These are:

1. The story of Micah and the migration of the Danites, Judges 27-28.

2. The story of the war of the other tribes against the tribe of Benjamin, and how that tribe was perpetuated after being almost annihilated, Judges 19-21.

To that period, not the book, belong also the story of Ruth, the story of Eli, the story of Samuel up to the beginnings of the monarchy.

The charge that this book and indeed the period is silent on the matter of a central place of worship and general priesthood, coming from the radical critics and other infidels (I use that expression advisedly) in order to discredit the Pentateuch which they call the priest code and give it a post-exile date, is without foundation. There never was a more gratuitous charge. The radical critics didn’t originate it. Infidels originated it, and the radical critics adopted it. When I was an infidel and had never heard of a radical critic I used to discuss it. I got it from my infidel library. I will show you why this charge is without foundation by just citing a few points in the book. First, the book of Joshua clearly shows that he did establish the central place of worship and with the priesthood and giving the names of the high priests and the duties, and that he did provide for the priesthood and the Levites, as we have just learned in the book of Joshua. Now, the book of Judges commences by stating that as long as Joshua lived and as long as the elders lived who were contemporaries with Joshua; as long as that leader lived they served Jehovah faithfully and that faith included keeping up that central place of worship, just as Joshua had commenced.

Now, the second point is that the first thing we have in the book of Judges is the reference to the oracle of God in the place of worship. This is the first time it is mentioned in the book, and the last time in the book is concerning the Benjaminites, and shows that the Benjaminites got their wives by attending the festivals at Shiloh, the central place of worship, and going in and capturing a woman apiece. So the book commences and so the book ends.

Then, if we look somewhat toward the central part of the book, we find that when these Benjaminites upheld the iniquity of a certain member of their tribe the whole nation came together, meeting at their central place of worship.

Now, I cite these facts and could cite others, but those are sufficient to show that the infidel charge is false. The radical critics endorse it because they want to discredit what Moses said about the tabernacle and the central place of worship. In other words, the radical critics affirm that all that part of Exodus and the entire book of Leviticus and certain portions of Numbers constitute what they call the priest’s code, and Moses never wrote any of it, and it was written in the time of Ezekiel in post-exile times, and they use the general silence of the book of Judges about that central place of worship to prove it. Now it is the purpose of Judges to show that in the going from that place of worship they commit a sin, and when they set up images and bow down before them, that is an offense against God, an offense also against the unity of the nation.

That is sufficient on the introduction of the book of Judges.

QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the contemporaneous Jewish literature. Period of the Judges

2. What the extent of time?

3. What event marks the beginning of the period?

4. Where do you find this, and what its relation to the book? The Key-Sentence of the Period

5. What is it?

6. What misinterpretation of this sentence?

7. What was the result when the monarchy came? The Purpose of the Book

8. What is it?

9. How does it show such failure? Distinction Between Joshua and the Judges

10. State clearly these differences. Date and Composition of the Book

11. When written? Reason for your answer.

12. What the higher critics’ position?

13. Who the author? Chronology

14. What the difficulties?

15. Give limits of four great Jewish periods. The Episodes in the Book

16. Name them.

17. Name some in the period but not in the book.

18. What the charge of the radical critics, and why?

19. Give a summary of the answer to this charge.

XXV

INTRODUCTION (Continued)

AND OUTLINE FURTHER REMARKS ON THE INTRODUCTION

In the preceding discussion we considered somewhat the subject of chronology, in which stress was laid on Acts 13:19-20, as an important factor in determining the time extent of the period. In citing this passage we designedly followed the rendering of the common version, to wit: "And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of 450 years, until Samuel the prophet." The Standard Revised Version of these verses, though based on high manuscript authority, makes utter nonsense, to wit: "And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about 450 years; and after these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet." The manufactured punctuation of this rendering violates whole classes of scriptural facts and absurdly makes the distribution of inheritance by Joshua last 450 years and leaves a gap of equal length of time between Joshua and Judges . It is of a piece with the nonsensical butchering punctuation of Daniel 9:25-26, by the Canterbury Revision, happily in that case not followed by the Standard, which there coincides with the common version. In this criticism of the Standard Revision of a single passage, understand that I do not retract my commendation of its general superiority over all other English versions.

I understand Paul to affirm that the period of the judges until Samuel the prophet was 450 years. And, as was said in the preceding discussion, this harmonizes with every date given in the book of Judges particularly the express statement of Jephthah to the Ammonites, that up to his time Israel had dwelt at Heshbon, Aroer and by the side of the river Ainon for 300 years, Judges 11:26. It also harmonizes with the crucial date given in 1 Kings 6:1, that the building of Solomon’s temple commenced in the four hundred and eightieth year after the Exodus from Egypt and was completed in seven years.

ONE OTHER INTRODUCTORY REMARK

The book of Joshua 14:6-15, not only recites the story of Caleb’s allotment by Joshua himself, but also records its conquest by Caleb, together with the exploit of Othniel and the story of Achsah, Joshua 15:13-19, all of which is repeated in Judges 1:12-15; Judges 1:20. It also records in brief, general terms Dan’s conquest of Laish, Joshua 19:47, which event is elaborated at length in Judges 17-18. Nor are these two events the only ones recorded in the book of Joshua and repeated in the book of Judges. We must understand, therefore, that in several particulars the books overlap. And inasmuch as Joshua’s leadership expired with the allotment of territory, after which for some years he lived in retirement before his farewell addresses, Joshua 23-24, it becomes a question somewhat difficult to determine with satisfaction how many of the events in Judges 1:8-3:6; Judges 20-21, occurred in Joshua’s lifetime. All of them, we are sure, preceded the period of the Judges, which commences, Judges 3:7, with Othniel who achieved the first deliverance. There was a period after Joshua’s death, i.e., during that generation of the contemporaneous elders who survived him, in which Israel, in the main, continued faithful to Jehovah.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Really, if you have mastered the outline you have mastered the book.

I. The Events Preceding the Judges

1. A short period of fidelity, after Joshua died. Judges 1:6-10.

2. The history showing how each one in order of the nine and a half tribes west of the Jordan failed in executing Jehovah’s ordinance to destroy the remnants of the Canaanite tribes, and in some fashion made terms with these nations as follows:

(a) Judah and Simeon, how they failed, Judges 1:19.

(b) Benjamin, how he failed, Judges 1:19-21.

(c) Ephraim after doing well, failed, Judges 1:20-25; Judges 1:29.

(d) Manasseh failed, that is, Manasseh west of the Jordan, Judges 1:27.

(e) Zebulun failed, Judges 1:30.

(f) Asher, Judges 1:31-32.

(g) Naphtali, Judges 1:33.

(h) Dan. Judges 1:34; Judges 17-18.

3. The third great event that precedes the period of the judges, that is yet recorded in the book of Judges, is the coming of the angel of Jehovah from Gilgal where Joshua had seen him, to rebuke the unfaithful tribes, and their temporary penitence, Judges 2:1-6.

4. Their general apostasy, including the two and a half tribes east of Jordan, which brought them under the power.

II. A General Statement concerning Jehovah’s intervention of their enemies, Judges 2:11-15; Judges 2:20-23; Judges 3:1-2, by special deliverers called judges and the relapse after the death of each judge.

This is a prospective review of the whole period of the judges down to Samuel, showing that as they failed in the wilderness under Moses, and failed after the settlement under Joshua, so will they fail under the Judges 2:16-19.

III. The third grand division of the book is The Story of the Several Special Deliverers.
1. Othniel, Judges 3:7-11. There had been an oppression for seven years, but there was a rest of forty years. Period forty-seven years. The oppressors in this case were the Mesopotamians under their king living between the Tigris and the Euphrates. You see their eastern boundary touched the Euphrates River, and on account of the failure of the tribes God let these people oppress them. The Mesopotamians came from the east, swept over the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan and struck the center about Jericho. Othniel, of the tribe of Judah, was raised up to beat back that tribe of invaders.

2. The second judge was Ehud, Judges 3:12-30. Here the oppression lasted eighteen years and the rest that followed the deliverance, eighty years. Period, ninety-eight years. The oppressor in this case was the king of Moab, assisted by Ammon and the Amalekites. They also came from the east, or rather from the southeast.

3. The third judge was Shamgar, Judges 3:31. The history is simply a single exploit. The oppressor was the Philistines, no time period given at all.

4. Deborah and Barak, Judges 4-5. Oppression, twenty years. The rest following the deliverance lasted forty years. Period, sixty years. The oppressor was Jabin, king of Hazor, who came from the north and united with the northern Canaanite tribes.

Now, I wonder if you recall the location of the countries around the Promised Land, where they had failed to drive out the inhabitants. Right around from these comes the oppression.

5. Gideon, Judges 6-8. The oppression in this case lasted seven years, the rest after the deliverance, forty years. Period, forty-seven years. This is followed by the story of Abimelech, Gideon’s natural son, who is discussed in Judges 9; the time period, three years. I don’t count him among the judges.

6. Tola is the sixth judge, Judges 10:1-2. No oppressor cited. The time given is twenty-three years. (You will have a use for all these periods of time directly.)

7. The seventh Judge is Jair, Judges 10:3-5. Time given, twenty-two years.

8. The eighth judge is Jephthah, Judges 10:6-12:7. Here the oppression lasted eighteen years and Jephthah judged six years, so that period is twenty-four years. The oppressor in this case is Ammon and the Philistines. Here the oppression comes from the southeast and southwest following the stripline.

9. Ibzan, Judges 12:8-10. Not a thing is said about him, but the time is seven years.

10. Elon, Judges 12:11-12. Time ten years. That is all about him.

11. Abdon, Judges 12:13-15. Time eight years.

I have something funny to say about those judges, that is, it seems funny to me whenever I read it. It is about as big as the sarcastic history of Franklin Pierce when he was running for President. It said, "F. Pierce was born. He is running for President."

12. Samson, Judges 13-16. The oppression in this case was forty years and Samson’s judging twenty years; period, sixty years. The oppressors are the Philistines again from the southwest.

Now, that is the outline of the book of Judges. Now we come to some remarks on the outline. We will take up the items of history in the next discussion.

REMARKS ON THE OUTLINE

1. The sum of years cited in the book is 409.

2. The 300 cited by Jephthah, Judges 11:26, up to the Ammonite oppression plus the years cited in the book after that event make 409 years. If to the sum of the dates in the book we add Eli’s forty years, 1 Samuel 4:18, we have 449 years, coming within one year of Paul’s 450 years up to Samuel. And if we add Samuel’s time of judging to Eli’s and then add them to the Jephthah calculation, we have 490 years from the settlement to the monarchy.

3. Of the 409 years only a little over one-fourth, i.e., 110 years, were they oppressed. As usual, the periods of rest and righteousness have no history. Turbulence and wickedness make history, according to the saying, "Blessed is the nation which has no history." I always stand for Paul; Paul said the period of the judges lasted 450 years, and I am for Paul.

4. The only fact cited concerning two of these judges relates to the number of their children. It says of one, "And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters; he sent abroad to get other people’s sons and brought back thirty daughters from other people for his thirty sons." I smile every time I read it. Now, God smiles more in an approving way on history of that kind than if his boys had killed other people and his daughters had gone to the bad. Then the other: "Abdon had forty sons and thirty son’s sons, that rode on seventy asses’ colts." Now, that must have been a wonderful procession all in a row. That is all the history there is about it. Now, in times of war the boys go out and are killed and grandsons don’t come on and live while the old grandfather is living. They go out and get killed. That is my fourth remark.

5. Ehud, Shamgar, and Samson are renowned for individual exploits.

6. Othniel, Deborah (with Barak), Gideon, and Jephthah lead armies.

7. The oppressions came on the cast from the Euphrates; on the southeast from Ammon, Moab and Amalek; on the north from Hazor, and on the southwest from Philistia.

8. The parts of the book that are of special interest:

(1) The failure of the tribes one by one, Judges 1.

(2) The coming of the angel and their transitory penitence, Judges 2-1-5.

(3) The prospective review of the failure of the people during the whole period, Judges 2:11-23.

(4) The stories of Deborah, Gideon (and his son), Jephthah, and Samson.

(5) The migration of Dan.

(6) The war with Benjamin.

I shall take you out of the book into general literature several times to show you how some of the finest things in literature originated in the book of Judges.

9. My last remark on the outline is a request that you note and specify the tribe of each judge to see what tribes were represented by these inspired men whom God raised up as special deliverers. For instance, Othniel is of the tribe of Judah, that commences the Judges. But you know Samson didn’t belong to the tribe of Judah, nor did Jephthah, nor Deborah.

QUESTIONS

1. What is the fault in the punctuation of Acts 13:19-20, of the Standard Revised Version?

2. Give the events of the book of Joshua repeated in the book of Judges. What is, therefore, proved with reference to the 2 books?

3. Give main divisions of the outline of the book.

4. Remarks on the outline.

(1) What the sum of years cited in the book?

(2) How may this number be obtained in another way?

What the time from the settlement to the monarchy and how obtained?

(3) What part of the period was oppression? The bearing of this fact on the history of the book?

(4) What singular fact with reference to two of the judges?

(5) Which ones are renowned for individual exploits?

(6) Which were leaders of armies?

(7) Whence came the oppressions?

(8) What parts of the book are of special interest?

(9) Note and specify the tribe of each judge.