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Bible Dictionaries
Judges
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Judges. The judges were rulers sent of God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors. Their power extended over portions of the country only, and some of them were contemporaneous. Their chief work was that of deliverers and captains in war. While Samuel as a judge gave something like a settled government to the south, there was scope for the irregular exploits of Samson on the borders of the Philistines. Samuel at last established his authority as judge and prophet, but stall as the servant of Jehovah, only to see it so abused by his sons as to exhaust the patience of the people, who at length demanded a king, after the pattern of the surrounding nations. The following is a partial list of the judges, and the approximate length of their rule: First oppression, by Mesopotamia—8 years. First judge: Othniel—40 years. Second oppression, by Moab—18 years. Second judge: Ehud—60 years; third judge: Shamgar—unknown. Third oppression, by Jabin and Sisera—20 years. Fourth judge: Deborah and Barak—10 years. Fourth oppression, by Midian—7 years. Fifth judge: Gideon—40 years; sixth judge: Abimelech—3 years; seventh judge: Tola—23 years; eighth judge: Jair—22 years. Fifth oppression, by Ammon—18 years. Ninth judge: Jephthah—6 years; tenth judge: Ibzan—7 years; eleventh judge: Elon—10 years: twelfth judge: Abdon—8 years. Sixth oppression, by the Philistines—40 years. Thirteenth judge: Samson—20 years; fourteenth judge: Eli—40 years; fifteenth judge: Samuel.
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Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Judges'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/j/judges.html. 1893.
