Getting Started with Judges
By Ted Hildebrandt
Copyright © 2012
Introduction to Judges
The
title “The Book of Judges” is derived from the Latin Vulgate Liber Iudicum
which matches the Greek Septuagint’s (LXX) Kritai (Judges); both of
which are a literal derivation from the Hebrew Shophetim. One must
understand that the Hebrew designation for “Judge” as a judicial official
making court decisions is suited to Deborah who held court under a palm tree but
few else (4:4-5; cf. Deut 16:18-20).
The Hebrew term shophetim is much broader. The best functional
definition of “judges” is found in the book of Judges itself (2:16-18): “The
Lord raised up judges [shophetim], who saved them out of the hands of
these raiders. …Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the
judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge
lived.” They were charismatic deliverers who were raised up to lead, rescue, rule,
and save Israel from regional oppressors (10:12-13). This can be seen clearly with
the first judge Othniel where the terms “judge” [translated “deliverer” NIV]
and “saving” are juxtaposed along with the recognition of Othniel’s being endowed
by the Spirit of the Lord to defeat Cushan-Rishathaim (Cushan, the doubly
wicked; 3:9f.). Ehud, Barak, and Gideon are not called as judges but are
described using the term “savior” (3:15) or “saving” (6:14-15; 8:22 cf. 3:31;
10:1; 12:2-3; 13:5). Indeed, God himself is seen as the ultimate “savior”
(6:36; 7:2). Perhaps a better title for the book would be “Book of Tribal Saviors/Deliverers/Liberators”
(Block).
The period of Judges is a well-known period of Israel’s history.
It lies between the idyllic conquest of the land by Joshua and the first king Saul,
who is anointed by the last judge, Samuel who oversees the shift from theocracy--where
God is king--to the monarchy where Saul is anointed king (8:23; 1 Sam 8:7).
This heroic period is referred to in 1 Samuel (1 Sam 12:9-11), Ruth (1:1), Psalms
(83:9ff; 106:40ff), Isaiah (9:4), Kings (2 Kgs 23:22), and Nehemiah (9:27). A
classic synopsis is given in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith: “I do not have time
to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was
promised…” (Heb 11:32f.).
Theme, Structures,
Chronology and Social Fabric of Judges
The
major theme of Judges is frequently repeated in the final chapters of the book
(17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), “In those days there was no king in
Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
It was a period of chaos and of individual and corporate apostasy. While this
summary statement reflects a time when Israel had a king, the portrayal of the
kingship is not naïve but tainted by Gideon’s son Abimelech’s treacherous attempts
at making himself king by the slaughtering of his siblings (9:5) and the burning
of the residents of Shechem (9:49). Judges seems to be realistic about the
nature and problems of kingship (vid. 1 Sam 8:11-18).
The structure of the book of Judges has both cyclical and linear elements
to it. The cyclical nature can be seen in the cycle introduced in Judges
2:6-3:6 which is echoed in the six major deliverers that follow. The complete
cycle can be seen with Othniel of Judah, the first judge.
Rebellion: Israel does evil in the eyes
of the Lord (3:7)
Yahweh sells them into the hands of their oppressors (3:8)
Repentance/Cry of distress: Israel cries to the Lord (3:9)
God raises up a deliverer/judge (3:9)
Military victory of the deliverer who is endowed by the Spirit
(3:10)
The land has rest for a number of years (3:11)
These cycles are not always complete as neither the
Jephthah nor Samson cycles have the final stage of Israel’s rest (Younger, cf.
Satterthwaite, IVP Dict., 583).
There are six cyclical or major judges and six non-cyclical or minor
judges. The stories of the six non-cyclical judges are usually short with a
succession statement, home location, years as judge, and death notice. They
seem to occur in a 1, 2, 3 pattern: 1) Shamgar (3:13); 2) Tola (10:1) and Jair
(10:3); and 3) Ibzan (12:8), Elon (12:11), and Abdon (12:13, Younger). The six
cyclical or major judges are: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah/Barak, Gideon, Jephthah,
and Samson. There are twelve judges in all. The heroic sagas seem to increase
in length from Othniel, the shortest, to Samson, the longest. There also seems
to be a movement from Judah (ch. 3) in the south to Dan in the north (ch. 19) from
the east (Ehud; Moab) to west (Samson; Philistine) intersecting the moral
decline of the nation.
The major section of judge cycles (3:7-16:31) is framed by a double
introduction and a double conclusion. There is a chiastic ABBA literary
framework between the doubled introduction and the doubled conclusion (Younger,
31-33).
A Foreign wars of subjugation (1:1-2:5)
B Difficulties with foreign religious idols
(2:6-3:6)
B’ Difficulties with Israelites’ religious idols
(17:1-18:31)
A’ Israelite inter-tribal warfare (19:1-21:25)
The chronology of Judges cannot be reconstructed accurately based
on the historical notices in the text describing: 1) the number of years of the
various oppressions (3:14; 4:3; 6:1; 10:8; 13:1); and 2) the years of rest as a
result of the deliverances (3:30; 5:31; 8:28; 15:20). These total 410 years.
This number is too large for those holding an early date of the exodus (ca.
1445 B.C.) and is especially troubling for the late date of the exodus (ca.
1260 B.C.- 40 years in the wilderness) which allows for less than 150 years for
this period before Samuel (ca. 1100 B.C.) and Saul (1050 B.C.).
There are two factors that impact the chronology of Judges. First,
the judges were regional saviors, hence the length of oppressions and rests may
overlap. Second, some of the numbers may be rounded off as symbolic as Ehud
has 80 years, Deborah 40 years and Gideon 40 years. One should also note
Jephthah’s unchallenged statement that in his day Israel had occupied Heshbon
for 300 years (11:26).
While traditionally the authorship of the book has been assigned to
Samuel (ca. 1050 B.C.), statements in 18:30-31 may well indicate a pre-Zion
perspective (i.e. pre-David capturing Jerusalem) as the house of God is
described as firmly seated at Shiloh, not Jerusalem. Yet the statement
concerning the tribe of Dan having set up idols “until the time of the
captivity of the land” (18:30) seems to indicate an editorial insertion from
the time of the Assyrian captivity (722 B.C.). The referencing of archaic site
locations also shows the final form of the book is distant from the events
recorded (e.g. Debir =Kirath Sepher [1:11]; Jebus=Jerusalem [19:10]; Block). David
had apparently not captured Jerusalem yet as “to this day the Jebusites live
there” (1:21). This is a complex document with several editorial layers
reflected in its final text.
The social fabric of the time also seems to reflect an early period
with the bottom level being the “house of the father” or family which would
combine to form a “clan” which, in turn, would combine to form a “tribe” which,
in turn, joined to form the nation of Israel (cf. Josh 7:14). Other social
factors are the Levites who function as priests (17:7ff) and the elders of
Succoth written down by a boy for Gideon (8:14). The lack of centralization of
worship and many non-priests offering sacrifices (6:18ff; 11:31; 13:23) is indicative
of a pre-monarchic origin with later editorial insertions.
Summary of Contents
The
book opens with the first introduction (1:1-2:5) echoing themes and phrases
from Joshua continuing the conquest of the land with Judah and the Simeonites
attacking Adoni-Bezek. Judah captures Jerusalem, Caleb takes Hebron, and his
daughter Acsah is given to Othniel for taking Debir/Kiriath Sepher. While the
men of Judah were largely successful, the other tribes of Manasseh, Benjamin,
and others were not able to drive out the Canaanites (ch. 1).
The second introduction (2:6-3:6) is a description of why the Canaanites
were not driven from the land. While Joshua’s generation served the Lord the
ones that followed forsook the Lord, violated the covenant, and served Baal and
Ashtoreths. The Lord left the Canaanites in the land to test Israel and to
teach the next generation the art of warfare (3:1f.).
Othniel, the first major judge, has the full literary cycle
(3:7-11). While he gets a short description, he is Caleb’s younger brother
from the tribe of Judah who battles Cushan-Rishathaim from Aram.
Ehud, the left hander from the tribe of Benjamin (son of my right
hand), takes tribute to the obese oppressor Eglon king of Moab who had taken
the City of Palms (Jericho; 3:12-30). Ehud requests a secret audience with
Eglon to present a message from God. After the servants are dismissed, Ehud
draws his dagger and plunges it into Eglon. While the servants decide whether
to open the locked restroom palace doors, Ehud has time to escape down the
latrine (3:23; NLT) and rally the Ephraimites who defeat and throw off the
oppressive yoke of the Moabites.
Deborah and Barak confront the 900 iron chariots of Jabin, king of
Canaan who reigned in Hazor (4:1-5:31). Apparently Jabin is a dynastic name as
Joshua had killed Jabin king of Hazor previously (Josh 11:1-10). Deborah is
described as the wife of Lappidoth, a prophetess and judge “who was leading
Israel at the time in the hill country of Ephraim” (4:4-5). She orders a timid
Barak to prepare for battle. Barak lacks courage and so God announces that
Sisera, Jabin’s general, will be handed over to a woman. The battle takes
place in the Jezreel or Armageddon Valley. The Kishon River floods, resulting
in the muddied iron chariots being incapacitated. Sisera flees and Jael, a
Kenite woman, offers Sisera milk and a cozy nap at which time she takes a tent
peg and hammer and kills him, thereby finalizing the victory. The poetic song
of Deborah celebrates the victory (cf. Exod 15).
The Gideon narrative is seen as the center of the major judges.
There is an extended treatment of Gideon’s call as he clandestinely tries to
winnow wheat in a winepress (6:1-9:56). He objects asking for a sign which is
granted as fire flares from a rock and consumes the meat of his sacrifice (cf.
Moses). He tears down his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah pole
resulting in him being named “Jeru-baal” meaning “Let Baal defend himself”
(6:32). He demands a sign confirming his call to arms by putting out a fleece
and requesting it to be wet and the ground dry. Gideon then musters 32,000 men
and God eliminates all but 300 who lapped water from their hands at the spring
of Harod. Gideon defeats the Midianites at night with lamps and trumpets
blasting.
At the end of his life things fall apart as he makes a idolatrous golden
ephod and his son Abimelech, after Gideon’s death, declares himself king at
Shechem by slaying Gideon’s seventy sons. Jotham tells a satirical fable about
the trees anointing the bramble bush as king (ch. 9). Abimelech is eventually
killed by a woman who cracks his skull by dropping a millstone from a tower on
him.
Jephthah of Gilead confronts the Ammonites in Transjordan
(10:6-12:7). While he was a mighty warrior, his mother was a prostitute so he
was originally driven out of his family. Later they recall him seeking to employ
his skills against the Ammonites. After reviewing Israel’s history, Jephthah
makes a vow to sacrifice whatever comes out the door of his house if he returns
victorious. His only child, a daughter, comes out to greet him upon his return
and “he did to her as he had vowed.” Most think he sacrificed her but some
think he may have dedicated her to the Lord through celibacy. The tribe of
Ephraim was offended that they were not invited to the war so they attack
Jephthah of Gilead who identifies who the Ephraimites are by a dialectical
difference whether they could say “shibboleth” instead of “sibboleth” (ear of
grain).
Samson, from the tribe of Dan, was called to be a Nazirite from
birth and was destined to confront the Philistines (chs. 13-16). The birth
narrative has an angel informing his sterile mother and Manoah, his father,
that no razor should come on his head (ch. 13). Samson’s entanglements with
the Philistines come through three women. The first is his wife from Timnah.
At his wedding he gives a riddle based on his taking honey from the carcass of
a lion he had previously killed. His wedding guests force his wife to tell them
the answer by threatening her parents. Samson slays thirty Philistines to
acquire the thirty changes of clothes to close the bet. Second, he goes in to
a prostitute at Gaza where he walks off with the posts of the city gate.
Third, he falls in love with Delilah. The Philistines bribe her into finding
out the secret of Samson’s strength. She cuts his hair and he is captured,
blinded, and returned to Gaza. He prays for revenge and knocks down the
pillars of the Philistine temple killing more in his death than in his tragic life.
The book of Judges then ends with a double conclusion or the tales
of two Levites. The first Levite contracts with Micah in Ephraim to serve as a
priest for Micah’s family idol. The tribe of Dan recruits him as they migrate north
to capture the city of Laish, later named Dan, where the Levite sets up an
idolatrous worship center.
The second Levite has a concubine who flees to her family in
Bethlehem. He goes to retrieve her and then upon returning stays in Gibeah in
the tribal region of Benjamin. The men of Gibeah rape and kill his concubine.
He cuts her up and sends her body parts to the twelve tribes of Israel. The
tribes muster, attack, and almost destroy the tribe of Benjamin except for 600
men. They seize wives for the Benjaminites from Jabesh Gilead and from dancers
at a Shiloh festival thereby reconstituting the tribe of Benjamin. This story
sets the background to Saul the first king of Israel who is from the tribe of
Benjamin.
The book ends with the major theme lamenting: “In those days
Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Theology
God the ultimate deliverer
With
all the extraordinary feats and foibles of the various judges, something that must
not be missed is that God himself was the one who delivered Israel into the
hands of the oppressors and it was God who graciously listened to their cries
of distress and raised up each judge. Indeed, God was viewed as the one ruling
Israel during this time; Israel’s ultimate deliverer (8:23). The Spirit of God was
a catalyst in endowing these various judges with gifts needed to fulfill their
roles (6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14).
The People of God Struggle with Syncretism
While
Israel had conquered the land of Canaan, it remained for Judges to determine
whether Israel would be conquered by Canaan culture and religion. Israel’s
tendency was to forget the Lord and to serve the Baals and Asherahs (2:11; 3:7,
12; 4:1; 6:1), resulting in their inability to drive out the Canaanites. This
was a fulfillment of the Mosaic warnings in Deuteronomy (7:4; 20:18). Syncretism
resulted in Israel sliding into the abhorrent and immoral practices of
Canaanite idolatry. One wonders whether this warning about syncretism and
assimilation should be heeded by the post-modern church.
The Role of Women in Judges
The
women in Judges run the gamut from heroic (Deborah, Jael), to pious (daughter
of Jephthah), to the feisty (Acsah, 1:15), to the unnamed woman who cracks
Abimelech’s skull with a millstone. Samson’s betrayal by Delilah and the helpless
nameless Levite’s concubine are significant in this chaotic time in Israel’s
history (Younger, 37).
Questions
1. What similarities can be seen in comparing
Judges 1 and the book of Joshua?
2. What are the similarities and differences between the narrative account of
Deborah’s
victory (ch. 4) and the poetic account (ch. 5)?
3. What parallels are seen between Gideon and Moses?
4. What role do women play in the book of Judges?
5. How are the various tribes portrayed?
6. What traces of later editorial comments are found throughout the book?
7. What role does the Spirit of God play in Judges?
8. How did the various judges determine God’s direction and will (esp.
Gideon)?
9. How does Judges set up the coming institution of kingship in Israel?