Judges

The English title “Judges” comes from the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, as well as the Latin Vulgate. Modern people typically think of “judges” as men in robes who preside over legal cases. While the judges of Israel did adjudicate legal disputes, their primary function was to serve as leaders or “deliverers,” who rescued Israel from apostasy and judgment: “Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them” (Judg. 2:16).

God is the ultimate “Judge” (šôpēṭ) who ruled the nation (Judg. 11:27), but he sovereignly worked through these ad hoc leaders to deliver the nation of Israel.[1] Block writes, “These individuals were instruments of deliverance from external enemies; their purpose was not the settlement of internal disputes. In light of this evidence, our English term ‘judge’ obviously fails to capture the nature of the activity and role of Israel’s leaders in the Book of Judges… the name of the book is better rendered ‘The Book of Tribal Rulers.’”^[2]

Many men and women were said to “judge” or lead Israel (Judg. 3:10; 10:2-3; 12:7, 8-9, 11, 13-14; 15:20; 16:31). There are 13 total judges in this book if we include Barak as a coleader with Deborah. However, Eli and Samuel are also judges—even though they are recorded in another (1 Sam.).

Dating of Judges

Judges records the history of Israel from just after the death of Joshua (~1,360 BC) to just before the days of Samuel (~1,060 BC) or roughly “three hundred years” (Judg. 11:26).[3] But when was the book written? Several factors need to be considered:

• Since the book of Judges contains history up to the time of the monarchy of Saul and David, the author must have been writing after that time (~1020 BC).

• The statement “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judg. 18:1; 19:1) implies that it was written during the time of the monarchy (~1020 BC), but before Israel divided after Solomon’s death (~930 BC).

• Judges 3:3 implies that Sidon was the major city of Phoenicia. Historically, this changed after 1200 BC when Tyre became the most important city.^[4] Of course, this doesn’t require that the author was writing before 1200 BC. It could simply mean that the author had reliable history passed down to him.

• The mention of the Jebusites living in Jerusalem “to this day” (Judg. 1:21) fits better with a dating before the time of David, who removed the Jebusites from Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:6-8).

• The mention of the Canaanites being in control of Gezer fits better with a time before Solomon, because the Egyptians conquered Gezer and offered it to Solomon in 970 BC (1 Kings 9:16).

Though he is uncertain, Arthur Cundall dates the book around 980 BC.^[5] Similarly, Archer dates the final composition of the book around 1000 BC, during the early reign of David.^[6]

How does an early dating fit with Judges 18:30? Critics of an early dating of Judges point out a chronological difficulty in the book. In one place, we read, “Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land” (Judg. 18:30). Assyria didn’t take the Israelites captive until 732 BC. So how could the book be written in 1000 BC?

Proponents of the early dating of Judges respond in one of two ways: (1) This text is a later interpolation by a scribe[7] or (2) the text should read “until the captivity of the ark [not land].”^[8] Under this second view, this text is referring to the capture of the Ark of the Covenant under Eli (1 Sam. 4:10-21). The changing of the word “would involve simply the change of one consonant” in the Hebrew, so such an explanation is certainly plausible.^[9] Furthermore, this would fit nicely with the context. In the very next verse, the author mentions how “the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judg. 18:31). If the text originally read “ark,” rather than “land,” then this would explain the parallel in verse 31 (“the house of God”).

Additionally, a post-exilic date presents significant challenges in explaining the book’s message. Block^[10] argues that by the time of the Exile, the nation had already faced punishment for its apostasy, making any further warning about apostasy irrelevant. Furthermore, the Exile had effectively eradicated idolatry from the nation, rendering a message about the dire consequences of idolatry unnecessary.

Authorship of Judges

The Jewish Talmud records that Samuel—the final judge—was the author of Judges (Baba Bathra 14b).^[11] A case can still be made for Samuel as the author.[12] However, “most scholars have abandoned this view,”^[13] because the author of Judges is definitely in favor of needing a king, while Samuel was definitely against the idea (1 Sam. 8).

However, if our dating of the book is correct (~1000 BC), then the author would’ve lived around the time of Samuel. Wolf^[14] holds that the author is unknown—though he thinks that the author was an associate of Samuel. Block also thinks that the author is a “mystery,” though he thinks he was a “prophetic figure.”^[15]

Archer agrees that there is “no clear evidence as to the identity of the author.” Yet he states, “It would be natural to suppose that either Samuel himself or else some student or disciple of his might have been responsible for the compilation of this history.”^[16] He infers some sort of “prophetic” authorship for the book, because “[the author] measures Israel’s history by the standard of faithfulness to Jehovah’s covenant.”^[17]

We reject the view that this book was spliced together by multiple authors. Even though the author must have compiled historical sources to write this book, it is still likely that a single author wrote it, due to its literary unity:

• The theme of apostasy, judgment, repentance, and renewal is seen throughout the body of the book (specifically Judges 2:6-16:31).^[18]

• The expression “Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” is used six times throughout the book (3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1).

• The phrase “the land had rest” (3:11, 30; 5:31; 8:28) is used four times.

Current scholarship focuses on “reading the text as a coherent literary unity,”^[19] rather than the work of multiple authors.

Major Themes in Judges

As we read the book of Judges, we should be aware of the major themes that emerge from the text:

First, the book of Judges shows us that we desperately need a King. The purpose of this book is to show the graphic “highlights” of this period of history in order to demonstrate Israel’s need for order rather than anarchy. In the book of Judges, we see:

The book closes with a cliffhanger: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25; cf. 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1 NASB). From here, the reader will ask himself: Who will step up to lead as the king in Israel?

We think that we find an answer to this question in the book of Samuel. Saul—a tall and handsome man—becomes Israel’s first king. But Saul becomes corrupt, only to be replaced by David. Later, David becomes corrupt, committing adultery and murder. After him, his sons only become more immoral.

Once again, this leaves the reader asking: Who can have the power and the integrity to lead the people in Israel? Of course, as followers of Christ, we see the answer to this question clearly. Jesus has the omnipotence of deity, but he is also “gentle and humble in heart” (Mt. 11:29) and “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ is the fulfillment of this tension for the perfect King.

Second, the book of Judges shows us the mercy of God to help those who cry out to him. Judges is a cyclical book: (1) the people fall into idolatry, (2) God gives them over, (3) the people cry out to God for help, and (4) God raises up a judge to help. This shows us how God consistently and mercifully responds to even the most horrible of people. When we read this book, we become frustrated (“Why can’t you people just learn from your mistakes?!”). However, the reflective reader will see that this book applies to the psychology of sin. Apart from the mercy of God, we don’t learn! Judges reveals the horrifying truth that we are just as sinful and foolish as the nation of Israel.

Third, the book of Judges shows us the importance of “passing the baton.” Moses did an excellent job of training Joshua before he passed on (see “Introduction to Joshua”). However, while Joshua was a great man of God, his successors were weak and worldly. All of Joshua’s hard work went spiraling down the spiritual toilet after his death. Likewise, each of the judges pulled Israel out of spiritual anarchy, but they didn’t train anyone to replace them. After they died, the nation fell into anarchy.

Similarly, we might consider ourselves great spiritual leaders for God, but who is going to replace us once we are out of the picture? Believers throughout history have seen periods of great revival. However, these periods of revival are transitory and temporary. Judges paints a clear antithesis for what can happen if we don’t replace ourselves.

Fourth, the book of Judges shows Israel’s transition from a group of emancipated slaves to a full-fledged nation. When they entered the Promised Land under Joshua, Israel consisted of a collection of tribes led by a single man: Joshua. After Joshua took over the land, the Canaanites came to take it back, competing for control of this precious real estate. This breakdown of leadership is what led to the monarchy under Saul (~1020 BC).

Fifth, the book of Judges shows that God is the ultimate king—not institutions. Webb writes, “No institution, however valid, holds the key to Israel’s future. It is only God’s ongoing commitment to his people, in spite of everything, that does this.”^[20] Likewise, Block states that the judges aren’t heroes but antiheroes, and “the true hero in the book is God and God alone.”^[21] Elsewhere, he writes, “In other words, the Book of Judges is not so much a written memorial to Israel’s heroes in the Early Iron Age as a witness to Yahweh’s gracious determination to preserve his people by answering their pleas and providing deliverance.”^[22]

Chronology of the Judges

The judges were not consecutive. That is, the description of the judges shows that they overlapped. If there was no overlap, then there would be 591 years from the Exodus to the Temple, rather than 480 (1 Kin. 6:1). Block writes,

It appears from 10:6 that the Ammonite and Philistine oppressions overlap, which suggests concurrency between Jephthah’s and Samson’s terms in office, cutting eighteen years from the total. In fact, Samson, Eli, and Samuel, all of whom had to deal with the Philistines, may all have served the nation during the forty years of Philistine oppression, allowing a deduction of seventy-two years from the total… Abimelek’s three years should perhaps be deleted from the computation since he was not an actual judge. Perhaps the author intentionally distanced him from the judges proper by having Abimelek function as a śār, ‘officer,’ over Israel (9:22) rather than judging (šāpaṭ). These deletions total ninety-three years, yielding a figure of 480, the precise figure required to match 1 Kgs 6:1.^[23]

Archer represents the approximate dates of the judges in this way:

Scholars who hold to the late date for the Exodus offer different dates for the judges.

As you can see above, one of the principal difficulties of the late-dating of the Exodus is the chronology of the judges, which doesn’t fit within the time frame needed (see also Judges 11:26). This is one reason among many that we reject the late date, and hold to the early date (see “Dating of the Exodus”).

Consulted Commentaries

Herbert Wolf, “Judges,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992).

Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968).

Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999).

Barry G. Webb, The Book of Judges, ed. R. K. Harrison and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012).

[1] The noun “judges” (Hebrew šōp̱ēṭ) is only used in Judges 2:16-19. However, this term is also used throughout the rest of Scripture (Ruth 1:1; 2 Sam. 7:11).

^[2] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 23, 25.

[3] Incidentally, this time marker of 300 years helps to confirm the early dating of the Exodus (see “Date of the Exodus”).

^[4] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 300.

^[5] Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 28.

^[6] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 303.

[7] See Merrill Unger, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament, p.292. Cited in Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, who disagrees with this explanation.

^[8] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 302-303.

^[9] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 302.

^[10] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 66.

^[11] Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 28.

[12] C. J. Goslinga, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, trans. R. Togtman; Bible Student Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 217-23.

[13] Eugene H. Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 289.

^[14] Herbert Wolf, “Judges,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 377-378.

^[15] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 67.

^[16] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 303.

^[17] Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 303.

^[18] Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 29.

[19] Eugene H. Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 289.

^[20] Barry G. Webb, The Book of Judges, ed. R. K. Harrison and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012), 35.

^[21] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 58, 72.

^[22] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 40.

^[23] Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth, vol. 6, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 62.

[24] Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Revised and Expanded ed. (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2007), 250.

^[25] Arthur E. Cundall and Leon Morris, Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 7, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 34.