judges book of

Judges, Book of
is so called because it contains the history of the deliverance
and government of Israel by the men who bore the title of the
"judges." The book of Ruth originally formed part of this book,
but about A.D. 450 it was separated from it and placed in the
Hebrew scriptures immediately after the Song of Solomon.

  The book contains, (1.) An introduction (1-3:6), connecting it
with the previous narrative in Joshua, as a "link in the chain
of books." (2.) The history of the thirteen judges (3:7-16:31)
in the following order:
|              FIRST PERIOD (3:7-ch. 5)
|                                             Years
| I. Servitude under Chushan-rishathaim of
|    Mesopotamia                                8
|   1. OTHNIEL delivers Israel, rest           40
| II. Servitude under Eglon of Moab:
|    Ammon, Amalek                             18
|   2. EHUD'S deliverance, rest                80
|   3. SHAMGAR Unknown.
| III. Servitude under Jabin of Hazor in
|    Canaan                                    20
|   4. DEBORAH and,
|   5. BARAK                                   40
|                                            (206)
|
|             SECOND PERIOD (6-10:5)
|
| IV. Servitude under Midian, Amalek, and
|    children of the east                       7
|   6. GIDEON                                  40
|      ABIMELECH, Gideon's son, reigns as
|       king over Israel                        3
|   7. TOLA                                    23
|   8. JAIR                                    22
|                                             (95)
|
|          THIRD PERIOD (10:6-ch. 12)
|
| V. Servitude under Ammonites with the
|    Philistines                               18
|   9. JEPHTHAH                                 6
|  10. IBZAN                                    7
|  11. ELON                                    10
|  12. ABDON                                    8
|                                             (49)
|
|            FOURTH PERIOD (13-16)
| VI. Seritude under Philistines               40
|  13. SAMSON                                  20
|                                             (60)
|                                      In all 410

  Samson's exploits probably synchronize with the period
immediately preceding the national repentance and reformation
under Samuel (1 Sam. 7:2-6).

  After Samson came Eli, who was both high priest and judge. He
directed the civil and religious affairs of the people for forty
years, at the close of which the Philistines again invaded the
land and oppressed it for twenty years. Samuel was raised up to
deliver the people from this oppression, and he judged Israel
for some twelve years, when the direction of affairs fell into
the hands of Saul, who was anointed king. If Eli and Samuel are
included, there were then fifteen judges. But the chronology of
this whole period is uncertain.

  (3.) The historic section of the book is followed by an
appendix (17-21), which has no formal connection with that which
goes before. It records (a) the conquest (17, 18) of Laish by a
portion of the tribe of Dan; and (b) the almost total extinction
of the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes, in consequence of
their assisting the men of Gibeah (19-21). This section properly
belongs to the period only a few years after the death of
Joshua. It shows the religious and moral degeneracy of the
people.

  The author of this book was most probably Samuel. The internal
evidence both of the first sixteen chapters and of the appendix
warrants this conclusion. It was probably composed during Saul's
reign, or at the very beginning of David's. The words in
18:30,31, imply that it was written after the taking of the ark
by the Philistines, and after it was set up at Nob (1 Sam. 21).
In David's reign the ark was at Gibeon (1 Chr. 16:39)