Book of Judges in Easton's Bible Dictionary
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)
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