Judges 1-12

Judges. (Shoftim)

"The L*rd raised them up Judges" (Judges 2:18) The Judges are the leaders of the Israelites beginning in the generation after Joshua until the Kingdom is established under Saul.

There are thirteen Judges of Israel in the Book of Judges. (I Samuel also adds Eli, Samuel, Joelm, and Abiah as judges).

Their circumstances, the extent of their power, and their characters are vastly different. They are also not equally chronicled in the text. Some accounts are in much greater detail.

I found this list of the Shoftim citations online:

1. Othniel, the son of Kenaz from the tribe of Judah (3:7-11)

2. Ehud, the son of Gerah from the tribe of Benjamin (3:12-30)

3. Shamgar, the son of Anath from the tribe of Levi (3:31)

4. Deborah (and Barak) (4:1-5:31)

5. Gideon (also named Jerubbaal), the son of Joash from the tribe of Manasseh (6:1-8:32)

6. Abimelech, the son of Gideon (8:33-9:57)

7. Tola, the son of Puah from the tribe of Issachar (10:1-2)

8. Jair, from the tribe of Gilead (10:3-5)

9. Jephthah, the son of Gilead from Gilead (10:6-12:7)

10. Ibzan, from the tribe of Judah (12:8-10)

11. Elon, from the tribe of Zebulun (12:11-12)

12. Abdon, the son of Hillel, the Piratoni, from the tribe of Ephraim (12:13-15)

13. Samson, the son of Manoah, from the tribe of Dan (13:1-16:31)


Chapter 1.After the death of Joshua, Judah is selected to lead the Israelites.

"Judah shall go up; behold I have given the land into his hand." (2)

More battles with the Canaanites and the Perizzites are described.

Jerusalem is captured (8) and burnt but the Jebsites are not driven out.

Each tribe is recorded for their success and for their relationships with the indigenous peoples. This account is not one of total victory and annihilation.

I stole this list off useful citations off the internet:

The successes and failures of Judah and Simeon's campaigns (1:17-20)
Caleb driving away the sons of Anak from Hebron (1:10 and 1:20) as mentioned in Joshua (Joshua 15:14)
The destruction of Luz and sparing of an individual who aided the Israelite spies (1:22-26)
A list of the failures of the campaigns by the northern tribes (1:21-36)

Chapter 2.
Verses 1-5 describe an Angel of the L*rd who formally charges them with having disobeyed G*ds commandment to " not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land, and to smash their altars." The Israelites reminded of the covenant made sacrifices to G*d at Bochim.

It is then reiterated in verses 6-10 that Joshua died and we are told that the next generation "knew not the L*rd nor the deeds which he had done for Israel", that they "did that which is evil in the eyes of the L*rd and served the Baalim." (10-11)

"In order to test Israel... whether they would keep the way of the L*rd... as their forefathers did" (22) We are told "The L*rd left these nations [in Caanan etc] and did not give them into the hands of Joshua' (23)

This concludes a transition from the chronicle of Joshua's leadership into the period of Judges.

Chapter 3.Three judges are named in this chapter, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar.

It is related that because of intermarriage and "serving Baalim and Asheroth" (The native gods) Israel angers the L*rd who allows them to be conquered and ruled for eight years by "Cushan-rishathain, King of Arma-naharaim."

Othniel, "the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother" (9) defeats the King of Aram; liberating Israel. Israel then enjoys "rest for forty years" (11) until his death.

After the death of Othniel, the Israelites continue to "do that which displeased the L*rd" (12) and they are subjected to the rule of Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. (14)

Then follows the tale of Ehud, second Judge of Israel.
Tale is the right word for it is related with a flair for the dramatic. Ehud (A Benjamite) went before King Eglon offering him gifts. He persuaded the King to be alone with him and then assassinated him. Escaping the scene, he rallied the Israelites who defeated the Moabites.

It is reported "And the land had rest eighty years."Following this we have mention of the third Judge of Israel Shamager "the son of Anath. "He killed the
Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad; and he also save Israel" (31)

Chapter 4.
"Deborah was a woman prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth; she judged Israel." (4)

After the incidental mention of Shamager, we are told that the Israelites are 'oppressed' for twenty years by Jabin, the King of Canaan. (1-3).

Deborah inspires the Israelites led by "Barak the son of Aminoam" (6) to rally at Mount Tabor. Verses 4:4-5:31 tell the story of the campaign which followed. They make up the Haftarah for parshah Beshalach. (The connection is that both contain victory songs. That of Beschalach after the drowning of Pharaoh.)

The chapter ends with credit given to G*d for subduing Jabin the King of Canaan.

Chapter 5.
Thirty one verses make up the Song of Deborah. It contains a rousing description of the campaign and spoils.

We are told that after this war the "land rested forty years" (31)

Chapter 6.
The very first next verse is "And the children of Israel did that which displeased the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian (for) seven years." (1)

With Midan is the Edomites "those of the east" (2) led by Amalek. (This is the name but because of the count of years of the Judges and the oppressors of Israel (several hundred) it cannot be the same man as Amalek the son of Eliphaz and the grandson of Esau.)

Verses 8-10 describe an unnamed prophet coming to Israel reminding them of the covenant. This is followed by the story of an Angel of the L*rd sent to the city of Oprah to Gideon son of Joash; the fifth Judge of Israel.
Gideon is very unlike Deborah. He is timid and asks G*d for many signs when he is commanded to led the Israelites to battle. He is finally convinced where the chapter demarcation (and remember they are arbitrary later inventions) is ended.

Chapter 7.
Describes the battle of Gibeath-moreh in which the Israelites defeat the midianites and the Amalekites.

It is an exciting action tale replete with a vision of victory before the battle, with calls for reinforcements, and a feeling of great accomplishment.

Chapter 8.
Gideon and his army pursue "Zebah and Zalmunna the kings of Midian." They encounter rebuke from Ephraim for not including them in the plan and are denied bread for the army from the towns of Succoth and Penuel. For this
Gideon promises that when he returns victorious they will be punished. (1-10)

Verses 10-12 describe the battle at Karkor followed by the pursuit and capture of the Midan Kings.

Subsequently he does punish Succoth and Penuel (16-17).
He then executes the kings of Midan (21). A curious detail is given that he offers the sword of execution to his first born who cannot do it "For he was still young (20). No further mention is made of this son.

Another detail is that Gideon requests for himself all the gold of the conquered peoples nose rings. This is chronicled as making a weight of "one thousand and seven hundred dinars of gold" (26) of this is told that " Gideon made it into an Ephod, and he set it up in his city, in Ophrah; and all Israel went astray after it there; and it became a snare to Gideon and to his house." (27)

Gideon's reign (Also called The House of Jerubbaal) then was extremely prosperous. He had seventy sons among them the sixth Judge of Israel- Abimelech. Abimelech was born to one of Gideon's concubines in Shechem. (31)

We are then told in 4 verses (32-35) that after his death "when Gideon died, that the children of Israel turned again astray after the Baalim; and they made for themselves Baal-berith for a god."

Chapter 9.
Abimelech conspires with his mother's kindred to kill his brothers so that he may rule, "What is better for you, that there rule over you seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, or that one man rule over you?" (2)

After he kills all but one of his brothers (Jotham) Abimelech is actually named king (6) Jotham flees and goes into hiding.

Abimelech reigns three years and then faces a insurrection lead by Gaal the son of Ebed. Abimelech puts down Gaal and other rebels but as he burns a tower held by rebels at Thebez a woman "Cast a piece of upper millstone" (53) which crushed his skull. He dies begging his weapons bearer to "Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, 'A woman killed him.' " And his young man pierced him, and he died."

Chapter 10.
Verses 1-4 quickly chronicle the next two judges of Israel, "Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of
Issachar" (1) who ruled twenty-three years. and after him "Jair, the Gileadite" who ruled twenty-two years.

It is worth quoting verses 6 and 7 though they predictably tell of Israel yet again angering the L*rd and losing their liberty as a result.

Shoftim 10:6-8: "And the children of Israel continued to do that which displeased the Lord, and they served the Baalim, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord, and did not serve Him. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them over into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon."

Chapter 11.
The ninth Judge of Israel was Jephthah. It is related that he was "of a woman harlot, and Gilead" and that he was driven off by the man's wife. Apparently Jephthah settled in the wild land of Tob and became something of a chieftain among outlaws and brigands.

When "The children of Ammon" made war against Israel. The Elders of Gilead went to Jephatath and asked him to lead them in war. He did so if they promised that should he succeed he becomes their leader. (5-11)

Before going to battle Jephathat made a show of diplomacy asking the Ammonite King why they would fight them. They replied that "Because Israel took away my land, when they came out of Egypt." (13) Jephathat then makes a spirited argument that the Israelites had asked to pass through their land but had been refused and that they conquered them when they were attacked for pressing on through their land in Moab.
(15-27)

I find this interesting. Jephathat is referring to an event in the Torah. He is the first of the judges to treat with the enemy intellectually. This may reflect that the Ammonites are kindred to the Israelites. (Ammon is the son of Lot and his own daughter B19:37-38.)

The defeat of the Ammonites follows in the text. Some twenty cities fall “a very great slaughter" (33)

The story ends with a very a sad codicil that Jephathat had made a vow to offer the L*rd "Whatever comes forth from the doors of my house towards me." Upon his return his daughter greets him. It is emphasized she is a virgin. He sacrifices her! to which the text adds "From year to year the daughters of Israel went to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year."

This is a very upsetting vignette. It rings very Greek! (As does much of the Sampson stories that follow) May it teach all who read it not to swear lightly. How tragic and stupid it seems.

Chapter 12.
In the wake of his victory Jephthah was challenged by the men of Ephraim. As they did with Gideon they ask why they were not called to go with to battle. This time they war with the men of Gilead who they consider beneath them and Manasseh. An interesting detail of identifying spies by asking them to pronounce "Shibboleth" is provided.

After his victory over the men of Ephraim, Jephtaht "judged Israel six years" before his death.

Following Jephthah, Ibzan of Beth-Lehem judged Israel" (8) We are told that he had thirty sons and reigned seven years.

After Ibzan in one verse we are told "Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judge Israel ten years." (11)

Again with little detail we are given the name of the Abdon the twelfth judge of Israel. Who judged eight years.

As these names pass before me, I can't help thinking of how ten years can disappear in a sentence. In those few words the lives of people linger like ghosts. That such a thing is possible is terrifying and magical.

Only the human mind can do such a thing and it does so to cope with our individual insignificance in the grand scheme. G*d have mercy.

Chapter 13-16 Are the mostly ludicrous story of Sampson. Twice in the three chapters he is said to have judged Israel twenty years. I do not judge the story as riddiculous because of the miracles purported but because they are pointless miracles. It isn't hard to suggest that he causes his own problems and misuses his gifts much like Israel does again and again. The story though seems a travesty of style over substance. Perhaps, G*d will enlighten me to deeper esoteric meaning. Presently however I hold these chapters in low regard as they drag the historic quality of the judges chronicle into the realm of cartoon.

To be continued.