Overview of Judges

The book of Judges stands in stark contrast to Joshua. There, an obedient people conquered the land through trust in the power of God. But in Judges, a disobedient and idolatrous people are frequently defeated because of their rebellion against God. In seven distinct cycles of sin, Judges shows how the nation has set aside God’s law and in its place “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). Result: corruption from within and oppression from without. From time to time God raises up military champions to throw off the yoke of bondage and restore the nation to pure worship. But all too soon the “sin cycle” begins again as the nation’s spiritual temperature grows steadily colder. (Talk Thru the Bible, Wilkinson & Boa, 1983)

Introduction and Title—The Book of Judges stands in stark contrast to Joshua. In Joshua an obedient people conquered the land through trust in the power of God. In Judges, however, a disobedient and idolatrous people are defeated time and time again because of their rebellion against God.

In seven distinct cycles of sin to salvation, Judges shows how Israel had set aside God’s law and in its place substituted “what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). The recurring result of abandonment from God’s law is corruption from within and oppression from without. During the nearly four centuries spanned by this book, God raises up military champions to throw off the yoke of bondage and to restore the nation to pure worship. But all too soon the “sin cycle” begins again as the nation’s spiritual temperature grows steadily colder.

The Hebrew title is Shophetim, meaning “judges, rulers, deliverers, or saviors.” Shophet not only carries the idea of maintaining justice and settling disputes, but it is also used to mean “liberating and delivering.” First the judges deliver the people; then they rule and administer justice. The Septuagint used the Greek equivalent of this word, Kritai (“Judges”). The Latin Vulgate called it Liber Judicum, the “Book of Judges.” This book could also appropriately be titled “The Book of Failure.”

Author—The author of Judges is anonymous, but Samuel or one of his prophetic students may have written it. Jewish tradition contained in the Talmud attributes Judges to Samuel, and certainly he was the crucial link between the period of the judges and the period of the kings.

It is clear from two verses (18:31; 20:27) that the book was written after the ark was removed from Shiloh (1 Sam. 4:3–11). The repeated phrase “In those days there was no king in Israel” (17:6; 18:1; 21:25; cf. 19:1) shows that Judges was also written after the commencement of Saul’s reign but before the divided kingdom. The fact that the Jebusites were dwelling in Jerusalem “to this day” (1:21) means that it was written before 1004 b.c. when David dispossessed the Jebusites (2 Sam. 5:5–9). Thus, the book was written during the time of Samuel; and it is likely that Samuel compiled this book from oral and written source material. His prophetic ministry clearly fits the moral commentary of Judges, and the consistent style and orderly scheme of Judges point to a single compiler.

Chapter 18, verse 30 contains a phrase that poses a problem to this early date of composition: “until the day of the captivity of the land.” If this refers to the 722 b.c. Assyrian captivity of Israel it could have been inserted by a later editor. It is more likely a reference to the Philistine captivity of the land during the time of the judges. This event is described as “captivity” in Psalm 78:61.

Date and Setting—If Judges was not written by Samuel it was at least written by one of his contemporaries between 1043 b.c. (the beginning of Saul’s reign) and 1004 b.c. (David’s capture of Jerusalem).

Joshua’s seven-year conquest is general in nature; much of the land remains to be possessed (Josh. 13:1). There are still important Canaanite strongholds to be taken by the individual tribes. Some of the nations have been left to “test Israel” (3:1, 4). During this time, the Egyptians maintain strong control along the coastal routes, but they are not interested in the hill country where Israel is primarily established.

The events covered in Judges range from about 1380 b.c.–1045 b.c. (c. 335 years), but the period of the judges extends another thirty years since it includes the life of Samuel (1 Sam. 1:1–5:1). Evidently, the rulerships of some of the judges overlap because not all of them ruled over the entire land. Judges describes the cycles of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance in the southern region (3:7–31), the northern region (4:1–5:31), the central region (6:1–10:5), the eastern region (10:6–12:15), and the western region (13:1–16:31). The spread of apostasy covers the whole land.

Theme and Purpose—The historical purpose of Judges is to carry the story of Israel from the death of Joshua to the time of Samuel and the beginning of the united kingdom. It was written during the reign of Saul (1043–1011 b.c.) or during the first seven years of David’s reign (1011–1004 b.c.), and it gives an explanation and defense of Israel’s monarchy (see 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The nation needed to be unified under a righteous king.

Like the other historical books of the Bible, Judges presents the historical facts in a very selective and thematic way. For example, chapters 17–21 actually preceded most of chapters 3–16, but these chapters appear at the end of the book to illustrate the moral conditions that were prevailing during the period. Judges gives a geographical survey of apostasy to illustrate its spread and a chronological survey to illustrate its growing intensity. The book reaches a climax in chapters 17–21 with the last verse as a fitting summary.

Theologically, Judges makes a clear contrast between the idolatry, immorality, and violence of Israel and Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness and gracious deliverance of the people. In His patient love, God forgave the people every single time they repented. Israel often acted in foolishness, ingratitude, stubbornness, and rebellion, and this led to defeat. Sin always leads to suffering, and repentance always leads to deliverance.

Keys to Judges—

Key Word: Cycles

Key Verses (2:20–21; 21:25)—“Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, ‘Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died’ ” (2:20–21).

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25).

Key Chapter (2)—The second chapter of Judges is a miniature of the whole book as it records the transition of the godly to the ungodly generation, the format of the cycles, and the purpose of God in not destroying the Canaanites.

Outline of Judges

Part One: The Deterioration of Israel and Failure to  Complete the Conquest of Canaan (1:1–3:6)

I.     The Failure of Israel to Complete the Conquest                                 1:1–36

II.   The Judgment of God for Not Completing the Conquest                  2:1–3:6

Part Two: The Deliverance of Israel (3:7–16:31)

I.      The Southern Campaign                                                                      3:7–31

        A.     The Judge Othniel                                                                          3:7–11

        B.     The Judge Ehud                                                                             3:12–30

        C.     The Judge Shamgar                                                                        3:31

II.    The Northern Campaign: The Judges Deborah and Barak             4:1–5:31

        A.     Deborah and Barak Are Called                                                     4:1–10

        B.     Canaanites Are Defeated                                                               4:11–24

        C.     Song of Deborah and Barak                                                          5:1–31

III.   The Central Campaign                                                                         6:1–10:5

        A.     The Judge Gideon                                                                          6:1–8:32

        1.     Israel Sins                                                                                        6:1–10

        2.     Gideon Called                                                                                 6:11–40

        3.     Midianites Defeated                                                                       7:1–8:21

        4.     Gideon Judges                                                                                8:22–32

        B.     Abimelech                                                                                      8:33–9:57

        C.     The Judge Tola                                                                               10:1–2

        D.     The Judge Jair                                                                                10:3–5

IV.   The Eastern Campaign: The Judge Jephthah                                   10:6–12:7

        A.     Israel Sins                                                                                       10:6–18

        B.     Salvation: Jephthah                                                                        11:1–12:7

V.    The Second Northern Campaign                                                        12:8–15

        A.     The Judge Ibzan                                                                             12:8–10

        B.     The Judge Elon                                                                              12:11–12

        C.     The Judge Abdon                                                                           12:13–15

VI.   The Western Campaign: The Judge Samson                                     13:1–16:31

        A.     Miraculous Birth of Samson                                                          13:1–25

        B.     Sinful Marriage of Samson                                                            14:1–20

        C.     Judgeship of Samson                                                                     15:1–20

        D.     Failure of Samson                                                                          16:1–31

Part Three: The Depravity of Israel (17:1–21:25)

I.      The Failure of Israel through Idolatry                                               17:1–18:31

        A.     Example of Personal Idolatry                                                        17:1–13

        B.     Example of Tribal Idolatry                                                            18:1–31

II.    The Failure of Israel through Immorality                                          19:1–30

        A.     Example of Personal Immorality                                                   19:1–10

        B.     Example of Tribal Immorality                                                        19:11–30

III.   The Failure of Israel through the War between the Tribes              20:1–21:25

        A.     War between Israel and Benjamin                                                 20:1–48

        B.     Failure of Israel after the War                                                        21:1–25

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Nelson's Teaching Outlines of the Bible . 1997, c1986. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.