Introduction to Judges

Notes on the Introduction to Judges

The Book of Judges spans the gap from the conquering of Canaan by Joshua until the nation becomes a monarchy ruled by a king in I Samuel. Paul says in Acts 13:20 that the period lasted "about the space of four hundred and fifty years." You cannot determine the timing of events by simply adding up the length of the time the judges ruled, because some of them appear to be local judges in different places; not ruling the entire nation at one time. Some may have even been simultaneous with others, ruling in different areas. Other events in Judges are not given in the text in a chronological order but in a logical fashion. For example, Judges 17:1, "And there was a man..." does not fix the time of this event or this judge.

Chapters 1 and 2 recount some of the events of Joshua, expanding on some in more detail.

Then Judges 2:10-23 outlines and summarizes the entire book. The book shows Israel following a cycle pattern of: (1) national sin and falling away; (2) judgment from God in the form of enemies ruling over the people; (3) repentance on the part of the people; (4) God delivering the people through the hand of a "judge"; (5) that generation dies off and the nation repeats the cycle in the next generation. Judges has been given the theme, "Defeat and Deliverance."

Another summary of the period of the Judges is in Judges 21:25 (repeated often in the book): "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

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