Outline of Judges
1. Introduction (Judges 1:1–3:6)
Judges begins with a double introduction lifting up the political problem of an incomplete “conquest” of the land of Canaan (1:1-36) and the religious problem of the people’s recurrent apostasy (2:1–3:6).
A. The Political Problem (Judges 1:1-36)
The conquest of Canaan is presented as a gradual process with victories (1:1-26) and defeats (1:27-36) by various tribes. This is at some odds with the book of JoshuaThe successor of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan., which envisions a unified, successful conquest under the leadership of Joshua.
B. The Theological Problem (Judges 2:1–3:6)
This second introduction seeks to explain the defeats in Judges 1:22-36 as the result of a cyclical pattern: Israel’s apostasy (2:11-12), followed by oppression by the enemy (2:13-15), and God’s deliverance by means of a “judge” (2:16). The repetition of this pattern will structure the rest of the book.
2. Stories of the Judges (Judges 3:7–16:31)
The exploits of local charismatic heroes are collected to portray the downward spiral of the people due to their apostasy.
A. Othniel versus Cushan-rishathaim (Judges 3:7-11)
This first judge, from the tribe of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob’s fourth son and one of the 12 tribes., exemplifies the cyclical pattern with little extra detail.
B. Ehud versus the Moabites (Judges 3:12-30)
Ehud, a Benjaminite, and left-handed, tricks and defeats the Moabite king, Eglon.
C. Shamgar versus the Philistines (Judges 3:31)
Shamgar is not assigned to a tribe, interrupts the story, fails to follow the cyclical pattern, and has a non-Semitic name. He may be included because he brings the number of judges to twelve, symbolic of the twelve tribes.
D. DeborahAn Israelite prophetess and influential judge. and Barak against the Canaanites (Judges 4:1–5:31)
Chapter four is a narrative account of the exploits of the Naphtalites Deborah and Barak, possibly at Esdraelon, while chapter five, possibly the oldest biblical material we have, is a poetic version of the same story. Deborah is treated here as a prophet rather than a judge.
E. GideonJudge whose small force won a victory using jars, torches, and trumpets. against the Midianites (Judges 6:1–8:35)
Gideon, from the tribe of Manasseh, is raised up to deliver Israel from the Midianites but becomes a harbinger of the decline to come.
F. Abimelech, Gideon’s Son (Judges 9:1-57)
Abimelech tries to become king of Shechem, but fails. Jotham’s fable (9:7-15) illustrates the ambiguity concerning kings in the book of Judges.
G. Tola and Jair, Minor Judges (Judges 10:1-5)
Scant information is given about these minor judges from IssacharIssachar was name of a son of Jacob and one of the 12 tribes of Israel. and Manasseh in Transjordan.
H. JephthahJudge who sacrificed his daughter to keep a vow. against the Ammonites (Judges 10:6–12:7)
The tragic story of Jephthah, from Manasseh in Transjordan, culminates in his rash vowA vow is a promise or an oath. God promised to be Israel’s God, while in return the people vowed to be obedient to God’s commandments. In the book of 1 Samuel Hannah, the mother of Samuel, vowed to dedicate the life of her son… resulting in the sacrificeSacrifice is commonly understood as the practice of offering or giving up something as a sign of worship, commitment, or obedience. In the Old Testament grain, wine, or animals are used as sacrifice. In some New Testament writings Jesus’ death on the cross as the… of his daughter.
I. Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, Minor Judges (Judges 12:8-15)
Another brief group of minor judges from ZebulunThe name of a son of Jacob and one of the tribes of Israel. and, in Abdon’s case, Ephraim is listed.
J. SamsonA judge noted for great physical strength. against the Philistines (Judges 13:1–16:31)
Samson, from the tribe of Dan, is unlike the other judges whom God raised up to deliver the people from oppression. Samson is, rather, a “hero” (or antihero) who exercises a personal vendetta against his opponents.
3. Two Supplements (Judges 17:1–21:25)
Judges closes with two appalling incidents that illustrate the anarchy that characterized the people when “there was no king in Israel, and all the people did what was right in their own eyes” (17:6; 21:25).
A. The Origin of the SanctuaryA sanctuary is the consecrated area around the altar of a church or temple. It also means a place of safety where one can flee for protection. In the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms, God is referred to as a sanctuary, a refuge from… at DanA son of Jacob and tribe of Israel. (Judges 17:1–18:31)
The migration of part of the tribe of Dan to the north is recounted through the story of the Danites’ theft of Micah’s idolIdolatry is the worship of something other than the true God. An idol may be a cult image, an idea, or an object made of wood or stone. Ome of the Ten Commandments specifically prohibits the worship of graven images or idols; this concern is… to account for the establishment of the sanctuary at Dan.
B. Civil War (Judges 19:1–21:25)
Outrage at the rape and murder of a Levite’s concubine erupts into the near elimination of the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes. Both these supplements illustrate the truth of the refrain “There was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) and the depth of Israel’s degradation without a leader. As such, they prepare the way for the books of SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel..