Judges
Judges. The judges were temporary and special deliverers, sent by God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors; not supreme magistrates, succeeding to the authority of Moses and Joshua. Their power only extended over portions of the country, and some of them were contemporaneous. Their first work was that of deliverers and leaders in war; they then administered justice to the people, and their authority supplied the want of a regular government. Even while the administration of Samuel gave something like a settled government to the south, there was scope for the irregular exploits of Samson on the borders of the Philistines; and Samuel at last established his authority as judge and prophet, but still as the servant of Jehovah, only to see it so abused by his sons as to exhaust the patience of the people, who at length demanded a king, after the pattern of the surrounding nations. The following is a list of the judges, whose history is given under their respective names:—
First servitude, to Mesopotamia—
8 years
First judge: Othniel.
40 years
Second servitude, to Moab—
18 years
Second judge: Ehud;
80 years
Third judge: Shamgar.
— years
Third servitude, to Jabin and Sisera—
20 years
Fourth judge: Deborah and Barak.
40 years
Fourth servitude, to Midian—
7 years
Fifth judge: Gideon;
40 years
Sixth judge: Abimelech;
3 years
Seventh judge: Tola;
23 years
Eighth judge: Jair.
22 years
Fifth servitude, to Ammon—
18 years
Ninth judge: Jephthah;
6 years
Tenth judge: Ibzan;
7 years
Eleventh judge: Elon;
10 years
Twelfth judge: Abdon.
8 years
Sixth servitude, to the Philistines—
40 years
Thirteenth judge: Samson;
20 years
Fourteenth judge: Eli;
40 years
Fifteenth judge: Samuel.
More than likely some of these ruled simultaneously. On the chronology of the judges, see the following article.