Judges

• DatesEvents about 1375–1050 BC on the early date; written after the monarchy began (debated)
• GenreHistory
• AuthorshipAnonymous; Jewish tradition names Samuel
• TimelineConquest & Judges
• Key textsJudges 2; Judges 4–5; Judges 6–8; Judges 13–16; Judges 21
• Read the textJudges in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 2, Session 6, Session 10

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  The book repeats that “in those days there was no king in Israel,” which indicates it was written after kingship began.Judg 17:6; Judg 21:25

• The text says

  Judges 2 describes the repeating pattern of rebellion, oppression, crying out, and deliverance.Judg 2:11–19

• Debated

  The Talmud names Samuel as author. Many scholars date the book later, some to the time of the exile as part of a longer history running from Deuteronomy through Kings.

• Debated

  The judges may have led different regions at overlapping times instead of one after another. That affects the dating of the whole period. Jephthah’s statement that Israel had held the land for three hundred years (Judg 11:26) is one of the texts used to support the early dating.Judg 11:26