Curated lists of commentaries and theological works.

Illustration by Gustave Doré of Samson carrying away the Gates of Gaza (Judges 16:3)
Old Testament

The Book of Judges

Illustration by Gustave Doré of Samson carrying away the Gates of Gaza (Judges 16:3)

Book Facts

Author:Unknown; possibly Samuel or contemporary¹
Date Written:Approximately c. 1050-1000 BC²
Original Audience:Israelites during the early monarchy, particularly to contrast the period of judges with kingship³
Literary Genre:Historical narrative with cyclical structure and theological commentary⁴
Testament:Old Testament
Canonical Order:7
Chapters:21
Key Themes:
Covenant faithfulnessCyclical rebellionDivine deliveranceLeadership crisisMoral decline⁵
Jesus Theme:

The ultimate judge and deliverer who provides lasting salvation from spiritual enemies (Judges 2:16; Acts 13:23), the true king who rules righteously when there is no earthly king (Judges 21:25; John 18:37), and the one who conquers through apparent weakness and death (Judges 16:30; 1 Corinthians 1:25)

What Is Judges and How Does It Show Israel's Spiritual Decline?

Judges presents the dark period of Israel's history between Joshua's death and the establishment of the monarchy, chronicling approximately 300 years of repeated cycles of apostasy, oppression, crying out to God, and temporary deliverance through charismatic leaders called judges. The book serves as both historical record and theological commentary, demonstrating the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and the necessity of godly leadership for national spiritual health.⁶ Written during the early monarchy period (c. 1050-1000 BC), possibly by Samuel or a prophet from his school, Judges was composed to help the Israelites understand their recent chaotic history and appreciate the benefits of God-ordained kingship over the anarchy that characterized the judges period. The repeated refrain "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (17:6, 21:25) reveals the book's central concern with the absence of proper authority and its devastating effects on society. The original audience consisted of Israelites who had recently experienced the transition from tribal confederation to monarchy under Saul and David, providing them with sobering lessons about the importance of covenant faithfulness and proper leadership in maintaining social order and spiritual vitality.

Judges Commentaries

Judges

Judges

Robert G. Boling

Judges, Ruth

Judges, Ruth

Daniel I. Block

Judges, Ruth

Judges, Ruth

Lawson Younger

What Are the Major Judges and Cycles That Define This Period?

Judges unfolds through a carefully structured pattern that reveals both God's patience and the progressive deterioration of Israel's spiritual condition across multiple generations of cyclical rebellion and deliverance.⁷

Key judges and cycles in Judges include:

  • Othniel and Early Victories - The first judge who sets the pattern of deliverance through Spirit-empowered leadership after Israel's initial apostasy (Judges 3:7-11)

  • Ehud and Deborah's Triumphs - Creative military strategies and prophetic leadership that demonstrate God's power through unlikely instruments (Judges 3:12-31, 4-5)

  • Gideon's Victory and Failure - The paradigmatic judge who achieves great victory through divine power but fails in leadership, leading to renewed apostasy (Judges 6-8)

  • Jephthah's Tragic Vow - A deliverer whose rash promise reveals the moral confusion and spiritual decline of the period (Judges 10:6-12:7)

  • Samson's Rise and Fall - The final major judge whose great strength and moral weakness epitomize Israel's spiritual condition and point to the need for a better deliverer (Judges 13-16)

The cyclical pattern of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation dominates the book's structure, showing how each generation falls into the same patterns of covenant unfaithfulness despite God's repeated acts of deliverance. The progressive deterioration becomes evident as the judges themselves become increasingly flawed, from the exemplary Othniel to the morally compromised Samson, reflecting the nation's spiritual decline.⁸ The two appendices (chapters 17-21) provide shocking examples of the moral and social chaos that characterized the period, including idolatry, sexual violence, and civil war, demonstrating the urgent need for righteous leadership and covenant renewal. Throughout these narratives, God's mercy remains evident as He continues to raise up deliverers despite Israel's unfaithfulness, while His justice is demonstrated through the consequences that follow disobedience and the incomplete nature of the deliverances that point to the need for ultimate salvation.

How Does Judges Point to Christ and Warn Contemporary Believers?

Judges provides crucial preparation for understanding Christ's work by demonstrating the inadequacy of human deliverers and the progressive nature of God's salvation plan, with each judge serving as an imperfect type that points to the need for a perfect deliverer.⁹ The book's emphasis on deliverance through divine power rather than human strength prefigures Christ's victory through the apparent weakness of the cross, while the moral failures of even the best judges highlight the necessity of a sinless savior who can provide complete and lasting redemption. Samson's sacrificial death that destroys Israel's enemies while destroying himself becomes a particularly powerful type of Christ's substitutionary atonement.¹⁰ For contemporary believers, Judges provides sobering warnings about the consequences of spiritual compromise, the danger of gradual drift from God's standards, and the devastating effects of moral relativism on both individual lives and church communities. The book's cycles of rebellion and deliverance offer practical insight into patterns of sin and repentance, while the progressive deterioration warns against assuming that spiritual heritage guarantees spiritual vitality in subsequent generations. The leadership crisis depicted throughout Judges highlights the importance of godly leadership in maintaining spiritual health and the necessity of submitting to God's authority rather than following personal preferences or cultural trends. Throughout church history, Judges has influenced Christian understanding of spiritual warfare, the nature of sin's progression, and the church's need for godly leadership, from early church discipline practices to contemporary discussions about cultural engagement and compromise, while its themes of divine deliverance and human failure continue to drive believers to dependence on Christ rather than human strength or wisdom.¹¹

FAQs

Why did God use flawed people like Gideon and Samson as judges?+

God's use of flawed judges demonstrates that salvation comes through divine power rather than human perfection. These imperfect deliverers point to humanity's need for a perfect savior while showing God's grace in working through broken people. Their failures highlight Christ's uniqueness as the sinless deliverer who provides complete salvation.

What is the meaning of the repeated cycles in Judges? +

The cycles of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation reveal both human nature's tendency toward rebellion and God's faithful mercy in providing deliverance. Each cycle shows the temporary nature of human solutions to spiritual problems and points to the need for lasting transformation that only Christ can provide.

How should Christians understand the violence in Judges?+

The violence in Judges reflects the moral chaos that results from abandoning God's standards. The book doesn't endorse this violence but shows its devastating consequences. Many violent episodes result from Israel's disobedience rather than God's commands, serving as warnings about the effects of spiritual and moral decline.

What does "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" teach us?+

This refrain warns against moral relativism and highlights the need for absolute moral standards and proper authority. When people reject God's authority and create their own moral standards, chaos and injustice result. It points to the necessity of submitting to God's revealed will rather than personal preferences.

How do the judges point to Jesus as the ultimate deliverer?+

Each judge provides temporary, incomplete deliverance that points to the need for a perfect deliverer. Unlike the flawed judges, Jesus provides complete salvation from sin, rules with perfect righteousness, and offers eternal rather than temporary deliverance. The judges' failures highlight Christ's perfection and the superiority of His salvation.

Citations & References

¹ Block, Daniel I. Judges, Ruth: The New American Commentary (B&H Academic, 2015), 45-48.

² Younger Jr., K. Lawson. Judges and Ruth: The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 2019), 23-26.

³ Webb, Barry G. The Book of Judges: An Integrated Reading (Sheffield Academic Press, 2017), 34-37.

⁴ Butler, Trent C. Judges: WBC (Zondervan, 2018), 18-21.

⁵ Davis, Dale Ralph. Judges: Such a Great Salvation (Christian Focus Publications, 2016), 56-59.

⁶ Alexander, T. Desmond. From Paradise to the Promised Land (Baker Academic, 2012), 312-315.

⁷ Chisholm Jr., Robert B. A Commentary on Judges and Ruth (Kregel Academic, 2019), 89-92.

⁸ Matthews, Victor H. Judges and Ruth: New Cambridge Bible Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2014), 134-137.

⁹ Beale, G.K. A New Testament Biblical Theology (Baker Academic, 2011), 321-324.

¹⁰ Schreiner, Thomas R. The King in His Beauty (Baker Academic, 2013), 234-237.

¹¹ VanGemeren, Willem A. The Progress of Redemption (Baker Academic, 2017), 334-337.

Study Bibles with Judges Notes

Bible Octopus tentacles