21 chapters · 81 video commentaries · covered in 11 courses
The Book of Judges recounts the period between the conquest of Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy, detailing Israel's repeated cycles of disobedience, oppression by foreign powers, repentance, and deliverance by charismatic leaders known as judges. It highlights the moral and political chaos resulting from the absence of centralized leadership.
AuthorThe book is anonymous, part of the Deuteronomistic History, which includes Joshua, Samuel, and Kings. Armin Baum suggests this anonymity mimics Old Testament narrative tradition, presenting the work as sacred, authoritative scripture.
Written6th century BCE, with earlier sources like the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) possibly dating to the 11th or 10th century BCE.
GenreHistorical narrative, theological history
AudienceThe Deuteronomistic historian wrote for an Israelite audience, likely during or after the Babylonian exile, to explain their history through the lens of Deuteronomy's ideology.
PurposeTo demonstrate the consequences of Israel's disobedience to God's laws and to argue for the necessity of kingship as a solution to the nation's disunity and moral decline.
Covered inCities of the Bible · Demons and Ghosts in the Bible · Digging Up Dirt on Joshua · Everyday Life in Ancient Israel · Jesus and the Old Testament · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel +5
What our scholars get into
Our commentary on Judges explores its internal contradictions, particularly how it presents an incomplete conquest of Canaan, directly challenging Joshua's claims of total victory. We'll examine the Deuteronomistic historian's theological purpose in these discrepancies, using Israel's failures to illustrate the cycle of sin and divine judgment. You'll discover how individual stories, like Ehud's left-handed deception or Jael's killing of Sisera, serve as local hero legends reconfigured to fit this overarching theological framework. We also delve into the pervasive worship of Canaanite deities like Baal and Asherah, as evidenced by both biblical accounts and archaeological findings, and discuss how the book's concluding refrain, 'In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes,' sets the stage for the monarchy.
Introduction drafted from the lecture transcripts by AI, pending the team's edit.
Armin Baum suggests that the anonymity of the Gospels might be a deliberate choice, mimicking Old Testament books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which also begin their narratives without explicitly naming their authors. This would imply the evangelists saw themselves as writing new sacred, authoritative scripture.
Summarized by AI · The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke · Lecture 11: Who Wrote the Synoptic Gospels? · watch the clip
Anonymity and Old Testament Narrative Tradition
The anonymity of the gospels may reflect a continuation of the Old Testament narrative tradition. Books like Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, which recount God's interactions with Israel, are also anonymous. By not attaching their names, the gospel authors might have intended to present their accounts as a continuation of this sacred, anonymous narrative of God's plan, rather than personal interpretations.
Summarized by AI · The Unknown Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John · Lecture 8: Why These Four Gospels | How We Got the New Testament · watch the clip
Judges 21:25 as a transition to Samuel
The final verse of Judges, stating 'In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes,' serves as a concluding statement for the Book of Judges and an introduction to the Book of Samuel. It sets the stage for the rise of kingship, which is the central theme of Samuel.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 4: Samuel | Who Needs a King? · watch the clip
The Deuteronomistic History as a Theological Explanation
The Deuteronomistic History (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) explains Israel's history through the lens of Deuteronomy's ideology. It portrays the period from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile as a working out of God's predictions, where Israel's fate is directly tied to its obedience or disobedience to divine laws.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 11: The History | From Joshua to Josiah · watch the clip
Deuteronomistic History: Books and Scope
The Deuteronomistic History encompasses the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. It chronicles the period from Moses' death through the conquest and destruction of the Judean kingdom by the Babylonians and the subsequent exile. The term 'Deuteronomistic' indicates its theological alignment with the book of Deuteronomy.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Book Divisions as Scroll Technology
The divisions between books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings are not indicative of separate literary works but rather practical divisions based on ancient scroll technology. Longer continuous narratives had to be broken into smaller volumes because a single scroll could not contain the entire text.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Historian's Voice in Shaping Sources
The Deuteronomistic historian's unique voice is not always in the factual recounting of events, but in shaping disparate historical sources into a cohesive theological program derived from Deuteronomy. This allows the historian to incorporate conflicting accounts, such as those in Joshua and Judges regarding Israel's settlement, while still imposing a consistent theological interpretation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · An Editor Built Israel’s History & Picked the Villains · watch the clip
Contradictory Accounts of Israelite Settlement
The Bible presents two conflicting narratives regarding the Israelite settlement of Canaan. Numbers and Joshua describe a swift military conquest and destruction of Canaanites, followed by land apportionment. In contrast, Judges depicts a slower, less systematic process where land is allotted first, and then individual tribes attempt to take possession, leaving significant cities like Jerusalem under Canaanite control.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Judges' Setting Aligns with Early Israelite Settlements
Archaeological surveys by Israel Finkelstein revealed a proliferation of small settlements in the hill country of Canaan during the early Iron Age (12th century BCE). These settlements are located in the same region where the Book of Judges sets its stories about early Israel, specifically in areas like Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. This suggests an inner-biblical tradition of early Israel being located in this hill country, supported by archaeological evidence.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Poetic genre and older biblical texts
Many of the oldest biblical texts are poetic, including the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), Jacob's deathbed blessing (Genesis 49), the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 33), and the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15). While poetry itself isn't inherently older as a genre, it was often excerpted and incorporated into later narratives, functioning like traditional songs or lullabies that pre-existed the surrounding stories.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The oldest Biblical text isn't in Genesis. And it's brutal · watch the clip
Background and context
Shiloh's role in Israelite gatherings
Judges 21:19 highlights Shiloh's significance as the location for the annual Feast of the Lord and as an assembly point for Israelites, such as when they needed to fight against the Benjaminites. This reinforces its status as a central, though not exclusive, cultic site before the centralization of worship in Jerusalem.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 4: Samuel | Who Needs a King? · watch the clip
Historical Context of the Philistines
To understand the narratives in Judges, such as Samson's conflicts with the Philistines, it is crucial to have a historical understanding of who the Philistines were. Knowing their origins, their role as a threat to Israel, and their eventual disappearance provides essential context that the biblical text assumes its original readers possessed. This historical background, often uncovered through archaeological discoveries, enriches our comprehension of the biblical accounts.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 2: The Historical Critical Method Explained · watch the clip
Israelite Cultural Indistinguishability from Canaanites
Archaeologically, the culture of the early hillside settlements, which later became Israelite, is nearly indistinguishable from that of the Canaanites living in the urban centers. This suggests that these early Israelite settlements were likely made up of people who migrated from Canaanite urban areas into the highlands, challenging the biblical narrative of a distinct, invading Israelite people.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Biblical Admonitions Reflect Canaanite Origins
The frequent biblical admonitions against worshipping Baal and adopting Canaanite practices make more sense if the Israelites originated from Canaanite culture. Rather than being tempted by new foreign gods upon entering the land, these warnings reflect an anxiety about 'backsliding' into ancestral practices. This suggests that the Israelites were being urged to abandon long-standing traditions they were accustomed to, rather than resisting new ones.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
The Evolution of Israelite Identity
The archaeological evidence reverses the biblical narrative of Israel's origins, suggesting a ground-up formation rather than a top-down unity. Instead of starting as a unified nation that conquered Canaan and then fragmented, Israel likely emerged from Canaanites gradually moving into the highlands, forming small settlements that coalesced into clans and tribes. These groups developed distinct cultural markers, including dietary and religious practices, to differentiate themselves from their origins, eventually banding together to form a nation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Dialectical Differences in Ancient Israelite Language
The language spoken in ancient Israel and Judah, while often called Hebrew today, was likely not referred to as such by its speakers, who might have called it Judahite. There were dialectical differences between the northern (Israelian Hebrew) and southern (Judahite Hebrew) kingdoms, as illustrated by the 'shibboleth' story. Despite these variations, the languages were mutually intelligible, similar to regional dialects within a broader language family, and closely related to other Canaanite languages.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Preservation of Canaanite City Names
Despite biblical commands to erase Canaanite influence, Israelite-occupied cities, including Jerusalem, retained their original Canaanite names. Jerusalem was a Jebusite city before its conquest, and its name's etymology is debated, though it appears as 'Salem' in Genesis 14. Similarly, Bethel, meaning 'House of El' (a chief Canaanite deity), was a Canaanite town whose name was adopted by the Israelites, who reinterpreted 'El' to refer to Yahweh.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Joshua Never Conquered Canaan. Here’s What Really Happened · watch the clip
Courses that cover Judges
Cities of the Bible
Demons and Ghosts in the Bible
Digging Up Dirt on Joshua
Everyday Life in Ancient Israel
Jesus and the Old Testament
The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel
The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke
The Parables of Jesus: Jewish Insights into Gospel Ethics, Humor, and Provocation
The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings
The Scribal Corruption of Scripture: How the Bible Was Changed and Why Readers May Never Know
The Unknown Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
