Judges in the Bible
Judges are important individuals in the Bible. Shamgar, a judge, is famous for killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad (an ancient cattle prod). Deborah, the only female judge, was a prophetess. One of her songs is considered the oldest passage in the Bible. Moreover, Gideon is the most important leader of the Book of Judges. He is the subject of more verses than any other judge.
Samson
As one of the Bible’s judges, Samson faced a variety of trials and tribulations. His life is a story of contradiction: his incredible physical strength belies his moral weakness. Although he was a Nazirite from birth, he violated the rules of his religion often, and he became a womanizer and a vengeful man. Nevertheless, Samson’s life provides a valuable lesson about the consequences of sin, and the mercy of God.
Samson was the last of Israel’s judges, and his story is found in the Book of Judges. Born a nazarite, he was endowed with superhuman strength by G-d. He ruled over the people of Israel for twenty years. Later, he was captured by the Philistines, who blinded him, but he overcame them. In the process, he killed thousands of Philistines.
Samson’s parents were very proud of their son and wanted him to marry among the daughters of their people. His father emphasized the word “uncircumcised” in his request. Although circumcision was an important sign of the people of God, the Philistines did not worship the God of Israel. Despite this, Samson insisted on marrying the uncircumcised woman, and thus made his first mistake.
Abdon
Abdon is the last of Israel’s judges mentioned in a continuous account. His story appears in Judges 2:6-13:1 and follows the statement that Israel had been delivered to the Philistines for forty years. Then, the personal stories of Samuel, Ru, Micah, and the Benjamite civil war begin.
Abdon was a very wealthy man and likely had more than one wife. He also had many sons and grandchildren, probably more than one at a time. While he had many offspring, Abdon had fewer grandsons than he had sons. Of his forty sons, each of them would have had at least one, but some of them would have been too young to sire children.
The name Abdon is only mentioned eight times in the Bible. It is a male name and is derived from the name of a city. The Biblical account of his life is brief but full of interesting information. It tells us that he was a prominent judge, but was also a man with estates. His descendants also rode seventy-ass colts, making him a judge, officer, and a person of distinction.
Abdon had many sons and one fertile wife. His family was large, perhaps the oldest in his clan. Abdon may have been the elder of a clan, and had many siblings, nephews, and nieces. He also owned a number of donkeys. He was a wise and powerful ruler and was chosen by his people as their leader.
Tola
Tola was the name of a judge in the Old Testament. He served as a judge over Israel for 23 years. His son Jair succeeded him. Tola was the least well-known judge because there is no written record of his deeds. His tomb is in Shamir, a town in Mount Ephraim. Tola was a descendant of Dodo of the tribe of Issachar. His name means ‘worm’, so he is sometimes called a minor judge.
Tola served as a judge for Israel when their situation became unstable and unpredictable. His task was to protect the nation. He also protected its religious and civil rights. He was the only judge in the Bible to save Israel from warring factions within the nation. He became a judge after the death of Abimelech, a man who was a leader of the nation. Tola’s name means ‘crimson worm’ or’scarlet stuff’. The color of the kermes dye was the same as that of the expensive cloth that was used in the Tabernacle of the congregation.
Besides Jair and Tola, there are several minor judges in the Bible. They were from the tribes of Issachar and Manasseh. They were likely included for geographic reasons. The book of Judges describes their career only briefly. Nevertheless, they represent significant figures in the history of Israel. They were influential leaders who helped free the nation from foreign occupation and repression. Most of them were god-fearing, though some lacked this devotion.
Abimelech
Abimelech was one of the judges mentioned in the Bible. He was a very evil man. One day, he attempted to burn down the city of Thebez. However, while he was surrounded by leaders of the city, a woman threw an upper millstone on him. As a result, the stone struck Abimelech in the head, breaking his skull. As a result, his wickedness was brought to a swift end.
Abimelech was a regional leader who ruled Israel for about three years. During this time, he murdered his own brothers, but this would come back to haunt him. Because of the violent nature of his rule, the people of Israel sought protection from Abimelech. In fact, his reign was so bad that even his own subjects wanted to overthrow him.
Gaal is another candidate for power in Shechem. He is a Canaanite and the son of a slave. His drunken speech sounds slurred when read aloud. He claims to be a superior leader than Abimelech. He gathers a following in Baal’s bar. Zebul, meanwhile, is one of Abimelech’s loyal henchmen in town.
Gideon
In the Bible, Gideon is a judge and military leader who led a small army against Midianites. His story is recorded in the book of Judges. Although he was not a circuit court judge, his position was that of military commander of a region. In fact, he was considered one of the greatest judges in all of Israel. His story is found in Judges 6:11-8:32. Interestingly, Gideon’s story is actually divided into two main themes. One of them is the conflict between two religions – Yahweh and Baal – and the second theme is his spiritual problem. Eventually, he had to face this problem in order to save Israel from Midianites.
The first mission for Gideon was to clean the backyard of his family before he could use it for a public function. This was because his family had idols of Baal in their yard. The family had been breaking both the first and second commandments. Gideon and his ten men were sent to tear down the idols. When he returned, the townspeople were angry with him.
Gideon was a man of great faith. In a private moment of faithfulness, Gideon blew a ram’s horn. As a result, his tribe rallied behind him. As a result, God’s Spirit was calling on men from far away to fight alongside him. As a result, God allowed 32 000 men to come join the battle.
Deborah
In the Old Testament, Deborah was the model for a great leader. She resembled the greatest leaders of Israel, Moses and Joshua, and was the only judge who was also a prophet. She had an unshakeable faith in God and had a deep understanding that He would overcome her enemies.
Deborah’s story is told in the fourth and fifth chapters of the book of Judges. As the fifth judge, she was chosen by God to deliver Israel from the Canaanites. The Israelites owe their victory to Deborah. In addition to delivering the Israelites, Deborah also performed prophetic functions.
Deborah’s role as a judge was vital to Israeli society. She was the highest court in the Israelite society, and Israelite men and women would come to her for judgment on important matters. Deborah’s ability to fulfill this role impressed YHWH, who believed she was fit to serve as a judge.
Like her ancestor, Deborah devoted herself to worship and found strength in her worship. Her devotion to God enabled her to save the nation from bondage. While she did not have great wisdom and revelation for judging disputes, she had a compassionate heart and was a powerful leader. Deborah brought healing to the nation.
Jephthah
Jephthah is one of the few judges in the Bible who actually fought in battle. The Bible mentions him in Judges 12:8, and he is mentioned in Judges 13:1. The Bible says that Jephthah and his brothers fought for God, and that God delivered Israel from the Philistines.
Jephthah had a problem with the Ammonites, and he wanted to punish them for their heartless treatment. He swore to lead the Israelites to victory in the battle, and the leaders of Gilead agreed to support him. In fact, the Gileadites agreed to make Jephthah governor if he could win.
In the Bible, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter. Jephthah had legitimate grief, but he knew that his vow would result in the death of a beloved family member. But he chose to sacrifice his precious daughter rather than his slave. This shows the kind of chaos that existed in Israel before the monarchy.
The story of Jephthah’s daughter’s sacrifice is depicted in many works of art. The 14th-century English Queen Mary Psalter, as well as the St. Louis Psalter, have illustrations of Jephthah’s sacrifice. Moreover, the story became popular in France in the 17th century, where it was depicted in paintings by Charles Lebrun, Enrico *Glicenstein, and Antoine Coypel.