Bible Dictionaries
Judges

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Judea

Next Entry
Judges The Book of

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

Additional Links

Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Judging
• Judge
Scofield Reference Index
• Judges
Thompson Chain Reference
• Judges of Israel
• Judge
The Topic Concordance
• Judges
Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
• Broken Promise to Enemy, Judged
Torrey Topical Textbook
• Judges, Extraordinary
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Judges
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
• Judges, Book of
• Judge
Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
• Judges, Theology of
Charles Buck Dictionary
• Rash Judging
• Judging Rash
Chabad Knowledge Base
• Judges
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Judges, Book of
• Judge
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Judges, the Book of
• Judges
Spurgeon's Illustration Collection
• Bible: Judged by Its Fruits
• Appearance: We Must Not Judge by
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Judges, Book of
• Judge (Office)
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Judging
• Judges (1)
• Judges
Hastings' NT Dictionary
• Judging (by Men)
• Judge Judging (Ethical)
King James Dictionary
• Judging
• Judged
• Judge
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Judges, Book of
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Samuel, Judge
• Judges, Book of
• Judge, Ecclesastical
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Judges
• Judge
People's Bible Dictionary
• Judges (2)
• Judges
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Judges The Book of
• Judges
Vines' Expository Dictionary
• Judge
• Judge
Webster Dictionary
• Judging
• Judged
• Judge-Made
•   (only first 3 shown)
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Judges
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• James Hall (Judge)
• Judge
• Judge-Advocate-General
•   (only first 3 shown)
Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia
• Reign of the Judges
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Judge
• Judges, Book of:
• Judges, Period of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Judges
• Judges Book of
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Judge
• Judges, Book of
• Judging, Rash
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Bridlegoose, Judge
• Judges, Book of
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Ecclesiastical Judge
• Judges
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Judge
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period of
Lexicons
• ܕ݁ܳܢ
• ܡܦ݂ܰܪܫܳܢܳܐ
• ἀνακρίνω
• διακρίνω
• δικαστής
•   (only first 3 shown)
• אֲדַרְגָּזַר
• אֱלֹהִים
• דּוֹן דוּּן, , דִּין
•   (only first 3 shown)

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 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. -

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 Judges, The Book of..