Judges, Ruth: Revised Edition (The NIV Application Commentary)

by K. Lawson Younger

THE ENGLISH TITLE FOR THE BOOK OF JUDGES derives from the Latin Liber Judicum. The Latin stems from the Old Greek (LXX) Kritai (“Judges”). The English term judges implies the notion of individuals who adjudicate legal disputes or determine guilt or innocence in criminal cases. But it is quite apparent that such was not their primary task. The Hebrew title of the book is shopetim. The meaning of this term can be seen in 2:16–17: “Then the LORD raised up judges [shopetim], who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them.” Thus the judges (shopetim) are viewed as both “deliverers” or “saviors” of their people from their enemies and “instigators,” “catalysts,” or “stimuli” for godly living. In essence, their purpose was not judicial, but soteriological.1 In fact, the first two judges are designated “deliverers”/“saviors” (moshia‘): Othniel (3:9) and Ehud (3:15). A number of the activities of others are described through the use of the verb yasha‘ (“deliver, save”; cf. Shamgar, 3:31; Gideon, 6:15; 8:22; Tola, 10:1; Jephthah, 12:2; and Samson, 13:5).2 Hence, this was apparently their role as leaders in external affairs, “restoring shalom, harmonious relations.”3 But Judges 2:17 seems to imply clearly that these shopetim were also to be leaders in internal affairs regarding spiritual/moral matters in conjunction with the covenant. The verb shapat itself underscores this. Block ...