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

by K. Lawson Younger

After the Gideon account and its complementary sequel about Abimelek, the references to the number of sons of the judges seems to indicate that, from Gideon on, judgeship is always on the verge of turning into kingship, with sons succeeding fathers to office.3 Again, in order to have thirty sons and thirty daughters (sixty children!),4 one must have a substantial harem (between thirteen and twenty-four wives) and the resources to support such a harem (i.e., monarchic-type resources). The marriages mentioned here are not just a trivial note. Ibzan deliberately arranges for marriages of all his children to individuals outside his family or clan.5 In a tribal societal context, this is clearly a means of building and securing one’s power base. These marriages cement clan alliances and extend the scope of Ibzan’s political influence. Like Jair before him, Ibzan is not concerned with saving Israel from anyone; rather, his interests are in building an endowment for himself and his sons. Thus, the self-interest motif continues in both the cyclical/major and noncyclical/minor judges.