THE NOTICE ABOUT TOLA IMMEDIATELY RAISES A QUESTION: From whom did Tola save (yasha‘) Israel? Some scholars argue that Tola saved Israel from Abimelek’s rule. Thus Webb states: Such details as are given of Tola’s activity, together with the explicit reference to Abimelek’s career which had immediately preceded, strongly suggest that it was the disastrous effects of Abimelek’s rule that Israel needed saving from, and that Tola did this by providing a period of stable administration. Tola saved Israel from disintegration.
