Figure 8: The Judges in the Orthodox Chronology. While Josephus interprets the space between events in this period as a reign length for the judge, I dont believe that is accurate. In the generally accepted, orthodox chronology, the area of Canaan is ruled by Egypt throughout the Judges period, specifically the 18th through 21st dynasties of the Egyptian New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period. Add 40 years for the time in the wilderness, 40 years for David, and 4 for Solomon and the total is 534 - 54 years greater than the total given in I Kings. The name occurs twice: at the first mention, Shamgar is identified as a man who repelled Philistine incursions into Israelite regions, and slaughtered 600 of the invaders with an ox goad ( Judges 3:31 ); [1] The act of this Shamgar is similar to that of Shammah, son of Agee, mentioned in the appendix of the Books of Samuel as being one of The Three, a distinct group of warriors associated with King David. 6. For Shamgar, God kept him from death as he slew the 600 Philistines. 2. The timeline for the book of Judges is a puzzle, but one that is largely solvable. ), and Samson (1069-1049 B.C. My sense is that this is too long and it is also inconsistent with our approach for the rest of the period, Place Abimilech, Tola, and Jair end to end and overlap Jair with the oppression. This is just not enough time in my opinion as there would still be a majority of people alive who had witnessed the miracles of the conquest. On top of everything, the era of the Judges was a period of almost continual warfare a state of affairs that would continue until the time of Samuel, the last of the Judges. Who were those fifteen judges of Israel during this era? He too saved Israel". 9. next 450 years? However, our understanding of the Egyptian presence in Canaan in the time of Amenhotep III is such that it would not permit an outside power from beyond the Euphrates (i.e., Cushan) to have control far enough south to oppress Israel. Give Him your heart and your hands. If you include the 40 years given for Eli in I Samuel, this increases to 450 years. ALL Shopping Rod. And so, before I dive into the timeline, I think it would be worthwhile to review each of these briefly. The book of Judges is a sad book in many respects. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:5). Shamgar is not as compelling a character as, say, Gideon, or even Jephthah. . However, we have managed to create a timeline that reconciles the information in Judges with the writings of Josephus and leaves only a few options to choose from. Before we begin, I should note that the lack of archaeological links and the level of interpretation necessary means that there is more than one possible chronology for this period, and indeed mine is far from the first attempt. The judges continued until Saul was made king, which ended the line of judges. In fact, the book of Ruth could be considered a third part of this Appendix, but we wont address that here. (Deborah came alongside Barak and 10,000 men of Israel.) This chronology is discussed at length by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones[9]. How many judges were there in Israel, and how long did each rule? Judges 6 contains the Song of Deborah(she was judge around the time of Shamgar). Judges 17 and 18 are concerned with events leading up to the conquest of the city of Laish by the tribe of Dan. The Hebrew word for judge, shaphat, means to deliver or to rule.. 8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go.". And the LORD said to Samuel, Heed the voice of Adding back the 40-year period between the Exodus and the entry into Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:3, Joshua 4:19) gives us a starting date of 1406 BC and the bookend on the left. 1. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before (italics added for emphasis). Jericho as a city was destroyed by Joshua and not rebuilt until the reign of Ahab (I Kings 16:34), so how was it that Eglon had his palace there? spokesmen, and their desire for a human ruler whom Later he married Delilah, also a Philistine woman, whose treachery caused him to fall into the hands of the Philistines. ), Gideon (1191-1151 B.C. This would not preclude an oppression by the Philistines, it would just mean that they were acting on their own accord. First, let's examine the macro before we move into the micro. Not all of these judges are significant, with many being given a number of years with no account of anything that took place while they were a judge. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Thus, we are not given the name of a single Midianite king responsible for this next seven-year oppression. In fact, Josephus quotes him as saying, for ABOVE three hundred years. Shamgar's name only comes up twice in the book of Judges: in this verse, and in 5:6. . Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. How did Shamgar kill 600 Philistines? Much of this is simply because, In those days there was no king in Israel (Judges 21:25), and consequently no central government to fight wars, build monuments, keep records, or (perhaps most important to the Egyptians) levy taxes and pay tribute. 12. how many years did shamgar judge israel. ". Found in a temple constructed in the reign of Amenhotep III is a list of the enemies of Pharoah which mentions the Shasu of YHWH. (40 years)(1 Sam 1:1-4:18) He follows Othniel and Ehud, and precedes Deborah and Barak. First they put it in the temple of their god Dagon and the next morning it toppled over on its face. The book of Judges ends with two stories (and the book of Ruth might be considered a third) that take place in this period; but, on the surface, we are not given any specifics that allow us to tie these events to the time of a specific judge. Another occasion where Shamgar was mentioned was in the Song of Deborah. The New Chronology has not achieved broad acceptance but is worth discussing due to the alignment it creates between the archaeological evidence and this timeline. Shamgar was one and, whilewe dont know all the ways God is working in the lives of others, we do know He intends for His glory and believers good in the future. We will need to find those missing years or otherwise understand why no years are assigned to him. The name Shamgar is of Hebrew origin, which means sword. The center point of Jewish life began to dissipate. Lisa Loraine Baker is the multiple award-winning author of Someplace to be Somebody. 3. Judges 3:1, 2 reveals the extraordinary purpose of God during this period of the nation of Israel. In the song of Deborah (Judges v. 6) Shamgar is connected with the hour of Israel's deepest . Using an ox goad, he was able to slaughter 600 foreign invaders in the region. 1.Start where you are Samuel Welcome back to THE JUDGES series folks. Click here to find out more about this unique and fun Bible study tool! He would campaign in Canaan and beyond almost annually for a period of 19 years, from his 23rd to 42nd reginal years, including one campaign that specifically mentions the Shasu. However, that cannot be meant literally. A Biblical Judge is "a ruler, a chieftain or a military leader, as well as someone who presided over legal matters". She also is a member of BRRC. That gives us more to compress, but at last we have a full set of numbers to work with. Then God asked Samuel later to anoint David as king. Eventually, they found a worthy person, who kept it in his house for 20 years (I Samuel 7:2), but the Ark would not find a permanent home until the Temple of Solomon would be built decades later. 8. There is also indication that Hazor was destroyed c1200 BC which is consistent with a final defeat by Israel. Jabin sent to the king of Shimron, the king of Achshaph, the kings in the . Sequence of events and locations: a. how many years did shamgar judge israel FREE COVID TEST lansing school district spring break 2021 Book Appointment Now. Amenhotep II follows up on his fathers efforts with campaigns in his years 2, 7, and 9. them from bondage, as well as to instruct them and judge their Second, neither Judges or I Samuel provides a duration for the judgeship of Samuel or the reign of Saul. JEPHTHAH the Gileadite in Hebrew means: opposer 6 years 1087BC-1081BC, Judges 10:6-12:7. I Kings 6:1 provides us with the overall span of time between the Exodus and the reign of Solomon: And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomons reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. After 80 years of rest from war, the people apparently angered God again. They destroyed Siseras army, powerful new metal chariots and all. It is questionable whether Abimelech should count as a judge. All of these judges are found in the book of Judges except for Eli and Samuel, who are found in 1st Samuel. For those that want to take the 40 and 80-year periods between judges as exact, we need to trim 22 years from somewhere. MUSCLE SHOALS On Sunday, February 19, 2023, Deborah Ann Barry Montgomery of Muscle Shoals, AL, loving wife and mother of three children and seven grandchildren, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loved ones, at the age . Its good to linger on Shamgar though, for God used him to save Israel and continue the enaction of His plans to teach and have Israel learn about war. 12. Shamgar, a mighty fighter in Judges (3:31; 5:6), is designated ben anat, "the son of Anath." The name "Shamgar" is non-Israelite . In the first accounts on Shamgar, there was no introduction given nor any conclusion and reference to the period that he ruled the land. Abdon 12:13-15. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.. The main proponent of the New Chronology has been David Rohl whose 1995 book A Test of Time proposed a revised chronology for the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt and looked at the implications of this change to the synchronisms between Egyptian and biblical history. - Thus, the 410 years for the events in judges is at least 75 years too long. DEBORAH in Hebrew means: bee, wasp (prophetess) 40 years 1237BC-1198BC Judges 4-5. ABDON in Hebrew means: service, servile Tribe of Ephraim 8 years 1063BC-1058BC Judges 12:13-15 son of Hillel the Pirathanite 40 sons and 30 grandsons on 70 asses or colts. Other accounts on Shamgar pointed out that the terms son of Anath, which was often linked with his name, was only a royal title. Required fields are marked *. Shamgars name means named a stranger, he is here a stranger. On the downside, he leaves out one judge (Tola) entirely and fails to provide a number for another (Abdon). Your email address will not be published. In fact, Jephthahs victory over Ammon coincides with Thutmose IIIs final campaign. 7. Lewis said in The Weight of Glory,There are no ordinary people. 14. In the middle of the Early Period, we have one judge that does not have a number of years associated with him, namely Shamgar. 7:3; Deut. That child was Samuel, who would become the next Judge, one of historys greatest prophets, an equal to Moses in many respects, as well as savior of Israel. Tola, the son of Puah, was a judge of Israel whose reign spanned a total of twenty-three (23) years. Most importantly, Josephus was in possession of the Hebrew scrolls recovered from Herods temple before its destruction, and so likely had access to information that is now lost to us. However, these Judges described in Judges exercised their authority over one or other tribe but, never the entire nation. What scripture showing the timespan of Shamgars reign? Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. BARAK in Hebrew means: Lightning Tribe of Naphtali. was not the Leader even the majority of his life: He lived fifty-two years. It also places the 40-year oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli. ), Tola (1149-1126 B.C. Mistakenly believing that it would insure themselves of victory, they took the Ark out to war. Shamgar in Hebrew means: cupbearer, fleer. Old Testament Table of Contents Home Philosophy & Religion Scriptures Old Testament biblical literature Here are the options: I am going to dismiss Option 1 at this point as we still have 354 years[6] to fit in the 315 years between the entry into Canaan and Jephthah so we are still looking for some compression. You can find the original, 2018 version here. Ruth is the great grandmother of King David. Shamgar was the son of Anath and from the tribe of Benjamite. The fact that the years given to Tola (23) and Jair (22) are almost the same is also interesting and may indicate parallel judgeships. On the surface, it seems straightforward enough, recording the acts of each judge and the time between events from the time of Joshua until just before the events of I Samuel. Josephus was a first century AD Jew who wrote several works on Jewish history and religion for his Roman benefactor, most importantly his Antiquities of the Jews, a history of the people of Israel from creation to the time of the Jewish Revolt (69 AD). Excavations at Jericho indicate that it was destroyed in a manner consistent with the biblical text. The period of the Judges, therefore, extended from the death of Joshua (Jos 24:29 . He then led the tribe of Ephraim to seize the fords of the Jordan, where they killed about 10,000 Moabite soldiers. The next oppression begins with Thutmose IIIs first campaign into Canaan. First, a 40-year period of oppression under the Philistines begins (Judges 13:1). With that in mind, lets get started. When we get into the detailed chronology of this period we will look at potential ways to handle this. Figure 2 shows what we have so far. [3] See https://patternsofevidence.com/2019/06/01/artifacts-show-biblical-exodus/ for photos and more detail on the Israel Stele, Berlin Pedestal, and Shasu of YHWH name ring. For the next 40 years the Jewish people knew real peace. 4a. It seems that Cushans kingdom was not familiar to the later compilers and editors of Judges, and so I tend to think that it was not Assyria (though it likely became part of Assyria later). Nevertheless, in the end Samson took revenge upon his enemies. [6] In several ancient manuscripts this reference to Shamgar occurs after the accounts of Samson rather than immediately after the account of Ehud, in a way that is more narratively consistent; some scholars believe that this latter position is more likely to be the passage's original location.[6][3]. [7] Scholars also believe that the name of the individual may originally have been Shammah, and became corrupted under the influence of the Shamgar in the Song of Deborah. He was imprisoned and blinded by the Philistines, causing great despair among the Jews whose hope for salvation from the heavy hand of their most hated enemy had now evaporated. They moved the Ark to a different city and a horrible plague broke out there. As C.S. Following the death of Joshua, Egypt remains absent allowing invasions from Mesopotamia and Moab. Also, if the Berlin Pedestal can be dated as early as Thutmose III, then this mention of Israel would predate even Moses, much less the arrival in Canaan. It might seem callous to us that God would order the Israelites to wipe nations off the face of the earth, but only with Gods perfect character and in His economy can a mandate such as herem warfare be instituted. Son of Anath Judges 3:31. Consequently, the Judges account supports an early date for the Exodus. In the late period, and on through the reign of David, the primary villain is the Philistines[7] who need no introduction. HE will do the rest! No one could stand against Sisera, including the Jewish people. your ways. Shamgar did what he can at that critical time; This is, incidentally, the first time that the Philistines are mentioned in the context of a biblical event. I believe that these are two versions of the same story, with the Judges version providing more color. The first two years his mother nursed him. JUDGE SHAMGAR BY A. Hence, there were speculations by scholars that Shamgar was a foreigner who handled the low period of the Israelites instead of being a great ruler. 7. EHUD in Hebrew means: strong. Judges 3:31, Joshua Gods warrior and the fall of Jericho, The two scouts or spies were Joshuas eyes, Barak the commander of the army, under Deborah the fourth Judge of Israel, Gideon, the fifth Judge of Israel, with Gods help gets 300 men, Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, Eli the high priest and 9th Judge of Israel, Jephthah the Gileadite the 10th Judge of Israel, The only daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, the 10th Judge of Israel, Delilah New Ropes, Samson the 14th Judge of Israel, Delilah seeks, Samson the 14th Judge of Israel, Samson sleeps, Samson the 14th Judge of Israel, Death of Samson, the 14th Judge of Israel, Samuel the fifteenth Judge of Israel anoints two kings, Samuel the 15th Judge of Israel and also a Prophet, Background Information Joshua and Judges of Israel, Next Module Three Kings Saul, David & Solomon . Samuel was a judge and prophet of God who led Israel for over forty years. ACTS 13:21 21 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. Arriving at a correct chronology for the Judges period will require us to build a complete chronology from the Exodus to King Solomon in order to reconcile to I Kings 6:1. TOLA in Hebrew means: crimson/warm color Tribe of Issachar Ruled for 23 years 1149BC-1129BC. The Spirit of God must have . Israel's peace with the Moabites then lasted for 80 years. Therefore, his activity was similar to that of the judges. They were frightened of Sisera and as the battle took form the other tribes mostly stood by and watched, which was indicative of the times of the Judges. God uses whom He will, and there is worth and value in the actions one does forGod. Table 1: References in the Old Testament and Josephus. As shown above in Figure 1, this math gives us 396 years in which to fit Joshua, 450 years of judges, Samuel, and Saul. Saul was similar to the charismatic judges who preceded him in the role of governing; his chief contribution, however, was to defend Israel against its many . He was a tyrant who was assassinated (, Very little is known about him in the written (. The chronology of the book of Judges has been a problem because when you add up all the numbers and dates given in the book of Judges the sum of years is about 100 years more than what it should be. On top of his technological advantage, he aligned himself with the greatest General of the time, Sisera, who had never lost a battle. Therefore, he was not the leader for at least forty-two of his fifty-two years. (NKJV). Thus, I leave it to the reader to choose the one they find the most appealing. Options 2 and 3 give very similar results, however Option 2 is more consistent with our approach for this period. Here it seems we are being given the names of all of the judges in a sequence much like the lists of kings in Kings and Chronicles. What is not immediately clear is where to place Samson relative to Samuel and Eli. So Like . Furthermore, in another instance that Shamgar was mentioned in the Bible, this associated the man with the collapse and difficulty in the life of the Israelites. It only states that, the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed [him] (Judges 4:24). ** Until Saul made king(1 Sam 2:18-4:1)(1 Sam 7:2-8:1). However, with the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt by Amose, the first Pharoah of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the political situation in Canaan changes. [6] This is the sum of the years from the entry into Canaan using the numbers from Josephus and the 23 years given in Judges for Tola, [7] The last mention of the Philistines in the historical books is II Kings 18:8, in the reign of Hezekiah; however, they would continue to be a presence in the land until they were finally wiped out by Nebuchadnezzar II. This coincides with the period of Midianite oppression. In the end though, the dates are not very different and should there ever be an archaeological find that produces an approximate date for one of these judges it is unlikely to be precise enough to distinguish between the two proposed timelines. Nevertheless, there was still a threat from the north by a king named Yavin, whose fortified city-state lay in the Galilee. The opening Judges 4:4-5 tells this much: At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. Saul, Hebrew Shaul, (flourished 11th century bc, Israel), first king of Israel (c. 1021-1000 bc). First, no duration is given for the time from the beginning of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua until the first oppression recorded in Judges. Figure 9: The Judges in the New Chronology. In this context, Jabin is able to carve out an independent kingdom in Canaan and oppress the Israelites. He judged Israel for 23 years after Abimelech died. The power of the Hyksos kings remains in the Egyptian delta, extending up the coast to the southern Levant, but not into the hill country of Israel. We are now prepared to dig into the information in Judges, beginning with Samson. Some translations have inserted numbers there, but its important to understand that those numbers do not appear in any extant manuscripts. ELON the Zebulunite in Hebrew means: oak, strong Tribe of Zebulun 10 years 1075BC-1063BC Judges 12:9-10. Here we have Abimilech (3 years), Tola (23 years), and Jair (22 years). years. It is of note that Samuel (not God) named his two sons judges over Israel, and they took bribes and perverted justice (1 Samuel 8:1-3).