|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Judges
Judges book of the Bible, seventh book of the Old Testament in the order of the Authorized Version. It is the sequel of Joshua in the biblical history, telling of the Hebrews in the Promised Land from Joshua's death up to the time of Samuel . As stated in its introduction, the book is an account of Israel's successive apostasies from God and their consequences—first, punishment at the hands of a foreign nation, then delivery from it by God, who raises up a leader. The leaders are called judges; they are primarily military leaders, the heads of tribes. The chronology of Judges is impossible to untangle, partly because of occasional failure to give the length of time between the judges. The book consists mainly of lengthy accounts of a few judges: Deborah with Barak , Gideon , Gideon's usurping son Abimelech , Jephthah , and Samson . The other judges receive less attention, some a bare mention: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar before Deborah; Tola and Jair before Jephthah; and Ibzan, Elon and Abdon before Samson. The opening chapter of the book is out of order, for it belongs to the period of Joshua; the closing chapters contain two appended stories of violence, one laid in Dan, the other in Benjamin. For critical views of the composition and for bibliography, see Old Testament . |
|
|
Cite this article
"Judges." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Judges." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Judges.html "Judges." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Judges.html |
|
Judges, book of
Judges, book of OT book setting out some of Israel's traditions from Joshua to Samuel, a period of about 300 years. The material was collected early in the monarchy, but the final edition was probably made after the Fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The Deuteronomic editor has shaped the material to conform to his theology: after idolatry came the divine punishment; so there is a cry for divine assistance and a hero emerges who gives the land a time of rest under the judge. The book includes the story of the prophetess Deborah (Judg. 4) and the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judg. 5) and a war for the plain of Esdraelon (c.1200 BCE). Thus although the picture presented is of a contemporary record of late Bronze or Iron Age transition, it is rather an understanding of Israelite settlement held at the end of the period of the monarchy.
The first chapter of Judg. goes over ground covered by Josh. 14–15. The middle chapters describe an era of anarchy. The book ends with a cry for the monarchy, such was the chaos when ‘every man did what was right in his own eyes’ (Judg. 21: 25): the tribe of Dan engaged in theft and massacre, and Benjamin was almost exterminated by other tribes. |
|
|
Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "Judges, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Judges, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Judgesbookof.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Judges, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Judgesbookof.html |
|
judges
judges The archetypal judge was Moses, who delegated some judicial responsibilities to local officials (Deut. 16: 18–20; 17: 2–13). Before the monarchy there was no standing army in Israel and charismatic leaders arose who acted with courage and earned respect, and were called judges. The best-known were Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. There were also others, often called ‘minor judges’ (Judg. 10: 1–5; 12: 8–15). Their relation to the charismatic judges is not clear.
|
|
|
Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "judges." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "judges." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-judges.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "judges." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-judges.html |
|
Judges, Book of
Judges, Book of. This OT Book traces the history of the Israelites from Joshua's death to the beginning of the monarchy, describing incidents connected with the conquest of Palestine, and woven round the names of several leaders (‘judges’) who ruled the country before the time of Saul. Though it professes to be a sequel to the Book of Joshua, it covers the same period, probably giving a more accurate picture.
|
|
|
Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-JudgesBookof.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-JudgesBookof.html |
|
Judges
Judges Seventh book of the Old Testament. It covers a 200-year period in the history of ancient Israel, from the death of Joshua to the establishment of the first Israelite kingdom (c.11th century bc). The judges are leaders inspired by God to fight battles on behalf of the fledgling nation. The Book of Judges contains some of the oldest material in the Bible.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Judges." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Judges." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Judges.html "Judges." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Judges.html |
|
Judges, Book of
Judges, Book of. The second book of the Former Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and of the historical books in the Christian Old Testament. It is named for the series of heroes (‘judges’) who ruled Israel between the death of Joshua and the beginning of the monarchy and whose exploits are described in turn in the book.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-JudgesBookof.html JOHN BOWKER. "Judges, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-JudgesBookof.html |
|
Judges
|
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Judges." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Judges." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Judges.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Judges." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Judges.html |
|
Judges
Judges •biz, Cadíz, Cadiz, fizz, frizz, gee-whiz, his, is, jizz, Liz, Ms, phiz, quiz, squiz, swizz, tizz, viz, whizz, wiz, zizz
•louis, Suez
•scabies
•Celebes, heebie-jeebies
•showbiz • laches • Marches • breeches
•Indies • undies • hafiz • Kyrgyz
•Hedges • Bridges • Hodges • Judges
•Rockies • walkies
•Gillies, Scillies
•pennies • Benares
•Jefferies, Jeffreys
•Canaries
•Delores, Flores, furores
•series • miniseries • Furies
•congeries • Potteries • molasses
•glasses • sunglasses • missus • suffix
•falsies • fracases • galluses
•Pontine Marshes • species
•subspecies • conches • munchies
•treatise
•civvies, Skivvies
•Velázquez • exequies • obsequies
•Menzies • elevenses
•cosies (US cozies), Moses
•Joneses
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Judges." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Judges." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Judges.html "Judges." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Judges.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
