9 Judges You Probably Forgot About

It’s not unlikely that you might hear a sermon preached on Gideon. The story of Samson is a Sunday School staple — despite some of its more mature elements. And Deborah serves as an inspirational biblical woman.

However, these are only three of the twelve judges of Israel recorded in the book of Judges. The other nine have stories that are sometimes dramatic, sometimes forgettable, but all point towards the downfall of Israel and the need for stable leadership. 

Who Were the Judges?

After Joshua died and the Israelites had moved into the Promised Land, Israel was sporadically governed by a series of Judges. The book of Judges, which records these stories, spans roughly three hundred years, writes Chuck Swindoll. The time of the judges ended with the crowning of the first king of Israel, Saul, by the prophet Samuel.

The judges appear in the Bible in this order: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson. The timeline on them is not completely clear, as some may have been contemporaries with others, and they were not necessarily over all of Israel.

Though their exact placement may not be clear, their stories are no less powerful.

Othniel

Othniel was the nephew of Caleb, one of the two faithful spies who first scouted out the Promised Land. Othniel lived in a former Canaanite city that he had helped conquer.

Meanwhile, the people of Israel did evil in the eyes of God, so he gave them over to bondage to Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram. However, Judges 3:9 records that after eight years the people called out to God for help.

In response, God raised up Othniel, who delivered them. There were then forty years of peace until Othniel died.

Othniel’s story is short and straightforward. The people sinned, they repented and cried out for help, God raised up Othniel, and there was peace for forty years. However, future judges wouldn’t be so clean cut.

Ehud

As the Israelites were prone to do, they disobeyed God once again. As a result, they were attacked by Moab and subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. Finally, they cried out to God.

The Bible doesn’t give much background information on Ehud; he was the son of Gera from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was left-handed.

One thing that seems to be the case about Ehud is that he planned ahead. He was sent with tribute from the Israelites to King Eglon. In preparation, he forged a short sword and hid it on his right thigh under his clothing. After presenting the tribute with the other men, he returned and pretended to have a secret message for the king. It is unclear whether his companions knew of this plan.

Once Ehud was alone with the king to deliver his “secret message,” he said, “I have a message from God for you” (Judges 3:20). He then proceeded to stab the king in the stomach, using his left hand to unsheathe the sword he hid on his right thigh, a place guards probably wouldn’t think to check. Ehud then escaped and rallied the Israelites. They attacked the Moabites and Moab became a subject to Israel instead of the other way around. Peace lasted for eighty years.

The story of Ehud is rather graphic (Judges 3 describes Eglon’s death in much more detail), but one can’t help but admire Ehud. Because of the actions and boldness of one man, Israel was liberated and the people had eighty years of peace. Ehud had faith to face a tyrant alone—and win.

Shamgar

This is what the Bible has to say about Shamgar: “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel” (Judges 3:31).

There is not much to unpack with Shamgar, but a few things are notable. First, the Philistines were known as warriors, so striking down six hundred was a miraculous feat on its own. An ox goad, meanwhile, was a long stick, usually with a pointed end, used to guide oxen pulling a plough or cart—hardly a battle weapon. Also, Shamgar’s name as “son of Anath” suggests at least partial Canaanite heritage, though it is possible he was an Israelite named after a place.

The lesson of Shamgar, then, is that God can use anyone, even a Canaanite, with limited resources, even a pointed stick, to do great things, even strike down six hundred oppressors.

Tola

After Shamgar came Deborah and Gideon, whose stories are well recorded. Deborah was an upstanding representative of the Lord, while Gideon was hesitant from the start, and though God used him to do great things, he caused idolatry and had familial issues.

Of Tola, however, we know little. As the moral compass of Israel in the book of Judges spirals downward, the judges themselves seem to become less impressive as well.

The Bible records, “A man of Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir” (Judges 10:1-2).

Jair

Another judge with little information given, “[Tola] was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair. When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon” (Judges 10:3-5).

The fact that Jair had thirty sons who controlled thirty cities shows a significant amount of influence, wealth, and unity. However, it is notable that the Bible does not record that Jair “saved Israel” like the others did.

Jephthah

Jephthah amply demonstrates the dire moral straits Israel had fallen into. First of all, Jephthah was the son of a prostitute who was driven away by his half-brothers. He ran away to live with “a gang of scoundrels” (Judges 11:3). However, when Israel was in trouble (after behaving wickedly and serving all sorts of other gods), the elders of Gilead offered to serve Jephthah if he would help them defeat the Ammonites. He took the offer.

Before going into battle, Jephthah rashly vowed that if God delivered the Ammonites over to him, he would sacrifice as a burnt offering whatever first came out of the door of his house when he returned in triumph. Sure enough, God heard the Israelites’ cries of repentance and Jephthah subdued Ammon.

However, when Jephthah returned home, the first to come out to meet him was his daughter, his only child, dancing and celebrating. Jephthah was devastated, but after giving her two months to mourn, he did as he had promised.

Shortly, he became embroiled in a dispute with fellow Israelites, the Ephraimites, and forty-two thousand were killed. Jephthah only led Israel six years.

Jephthah was no example of morality, but God still used him to accomplish his purposes in liberating Israel.

Ibzan

“After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem” (Judges 12:8-10).

Ibzan ruled only seven years. He never “saved Israel.” His claim to fame was his prodigious number of offspring. Though these marital ties would have given him significant clout, nothing is said of what he did with that power.

Elon

“After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. Then Elon died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun” (Judges 12:11-12).

One thing of note here is that Elon was from the tribe of Zebulun; judges came from all different tribes, unlike the later tribal restrictions of the kings. Though not necessarily a good or bad thing, this randomness shows the instability of Israel.

Abdon

“After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites” (Judges 12:13-15).

Here we see again the short period of reign, and notably, that he was buried in “the hill country of the Amalekites;” Israel was falling apart.

The End of the Judges

After Abdon came Samson, whose tale of debauchery and disobedience is well recorded. The book of Judges ends with horrifying stories of violence and immorality, with the echoing refrain “in those days Israel had no king” (Judges 18:1, 19:1, 21:25).

If the judges teach us anything, it is that God can do amazing things through one man or woman—but one person isn’t enough. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah show what can happen when someone is bold and trusts God, while judges like Jephthah and Samson show that God can use even the worst of us to work for good.

But ultimately, the refrain “in those days Israel had no king” points to a deeper reality: not that Israel didn’t have a human king, but that Israel had forsaken God as king. Because of this, Israel fell apart. Without God as king, we, too, will ultimately fall apart, and no one else can save us.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Bill Oxford