Foreword to the Hebrew Edition (original) (raw)
Related papers
Judges: A new translation with commentary
Weatherford, Texas: The Cutting Horse Press, 2024
This translation of Judges is the eighth in my project to translate the Torah and Former Prophets. The book follows a similar approach to my other translations—my emphasis is on what is called “functional equivalence” (that is, expressing the ideas in the text in the most natural way in English), and I organize the text according to the textual divisions found in the Masoretic text (the “open” and “closed” parashot) rather than the traditional Christian chapter divisions. Organizing the text in this way, I believe, gets us closer to the ancient writers, and yields numerous insights into their composition approach. In my introduction, I examine the place of Judges within the books of the Former Prophets and I argue that the original version of the book was composed during the reign of Josiah as part of what I call the “Josianic History.” I also discuss my reasons for abandoning the “Deuteronomistic History” terminology and why I have replaced this with works that I call the Josianic History (written in the 630s and 620s BCE) and the Israelite History (written in the first half of the sixth century BCE). The commentary accompanying the translation focuses on issues of translation, language, and composition history. After the commentary I provide an essay that summarizes my (necessarily speculative) views on the composition history of Judges. In that essay, I assign each of the parashot to one of the six major compositional stages that I identify, which span nearly a millennium, from the eleventh century BCE to the mid-second century BCE. The book includes an appendix that discusses the display of the Song of Deborah in the Masoretic text, and that presents the song in English in the “checkerboard” format used by the Masoretes.
A chronological approach to the Book of Judges by Steven Jamison, with a present truth application by Theodore Turner.
The Book of Judges: An Analysis
Judges sets the stage for monarchical rule in Israel by condemning the anarchy and disobedience of Israel as the fruit of a season in history when ‘Israel had no king’ (Jgs 21:25). In examining the narrators overarching purpose and editorial comments, Biblical scholarship concludes that Judges serves as a low-key apologetic for the ideal future Davidic monarch. Via the testimony of ‘judges’ such as Gideon and Abimelech, among others, we can learn much about the responsibilities and motives that are required of any future Israelite king. Judges instructs us as to the pivotal nature of Godly leadership, faithful to both Yahweh and his covenant.
Framework and Discourse in the Book of Judges. (p. 687-702)
2009
The period of the judges is depicted as a desperate time calling for exceptional leaders. It is a time dominated by conflicts. A lasting peace, almost reached at the end of Joshua, is again far away. The stories of the central figures, the judges, offer a diverse portrayal. There is no image of an ideal judge but several individual characters sharing only one activity: they fight for their people. The judges are presented as heroes, although not without flaws, but they do not achieve sustained success. Hence the book ends with an even stronger desire for exceptional leaders.
The Rhetoric of the Book of Judges
1995
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