Note: This article received a significant update on Oct 24, 2021 with a completely new solution for the Judges timeline. This new solution has withal to be incorporated in the overall timeline. For the original, 2018 version of this article click here.
The Judges
Introduction
The book of Judges presents an interesting puzzle in the in the chronology of Israel. 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. Yet, there is a problem: the total of the years given in Judges is both likewise large and also small-scale when considered against the whole of scripture.
I Kings six:1 gives the time from the Exodus to the laying of the foundation of the temple in the fourth year of Male monarch Solomon equally 480 years. The total of the years given in the book of Judges is 410. If you lot include the forty years given for Eli in I Samuel, this increases to 450 years. Add 40 years for the time in the wilderness, forty years for David, and 4 for Solomon and the full is 534 – 54 years greater than the total given in I Kings. At the aforementioned fourth dimension, there are years missing from the total. First, no elapsing is given for the time from the beginning of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua until the outset oppression recorded in Judges. Second, neither Judges or I Samuel provides a duration for the judgeship of Samuel or the reign of Saul. Thus, we accept the unique problem of needing to add years to a full that is already likewise loftier.
Arriving at a correct chronology for the Judges catamenia will require us to build a complete chronology from the Exodus to Rex Solomon in gild to reconcile to I Kings vi:ane. This in plow volition require us to both fill in some gaps and identify ways to compress the timeline to fit. Scripture provides enough of names and durations, but equally we volition see, reaching a conclusion as to who was active when is far from uncomplicated. Different the afterward period of the Kings, the information provided in Judges lacks both internal and external reference points to permit us to find dates. While Egypt was the principal foreign power for much of this period, no direct interaction with Arab republic of egypt is recorded. Much of this is simply because, "In those days at that place was no king in Israel" (Judges 21:25), and consequently no key government to fight wars, build monuments, keep records, or (perhaps most important to the Egyptians) levy taxes and pay tribute. To get some idea of how the Judges fit into the period between the Exodus and the coronation of David nosotros will need to await at the whole of scripture and what scant archaeological testify nosotros accept and endeavour to observe a solution that makes sense in the larger context.
Before we begin, I should note that the lack of archaeological links and the level of interpretation necessary means that in that location is more than one possible chronology for this catamenia, and indeed mine is far from the first endeavour. I volition lay out what I believe makes the most sense, and in some cases volition provide multiple options. I will also present what I believe is the best solution based on the bachelor information. Even so, the reader should understand that the best we tin can be expected to practise with the available information is to get to an estimate solution, especially for the early part of the volume.
An Overview of Judges
I see the Book of Judges equally consisting of iv distinct segments: The Introduction, the Early Period, the Late Period, and the Appendix. The Introduction provides a summary of the situation at the end of the conquest of Canaan and and then revisits the death of Joshua – a sort of "here is what you missed from concluding calendar week's episode". It and so provides the overall narrative pattern of the volume: Israel forsakes the LORD and serves other gods, the LORD delivers them into the easily of an enemy, the people call on the LORD in their misery, and He sends a judge to deliver them. Things are skillful all the days of the approximate, but in one case he or she is gone, the people speedily revert to following other gods and the cycle repeats. This cycle is specially evident in the Early Menstruation.
The Early Period begins with the offset oppression and offset gauge (Othniel) and continues through to the brief reign of Gideon'due south son Abimilech, covering Judges 3:seven through the finish of Chapter viii. In this portion of the volume we just hear nigh those judges that did something pregnant in delivering Israel from an oppressor: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, and finally Gideon. These deliverances are separated past a period of peace, ostensibly the time required for the judge to pass on and the people to fall back into sin. What is interesting is that the length of the various oppressions is precise: 8, eighteen, 20, and seven years. Withal, the length of the peace that follows is always 40 years or, in Ehud'southward example, twice forty = 80 years. To me this is schematic and indicates a generation. When nosotros get into the detailed chronology of this flow we will look at potential ways to handle this.
Commencement with Abimilech, we enter the Late Catamenia (Judges ix-16). Here it seems nosotros are beingness given the names of all of the judges in a sequence much similar the lists of kings in Kings and Chronicles. Not all of these judges are significant, with many existence given a number of years with no account of annihilation that took place while they were a judge. In fact in his Antiquities of the Jews, Flavius Josephus goes so far as to say that Ibzan, "did nothing in the seven years of his administration that was worth recording", and makes similar comments about the side by side two judges (Ant 5.271-three). For any reason, information technology seems that beginning with Abimilech, there is a more consummate history available to the writer of Judges and that is what is passed downwards to united states of america. Also of note, and primal to constructing a proper chronology, is that in the Late Menstruation the time allotted to each judge changes from being a spacer between oppressions and probable overlaps those oppressions.
Finally, we enter what I call the Appendix (Judges 17-21): Ii boosted stories that autumn in this period, but are non dated to any particular guess. In fact, the volume of Ruth could be considered a tertiary part of this Appendix, but we won't accost that here. The stories of Micah's idol and the Levite's concubine and subsequent state of war with Benjamin don't impact the overall chronology, but we will endeavor to place them one time nosotros accept a chronological framework in place.
Bookends
In solving a trouble like the chronology of the Judges menstruum, information technology is best to start with what we can be certain about: the firm dates and fourth dimension periods that nosotros can rely on. While the specifics of the period of the judges are fuzzy, scripture does provide clear and easily datable boundaries for this period. I Kings 6:ane provides us with the overall bridge of time betwixt the Exodus and the reign of Solomon:
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth yr afterward the children of Israel had come out of the state of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon'due south reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the 2nd calendar month, that he began to build the business firm of the LORD. (NKJV)
This scripture is the chief basis for what is known as an early on exodus, and the early date is the basis for the timeline proposed hither. To those proponents of a later exodus in the reign of Ramses II I would propose that the book of Judges cannot be reconciled with a later on date as can be deduced from the discussion to follow. Consequently, the Judges account supports an early date for the Exodus.
The data given in I Kings 6:1 allows usa to construct a set of bookends, if you will, for the period of the judges: A get-go and ending appointment within of which to try to build a chronology. The electric current accepted engagement for the reign of Solomon is 970-930 BC following Thiele[ane]. Thus, the 4th year of his reign would be 966 BC. Subtracting 480 years from this date gives us a date of 1446 BC for the Exodus. Adding back the forty-year catamenia between the Exodus and the entry into Canaan (Deuteronomy one:iii, Joshua 4:xix) gives us a starting date of 1406 BC and the bookend on the left. On the right side nosotros can decrease from the 4th yr of the reign of Solomon the iv years of his reign, and xl years for the reign of David (2 Samuel 5:4-5). This puts the right bookend at 1010 BC at the decease of Saul.
Figure 1: Total Years vs. Bachelor Time
Every bit shown to a higher place in Effigy i, this math gives united states 396 years in which to fit Joshua, 450 years of judges, Samuel, and Saul.
Jephthah
If making everything fit were not enough of a puzzle, we have one other requirement: In all of scripture, at that place is only 1 reference that allows us to gear up a date for whatever of the events plant in Judges relative to any other point in history. That reference is found in Judges xi:26 and quotes a letter sent past Jephthah to the rex of Ammon:
While State of israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for iii hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? (NKJV)
This tells us that in Jephthah's time, Israel had occupied the surface area east of the Jordan river for 300 years. This area was conquered in the last twelvemonth of the wilderness period, just months earlier the entry into the land. Nosotros thus date the conquest of this area to tardily 1407 BC and 300 years subsequently would exist 1107 BC. At this signal, we have a choice of how to translate this. We can cull to interpret the 300-twelvemonth effigy every bit a precise number and thereby date the offset of Jephthah's half-dozen-yr judgeship to 1107 BC. But 300 is a round number, and as such may non be precise. If I, writing in 2021, were to say, "Columbus (re)discovered America 500 years agone", yous would non say that I was wrong, even though the actual number is 529 years, because you would recognize that I am giving a rounded number. Similarly, the 300 years given by Jephthah may non be exact. In fact, Josephus quotes him as maxim, "for Higher up three hundred years". So, we should also consider the possibility that Jephthah is reasonably shut to that 300-year mark but perhaps somewhat afterwards.
Filling in the Blanks
Before we can begin to figure out how to compress everything into the bachelor fourth dimension, nosotros first demand to get a complete film of what it is that we have to shrink. And then far, we have a total of 410 years from Judges, and forty years for Eli, for a full of 450 years[ii]. Withal, we yet have some missing pieces.
Our kickoff, or left-manus bookmark rests on the crossing of the Jordan river by Joshua and the armies of Israel to begin the conquest of Canaan. The first number given in Judges is the 8-twelvemonth oppression by Cushan-Rishathaim recorded in Judges three:8. Just how much fourth dimension had elapsed from the beginning of the conquest to the start of that oppression? Judges two:seven-10 tells us:
7So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua … 10When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the piece of work which He had washed for State of israel. (NKJV)
And so we need to permit adequate time for conquest of Canaan to be completed, and for Joshua and the other elders of Israel to die out. Considering that, except for Joshua and Caleb, everyone above the age of 20 that came out of Egypt had perished in the wilderness, the maximum age for these elders would be threescore and most were more than likely in their mid to late l'south.
In the middle of the Early Period, nosotros take 1 judge that does not have a number of years associated with him, namely Shamgar. Nosotros volition demand to find those missing years or otherwise sympathize why no years are assigned to him.
Finally, our right-hand bookend rests on the death of Saul. At this point nosotros are beyond the scope of the book of Judges, but nosotros demand to assign a reign length to Saul and, before that, to Samuel for the menses between the expiry of Eli and the coronation of Saul. Paul assigns Saul a 40-year reign in his speech at Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13:21. However, there is no Old Testament reference to the length of Saul's reign. That number may have been given in I Samuel xiii:ane, but the text there is fragmentary. Some translations take inserted numbers there, but information technology's important to understand that those numbers do non appear in any extant manuscripts. The best nosotros can tell from the fragment is that the length of Saul'due south reign likely ended in a "two", merely that'due south it. With the absenteeism of an Old Testament reference to tie it to, I am going to dismiss Paul's forty-twelvemonth number for now and encounter what else nosotros can notice. Perhaps nosotros can verify this number or at least understand where it comes from. And we can't forget that we still need a number for Samuel or to convince ourselves that his term equally a judge completely overlaps that of Eli and the reign of Saul.
Fortunately, nosotros accept some other witness to consult to try and fill in these gaps. I've already mentioned Flavius Josephus, only peradventure it's time to give him a more than formal introduction. Josephus was a first century Advertizement 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 Advertisement). Most importantly, Josephus was in possession of the Hebrew scrolls recovered from Herod's temple before its destruction, and so likely had access to information that is now lost to us. Of particular interest to united states are Antiquities Book 5 covering the period from the death of Moses to the death of Eli and Book vi covering the period from the death of Eli to the death of Saul.
Table 1 below shows the full set of references from both the Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, and I Samuel as well as the corresponding information given past Josephus. The differences between the two are highlighted. In full general, Josephus is in very close agreement with the Biblical sources, and he provides numbers to fill in the gaps that we have identified. On the downside, he leaves out 1 estimate (Tola) entirely and fails to provide a number for another (Abdon). All together, Josephus gives us a total of 60 additional years: 28 betwixt the conquest of Canaan and the first estimate, and 32 for Samuel and Saul. That gives united states of america more than to compress, but at last we have a full set of numbers to work with.
Table 1: References in the Old Testament and Josephus
Event
Biblical Reference
Biblical Years
Josephus Years
Josephus Reference
Exodus
Start
Start
Jordan Crossed
Joshua 5:half dozen, Deut 29:5, Many others
xl
40
Conquest Consummate
Joshua fourteen:10. 45 years from initial spying
seven
seven
Ant five.117: Joshua for 25 years later Moses. Ant 5.84-85 18 years from death of Joshua to first estimate. 43 years total conquest to starting time judge, including 8 year oppression
Death of Joshua and Elders
Joshua 24:31, Judges 2:vii
Non Given
28
Oppression by Cushan-Rishathaim, King of Mesopotamia
Judges 3:8
8
8
Othniel – Judah
Judges 3:11
twoscore
forty
Ant v.184
Oppression by Eglon, King of Moab
Judges 3:fourteen
18
18
Ant 5.187
Ehud
Judges 3:thirty
lxxx
fourscore
Ant v.197. Note v.198 curiously indicates "a brusk breathing time" later the Moabites earlier the oppression past Jabin
Shamgar / Philistines
Judges three:31, Judges 5:6 – Shamagar was alive at the time of Deborah
Not Given
< 1 year
Oppression by Jabin King of Hazor
Judges 4:three
20
20
Emmet 5.200
Deborah & Barak
Judges five:31
40
40
Ant v.209
Oppression by Midian
Judges half-dozen:ane
7
7
Ant five.210 Chapter Heading
Gideon / Jerubbaal
Judges 8:28
forty
40
Ant v.232
Abimelech
Judges 9:22
3
three
Ant five.239 referring to Jotham's time in hiding
Tola – Ephraim
Judges ten:ii
23
Missing
None
Jair – Gilead
Judges 10:3
22
22
Ant five.254
Oppression by Philistines + Ammon
Judges 10:8
18
xviii
Ant 5.263
Jephthah – Gilead
Judges 12:seven, 300 years Judges eleven:26
6
half dozen
Pismire 5.270. 300 years Ant 5.262
Ibzan – Judah
Judges 12:eight
7
7
Ant 5.271
Elon – Zebulon
Judges 12:11
10
ten
Ant 5.272
Abdon – Ephraim
Judges 12:1
8
Not Given
Ant 5.273
Oppression past Philistines
Judges 13:one
40
40
Pismire v.275
Samson – Dan
Judges 15:20 – "In the days of the Philistines"; Judges 16:31
20
20
Pismire 5.316
Eli – Levi
I Samuel four:18
twoscore
40
Ant five.357
Samuel – Levi
None
Not Given
12
Emmet 6.292
Saul
None
Not Given
20
Ant 6.378, x.143
David
II Samuel 5:five
forty
forty
Solomon
To Foundation of Temple, I Kings vi:ane
4
four
Total
541
570
Composite full of 601 years (570 + 23 + 8)
Archaeology
The political situation in the Levant during this flow is largely i of Egyptian control. In the more often than not accustomed, orthodox chronology, the area of Canaan is ruled by Egypt throughout the Judges period, specifically the 18thursday through 21st dynasties of the Egyptian New Kingdom and 3rd Intermediate Period. There is a period where Egyptian control loosens in the late 18th dynasty, particularly from Akenaten until early in the 19th dynasty. In the New Chronology of David Rohl, Canaan is outside the Egyptian sphere of influence until roughly the fourth dimension of Gideon when it is conquered by Thutmose I, and Akenaten aligns with Saul and David. Regardless of the timeline used, after the conquest by Thutmose I the other major political powers in the Near Due east (the Hittites, Mittani, Assyrians and Babylonians) practice not brand incursions into the area of Israel until much afterward.
In the Judges narrative and into the time of Saul and David, the Philistines are the master oppressor of State of israel. The Philistines were, nevertheless, vassals of the Egyptian Pharoah. Thus, when we read about the actions of the Philistines we should see an Egyptian paw pulling the strings. As vassals, the cities of the Philistine pentapolis would take been required to send tribute to Pharoah and their oppression of Israel may be seen simply as a way to acquire resources to meet their Pharaonic obligations. At other times, we may run into the Philistines every bit Pharoah's policemen, assigned to proceed society over the various city states, rural villages, and herdsmen in the area.
During this period, the archaeological bear witness for Israel is scant. This might be expected given that the people of Israel at this fourth dimension were largely farmers and herdsmen. In particular, they were not etching monuments in rock, and it seems that their material civilisation (pottery, jewelry, idols, and the like) was fiddling different from their Canaanite neighbors. Thus, at that place is little for the archaeologist to find that denotes the presence of Israel or confirms whatever of these events. That does non mean, all the same, that this period is completely devoid of archaeological show. We do accept a number of inscriptions from Egypt and Israel'southward neighbors that confirms their presence in this time period.
The Amarna Letters, particularly letter EA286. The Amarna letters are a collection of correspondence between Egypt and foreign powers, primarily from the reign of Pharaoh Akenaten. Several of these letters are from the ruler of Jerusalem, a vassal of the Pharaoh, requesting aid against the "Habiru" which some have associated with the Hebrews though this remains hotly debated in secular circles. David Rohl in his New Chronology has identified a number of the figures from the time of I Samuel with those mentioned in the Amarna letters, almost notably Saul.
The Merneptah or Israel Stele. A rock slab found at Thebes records a military machine campaign past Merneptah, perhaps also taking credit for some of the actions of his begetter, Rameses II. Most of the inscription concerns a war with Great socialist people's libyan arab jamahiriya just the last 3 lines draw a campaign in Canaan:
The Israel Stele
Hatti [Hittites] is pacified; The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe: Ashkelon [Philistines] has been overcome; Gezer [Canaan] has been captured; Yano'am [unknown] is fabricated not-real. Israel is laid waste product and his seed is not;
This is the first datable mention of the name Israel in recorded history, and the only one from the period of the judges. It has been dated to c1208 BC in the orthodox chronology.
The Berlin Pedestal. An inscription plant in the Berlin Museum, believed to be from a statue pedestal, contains a proper name ring that reads State of israel. The dating of this inscription is disputed, merely information technology may appointment as early on every bit Thutmose Three or as late as Rameses 2. The majority would put it at the early on end of that range, making it older than the Merneptah Stele past about 100 years[three].
The Shasu of YHWH Name Ring. Found in a temple constructed in the reign of Amenhotep Three is a list of the enemies of Pharoah which mentions the "Shasu of YHWH". Shasu can loosely exist translated every bit nomads, particularly cattle herders of the expanse of Palestine. The inclusion of the name of YHWH (Yahweh) makes this a clear reference to Israel. While the proper name is not specifically, "State of israel", this reference besides predates the Merneptah Stele.
Excavations
Excavations at Jericho betoken that it was destroyed in a manner consistent with the biblical text. The destruction has been dated based on the recovery of scarabs naming the Egyptian Pharoah Sheshi of the early on Hyksos period.
Archaeological digs accept been conducted at many biblical sites in ancient Canaan. Of particular relevance here are those conducted at Hazor which confirm that it was ruled by an Ibin (etymologically similar to Jabin) and was destroyed past burn down approximately 1200 BC in the standard chronology.
In 2019 a pottery sherd was recovered from the Khirbet al-Ra'I dig site in central Israel that included the proper noun Yrb'l (Jerubba'al), the culling proper noun for Gideon. This sherd has been dated to 1100-1050 BC, or near a century after where nosotros would place Gideon, and while information technology may not be linked to THE Jerubba'al, it does attest to the proper name. If the dating is correct, this may refer to someone that was named afterwards the famous hero[four].
The bully temple of Ba'al Bereth at Shechem shows a destruction past fire in this period, consistent with that attributed to Abimilech in Judges ix.
The Late Period
At terminal it's time to start building our timeline. You are probably expecting me to kickoff with Joshua and piece of work forrard in time. However, given the apparently more complete records for the Belatedly Menstruum, I believe information technology volition be more than valuable to offset at the end – the decease of Saul – and piece of work backward to Abimilech. This will give u.s. a good thought of how much compression is still needed in the Early Period.
The cardinal question for the Late Catamenia is, what judges or events, if any, should be placed in parallel? Retrieve that we accept Jephthah at the 300-year mark or perchance a chip later. This 300-yr mark is a mere 97 years before the expiry of Saul. However, the sum full of the years given from Jephthah to Saul is 163 and so we are looking for at least a 66-year reduction. With that in mind, let's get started.
Samuel & Saul
Josephus gives a period of 32 years for Samuel and Saul combined in the heading to Antiquities Book 6. He then breaks this down as a sole reign of 12 years for Samuel followed past a xx-year reign for Saul[5], with Samuel overlapping the kickoff xviii years of Saul's reign (and then a total of thirty years for Samuel'southward judgeship). Josephus has already addressed the overlap betwixt Samuel and Saul, and no further overlaps are possible in the context of the events of I Samuel. Thus, I will apply 32 years as the correct number for this flow. Even so, before we move on, we need to consider how to best allocate the years between Samuel and Saul.
I Samuel vii:2-3 states:
2So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time, information technology was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented subsequently the LORD. iiiThen Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel …
This verse occurs right afterwards the ark has been returned afterward its capture past the Philistines. Beginning with poesy iii is the business relationship of the battle of Mizpah which ends Israel's 40+ year oppression past the Philistines (come across Judges xiii:1). Thus, it appears that we have a 20-year menses where Samuel is the sole guess before Saul is anointed as rex. In my article on Saul I found, based on the details of the narrative in I Samuel, that the minimum length of Saul'due south reign is almost 12 years. My sense here is that Josephus got information technology backward and that nosotros should requite twenty years to Samuel and 12 to Saul. Note that this solution also gives Samuel a total of 30 years simply as twenty alone plus ten overlapping with Saul every bit opposed to 12 and 18.
Every bit noted to a higher place, Paul gives Saul a xl-twelvemonth reign length in Acts 13:21. If Saul really reigned for only 12 years, or even 20 years, where does this forty-year number come from? I believe the 40-twelvemonth reign for Saul to be a Jewish tradition from Paul's time. I run across two possible sources for this number. First, the time from the recovery of the Ark in I Samuel 7:2 to the installation of the ark in Jerusalem in II Samuel half-dozen was almost exactly 40 years (32 or Samuel and Saul plus 7 ½ for David), with much of this fourth dimension equated with Saul. It is also possible that the 40 yr number comes from rounding upwards the 32 year combined reigns of Samuel and Saul.
If you are keeping score, the 32 years for Samuel and Saul ways that nosotros have a mere 65 years remaining to the 300-twelvemonth marking for Jephthah and 131 years to fit in in that location. I Samuel 4:18 states that Eli had judged Israel for xl years. We know that his expiry occurred at the fourth dimension of the loss of the ark to the Philistines and immediately preceded the judgeship of Samuel. With Eli then firmly slotted we tin at last begin to accost the data provided in Judges. Effigy 2 shows what we have and then far.
Figure 2: Dates from I Samuel and Josephus
Samson
We are now prepared to dig into the information in Judges, beginning with Samson. The relevant chronological information is equally follows. First, a 40-year period of oppression under the Philistines begins (Judges 13:i). So, Samson'southward birth is foretold with the prophecy that, "he shall brainstorm to deliver State of israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges xiii:5). Finally, we learn that Samson judges Israel for 20 years (Judges 16:31). Putting these pieces together, Samson was born, grew to machismo, judged for xx years, and died inside the 40-year period of Philistine oppression. The only manner to make this fit is for Samson's decease to coincide (or nearly and so) with the end of that twoscore-year period of oppression. The overlap here is clear, and this is the first footstep in solving our time compression problem. What is not immediately clear is where to place Samson relative to Samuel and Eli.
The prophecy almost Samson said that he would "begin" to evangelize Israel from the Philistines, so when did that deliverance ultimately occur? There is no indication of any catamenia of peace until I Samuel 7:13, following the battle of Mizpah where information technology states, "the Philistines were subdued and did non come any more into the territory of State of israel". Nevertheless, I do not think information technology is appropriate to overlap Samson with Samuel. The capture of the ark was an issue of pregnant importance and had information technology occurred during the Judges menstruation it would have been recorded there. Thus, I believe that the period recorded in Judges ends shortly before the capture of the ark and that event signifies the start of the I Samuel account, with I Samuel one-3 being dorsum story that occurred during the Judges period. This means that the 40-years of oppression under the Philistines, equally recorded in Judges, ends at the same time as the Judges narrative. Fifty-fifty though the oppression would in fact continue for another twenty years nether Samuel. It also places the 40-twelvemonth oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli. As nosotros volition come across below, this iii manner parallelism is the cardinal to solving the late period.
Jephthah
Scripture records a serial of 4 judges prior to Samson. These are Jephthah (6 years), Ibzan (7 years), Elon (x years), and Abdon (8 years). Placing Eli in parallel with the forty year oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli has effectively removed 80 years from our timeline. If nosotros place the sequence of Jephthah through Abdon end to end and immediately prior to Samson, we get the motion picture in Figure iii.
Figure iii: Jephthah to Samson
This solution achieves the necessary compression. Jephthah is after the 300-year marking, only not as well far after. In fact, he begins in 1092 BC, at the 315 year mark. It is therefore quite reasonable for him to utilize a round effigy of 300 years in replying to the male monarch of Ammon. This seems to fit our requirements. The implication from this solution is that not only was Samson in parallel with the xl-twelvemonth Philistine oppression, but so were Elon and Abdon, and to some extent Ibzan. There is a mere 11 years between the terminate of the 18-year oppression under the combined Philistines and Ammon and the beginning of the twoscore yr oppression past just the Philistines. This also makes sense as the Egyptian dominance in this menstruation was continuous so information technology would be unlikely for the Israelites to be left alone for long.
Abimilech
With Jephthah in a reasonable place, we can move on to Abimilech and the judges that succeeded him. Here we have Abimilech (3 years), Tola (23 years), and Jair (22 years). At this point, we have a option. Tola and Jair ruled for virtually the same amount of time and in unlike parts of the country, Tola in Ephraim, and Jair in Gilead. This means that there is a potential to overlap them, and this option may be supported by the fact that Josephus leaves Tola out of his account. For the belatedly menstruum we and so far take overlapped the judges with the oppressions as the judges listing appears to be continuous and it would exist logical to continue to do and then here, but information technology would also exist possible to identify these judges before the eighteen-year oppression of the Philistines and Ammon. Here are the options:
Place everything cease to end, including the eighteen year oppression. This gives a total of 66 years. My sense is that this is too long and it is besides inconsistent with our approach for the rest of the menstruum
Place Abimilech, Tola, and Jair end to cease and overlap Jair with the oppression. This gives a total of 48 years
Place Tola and Jair in parallel and in sequence with the oppression. This gives a total of 44 years
Identify Tola, Jair, and the oppression in parallel. This gives a total of only 26 years
I am going to dismiss Option one at this point as we however accept 354 years[6] to fit in the 315 years between the entry into Canaan and Jephthah then we are withal looking for some compression. Option 1 is too inconsistent with the overlap between judges and oppressions that I believe applies to the late period. Options 2 and 3 give very similar results, yet Option 2 is more consequent with our approach for this period. Finally, Option 4 gives us maximum compression. Allow's keep this 1 in mind in case we need it later. But for at present, I volition go along with Pick ii. Option 2 gives us the timeline shown in Figure 4, and nosotros tin can now motility on to the early period.
Effigy 4: Timeline for the Late Flow
The Early Period
In the late menstruum, and on through the reign of David, the primary villain is the Philistines[7] who need no introduction. The early period however features a different graphic symbol in each oppression. And and so, before I dive into the timeline, I call up it would be worthwhile to review each of these briefly.
Cushan
The get-go oppression of eight years is under Cushan-Rishathaim. About English translations based on the Masoretic Text title him "Male monarch of Mesopotamia". The Septuagint however titles him male monarch of "Syria-of-Rivers", and Josephus calls him the male monarch of Assyria. It seems that Cushan's kingdom was not familiar to the later compilers and editors of Judges, and and so I tend to think that it was not Assyria (though it probable became part of Assyria subsequently). The name "Syria-of-Rivers" given in the Septuagint is perhaps the nearly revealing and places this kingdom between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what today is eastern Syria and western Republic of iraq. If this is indeed the correct location, so Cushan was well-nigh probable a king of the Mittani, a Hurrian kingdom that would subsequently be captivated into the Assyrian empire. I have non been able to discover a satisfactory link between the proper name Cushan-Rishathaim and any ruler of this area, though we don't have a complete listing for this catamenia, peculiarly in the context of the New Chronology.
Eglon
The adjacent oppression of 18 years is under Eglon, male monarch of Moab. We don't have a listing of Moabite kings from this period and then it's not possible to equate him with any historical figure. What is interesting about this king is that his palace was at Jericho. Jericho equally a city was destroyed by Joshua and non rebuilt until the reign of Ahab (I Kings sixteen:34), then how was it that Eglon had his palace at that place? Archaeology has shown that there was a unmarried, small-scale palace congenital on the Jericho mound betwixt its destruction and rebuilding, known aptly as the "centre edifice". I believe that this is probable where the encounter between Eglon and Ehud took identify.
Jabin
The adjacent oppressor, for twenty years, is Jabin Male monarch of Canaan whose capital letter was Hazor. As noted above in the Archaeology department, this name has been plant on inscriptions from this menstruum. Besides, Hazor was destroyed approximately 1200 BC, or close to the time where we will place Deborah and Barak. I should notation that scripture does not specifically tape a destruction of Hazor in this menses (it does tape a destruction by Joshua). It only states that, "the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed [him]" (Judges iv:24).
The Midianites
The Midianites were, co-ordinate to modern scholarship, a loose confederation of tribes that lived southeast of Israel on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba. Thus, we are not given the name of a unmarried Midianite king responsible for this next seven-year oppression. Rather, the account of the battle with Gideon lists two princes, Oreb and Zeeb, and two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. The Midianites were descended from Abraham through his 2nd wife, Keturah, and think that Jethro, Moses' begetter-in-constabulary, was a priest of Midian.
Shamgar
Earlier returning to the timeline, nosotros need to accost the one approximate in this menses who is not given any years, namely Shamgar. Shamgar is essentially a footnote at the end of Judges Chapter 3:
31After him [Ehud] was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered State of israel. (NKJV)
This is, incidentally, the first time that the Philistines are mentioned in the context of a biblical event. Shamgar merits mention here equally i who achieved something significant and a deliverer of Israel. Judges does not mention a number of years and Josephus credits him with less than 1. What is frequently disregarded however is that the adjacent estimate, Deborah, mentions him in the Song of Deborah in Judges v. Specifically placing the events of her time, "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath" (Judges 5:6). It would seem that the lack of a number of years assigned to Shamgar is considering he was in parallel with numbers given elsewhere. As he is mentioned earlier the outset of the oppression under Jabin and then by Deborah at the cease of that oppression, I believe that he reigned in parallel with that oppression and overlapped into Deborah's reign. Thus, nosotros practise not need to look for any missing years and can keep with our chronology.
An interesting insight into the early period is that the dates are built around the beginnings and ends of the oppressions, and the event that accomplished the delivery from that oppression. We are not given specific "reign" lengths for each guess as we are in the late menstruum. While Josephus interprets the infinite betwixt events in this menstruation as a reign length for the guess, I don't believe that is accurate. The story line is generally, the judge dies, the people revert to idolatry, and then a new oppression begins – meaning that the reign length for the approximate is somewhat less than the time to the next oppression. Also, Judges 4:4 indicates that Deborah was already judging Israel before she enlists the assistance of Barak in defeating Sisera, overlapping into the period of oppression, and connected for an undetermined time afterward. This may exist the case with Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar as well. The effect in which they delivered Israel is not necessarily the beginning of their service equally a estimate, though it well could be that consequence which elevates them in status as was clearly the case with Gideon.
The Early Timeline
At this point, with Abimilech anchored at 1140 BC at the start of the Late Period, and with the beginning of the conquest of Canaan in 1406 BC, we accept 266 years of time remaining to fill up. Looking at Tabular array 1, Josephus gives us 288 years to fit into this menses – the years given in Judges plus 35 years from the entry into Canaan until the starting time of the first oppression (25+18 = 43 to Othniel, the start judge – eight years of oppression = 35). Again, we have options:
For those that want to take the 40 and 80-twelvemonth periods between judges equally exact, nosotros need to trim 22 years from somewhere. There are really but two choices:
Reduce the fourth dimension from the offset of the conquest to the first oppression from the 35 years given by Josephus to a mere 17 years. This implies that Joshua and the elders that outlived him had all perished a mere x years afterwards the completion of the conquest and Israel had already fallen into sin. This is but not plenty time in my stance as there would even so be a majority of people alive who had witnessed the miracles of the conquest.
Movement Tola in parallel with Jair in the late menstruum. Recall that this was the maximum compression choice that nosotros initially put to the side. As it turns out, it gives us virtually exactly the 22 years that we are looking for. The fact that Josephus does not mention Tola at all may indicate that he was in parallel, similar to Shamgar. The fact that the years given to Tola (23) and Jair (22) are almost the same is also interesting and may signal parallel judgeships. Finally, they ruled on reverse sides of the Jordan which adds to the plausibility of parallel reigns.
For those non wishing to pursue either of the higher up options, the remaining option is to shrink the periods between oppressions. Get-go with Othniel and continuing through Gideon to Abimilech, there are three 40-year intervening periods and one of 80 years for a total of 200 years. If we interpret these forty-yr intervals as structural and representing a generation (as opposed to beingness exact numbers), then we can arrange them downward. Nosotros have 22 'extra' years and and so a reduction of xi% (22/200) gets us what we need. This ways that each twoscore-year period is reduced to 35.6 years. Realistically, the numbers likely varied with this number being the average, only as we accept no other basis for allocating the 22 year reduction I volition use the average numbers.
Regardless of which option nosotros cull, the basic structure of our timeline will be the same, just squeezed in unlike means. As indicated above, I do not believe that Pick 1.1 is viable considering information technology compresses the fourth dimension between the conquest and the kickoff oppression to an unreasonable level. The other two options can be represented graphically equally shown below in Figures 5 and half-dozen. Both options are identical from Moses through to the beginning of Othniel's judgeship. From that point, Option 1.2 shifts approximately 5 years later in each of the xl-twelvemonth intervals between judges (10 years after in the lxxx year interval after Ehud). In the late period, the 18-twelvemonth oppression under the Philistines and Ammon and the showtime of Jair's judgeship practise non motion and the extra years in Option 1.2 are accommodated by moving Tola into parallel with Jair.
Either of these options could be right. While Option 1.2 will exist appealing to some considering it retains the verbal number of years given in Judges for the periods of peace, these may notwithstanding be structural and not exact numbers. Option 2 is appealing because information technology does not crave what may be an artificial parallelism betwixt Tola and Jair to get the numbers to work out. In the end though, the dates are non very different and should there e'er be an archaeological find that produces an approximate appointment for one of these judges it is unlikely to be precise enough to distinguish between the two proposed timelines. Thus, I leave it to the reader to cull the one they find the near appealing. My official timeline will notwithstanding be based on Option 2.
Figure 5: The Early on Menstruum Choice one.two
Figure 6: The Early Period Choice 2
The Appendices
The book of Judges ends with 2 stories (and the volume of Ruth might be considered a third) that have place in this catamenia; but, on the surface, nosotros are not given any specifics that permit us to necktie these events to the time of a specific approximate. While exact dates are not possible, I do believe that there are clues as to where to identify these events on the timeline.
The Conquest of Laish (Dan)
Judges 17 and 18 are concerned with events leading up to the conquest of the metropolis of Laish by the tribe of Dan. Laish is in northern Israel and was non office of the original territory allocated to Dan by Joshua. Indeed, the land originally given to Dan was along the coast west of Judah and included at least i Philistine urban center, Ekron. Naturally, the presence of the Philistines and their predecessors in these littoral cities would be a good reason for Dan to wait elsewhere for country.
The conquest of Laish past Dan is recorded in Joshua 19:47 where the city is called Leshem. It'due south clear from the context that this is the same city and upshot, and its inclusion in Joshua indicates that it must accept occurred very early on in the Judges menstruation. I believe that these are two versions of the aforementioned story, with the Judges version providing more than color. Based on the details in this story and the parallelism with Joshua 19, I believe that these events took place very early in the menses of the judges, either during the life of Joshua or shortly thereafter. Probably no later than the judgeship of Othniel.
Civil State of war with Benjamin
Judges 19-21 concerns the causes and the backwash of the ceremonious war which resulted in the about destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. This series of events is harder to date as it does not have a parallel in Joshua. Nevertheless, the behavior displayed by the children of Israel is similar to that institute in Joshua 22:10-34. Considering that Benjamin appears to take recovered past the time of Saul and the blazon of military action described here is consequent with that in Joshua and inconsistent with the later period of the judges, I believe that these events also took place early on in the menstruation covered by Judges. Probably not afterwards that the fourth dimension of Ehud, and maybe only shortly afterward the decease of Joshua.
Culling Chronologies
There have been many both ancient and modern attempts to solve the puzzle of the Judges chronology. Also many to give space to hither[viii]. What I will do though is provide some insight on what is possibly the most well known of these, that being the chronology of Bishop Ussher. This chronology is discussed at length by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones[nine]. Ussher used dates of 1491 BC for the Exodus and 1011 BC for the fourth twelvemonth of Solomon's reign and Nolen Jones sticks with these dates. Effigy seven shows a blended of the Ussher chronology and that of Nolen Jones, but adapted for an Exodus in 1446 and 966 as the fourth year of Solomon's reign which is the modern consensus following Thiele.
Figure 7: Ussher / Nolen Jones chronology for the period of the Judges
Ussher's approach to solving the trouble of the actress years was to collapse the periods of bondage and peace and then that the catamenia of bondage was included in the period of peace as shown higher up. Ussher however seems to take ignored Jephthah'south letter fixing the defeat of the Ammonites 300 years after the conquest of Gilead (299 years after the beginning of the conquest of Canaan). Consequently, Ussher has Jephthah following immediately later on Jair and the continuation of his chronology is shown in grey. Meanwhile, Nolen Jones, recognizing the difficult date provided by Jephthah has a dissimilar arrangement for Jephthah and the three judges that follow him while agreeing with Ussher on Samson and nearly so on Eli.
In addition to ignoring Jephthah'southward 300 yr anchor point, Ussher as well has a brusk period of simply 9 years allotted to Gideon's judgeship which doesn't seem to fit with the account in Judges eight:28-32 as it doesn't allow for him to take 70 sons or die, "at a proficient old historic period". Nolen Jones' arroyo would allow for a full xl years nether Gideon while still allowing a short gap between Jair and Jephthah.
Every bit a concluding note, I feel the approach provided in Figure 5 and six is superior to that of Ussher in that the archaeological show aligns with a later date for Deborah and Barak as noted in the discussion of the Merneptah stele and Hazor destruction layer. It also allows for a more direct reading of scripture in the early role of the chronology. I also believe that my approach is superior to that of Nolan Jones as it simultaneously reconciles to both scripture and Josephus.
The Judges in the Orthodox Chronology
The complete Judges timeline is shown below in Figure 8 against the orthodox, or standard chronology for Egypt. On this timeline the Exodus occurs in the reign of Amenhotep II, somewhere afterward his Yr 9, his last recorded entrada in Canaan. The Israelites arrive in Canaan in the reign of Thutmose Iv and are established by the reign of Amenhotep III.
Figure eight: The Judges in the Orthodox Chronology
The start flaw relative to the orthodox chronology is that Jericho was, based on the latest scarabs found in the destruction, destroyed some 300 years before the time of Thutmose Iv, during the early on Hyksos period. Also, if the Berlin Pedestal tin be dated as early equally Thutmose Iii, then this mention of State of israel would predate even Moses, much less the arrival in Canaan. The mention of the Shasu of YHWH in the temple of Amenhotep 3 does however marshal with a time that Israel is already in the land, as do the mention of the "Habiru" in the Amarna messages. Nonetheless, our agreement of the Egyptian presence in Canaan in the fourth dimension of Amenhotep 3 is such that information technology would not let an exterior power from across the Euphrates (i.east., Cushan) to accept control far enough southward to oppress Israel.
In the center department of the timeline, archaeological evidence indicates the arrival in Canaan of a genetically singled-out group from southern Europe around 1200 BC and this is consistent with the start mention of the Philistines at the fourth dimension of Shamgar. At that place is also indication that Hazor was destroyed c1200 BC which is consequent with a terminal defeat by State of israel. Oppression past a king of Hazor in this menstruum is not inconsistent with Egyptian dominance under Ramesses Two every bit the king would likely be an Egyptian vassal[ten]. The full general chaos in the reign of Ramesses Three with the invasion of the Sea Peoples would likely permit the raids by the Midianites prior to Gideon.
Equally we move to the later part of Judges and into I Samuel the primary oppressor becomes the Philistines. Still, in this period Egypt is again weak every bit we are at present into the Third Intermediate Period, a time where the national government has collapsed, and multiple Pharaohs are ruling in unlike parts of the country. This would not preclude an oppression by the Philistines, it would just mean that they were acting on their own accord.
The Judges in the New Chronology
For those not familiar with information technology, the New Chronology was proposed every bit a solution to the many "dark ages" in ancient history and specifically to internal inconsistencies in the chronology of the Third Intermediate Menstruum. The issues with the orthodox, or generally accustomed chronology were starting time raised by Peter James in his 1991 book Centuries of Darkness. The principal proponent of the New Chronology has been David Rohl whose 1995 book A Test of Time proposed a revised chronology for the Tertiary Intermediate Period in Egypt and looked at the implications of this change to the synchronisms between Egyptian and biblical history. Rohl and others take after proposed an alternative chronology going all the manner back to the time of the flood. The New Chronology is perhaps best known from the moving picture Patterns of Evidence: Exodus where its alignment between archaeology and history was highlighted. The New Chronology has not achieved broad acceptance merely is worth discussing due to the alignment it creates betwixt the archaeological testify and this timeline. The alignment betwixt the Judges timeline and the New Chronology is shown in Figure 9.
Effigy ix: The Judges in the New Chronology
In the New Chronology, the Exodus occurs nether the Pharoah Dudimose (Manetho's Tutimaeus) of the late Thirteenth Dynasty. The conquest of Jericho then occurs in the early 2d Intermediate Period while Sheshi, the Pharoah whose scarabs are plant at the fourth dimension of the Jericho devastation, reigns in Avaris in Arab republic of egypt. With Egypt embroiled in the internal conflicts of this period and foreigners ruling in the Nile delta, there is no Egyptian presence in Canaan to oppose Joshua'due south conquest.
Following the death of Joshua, Egypt remains absent-minded assuasive invasions from Mesopotamia and Moab. The power of the Hyksos kings remains in the Egyptian delta, extending upward the coast to the southern Levant, but not into the hill country of Israel. In this context, Jabin is able to cleave out an independent kingdom in Canaan and oppress the Israelites. However, with the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt by Amose, the showtime Pharoah of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the political situation in Canaan changes.
Amose makes his first campaign into Canaan and mayhap equally far as Syria in the 22nd year of his reign. This coincides with the period of Midianite oppression. What, if whatsoever, human relationship exists between this campaign and the raids from Midian is not articulate. But from this fourth dimension forward, Canaan is back in the Egyptian sphere of influence. Thutmose I campaigns as far every bit the river Euphrates in his year 2, but this does not seem to coincide with a renewed oppression. The side by side oppression begins with Thutmose III's first campaign into Canaan. He would campaign in Canaan and beyond almost annually for a flow of 19 years, from his 23rd to 42nd reginal years, including i campaign that specifically mentions the Shasu. Based on where nosotros have placed Jephthah, the campaigns of Thutmose III align exactly with the xviii-twelvemonth oppression by the Philistines and Ammon that is recorded in Judges 10. In fact, Jephthah's victory over Ammon coincides with Thutmose III'due south final campaign. If the Berlin Pedestal tin exist dated as early every bit the reign of Thutmose III, it makes sense for him to claim victory over Israel in this context. Amenhotep II follows up on his male parent'due south efforts with campaigns in his years ii, 7, and 9. It is this 2nd campaign in his viith year that aligns with the beginning of the adjacent, twoscore-yr oppression by the Philistines.
By the time Amenhotep III takes the throne, Samson is wreaking havoc with the Philistines and by the end of his reign he has seen the defeat of his Philistine vassals at the boxing of Mizpah and the rise of the kingdom of Israel under Saul. It'south no wonder that he lists the Shasu of YHWH as enemies.
Finally, David Rohl has made much of the link betwixt Labaya of the Amarna Messages and Saul[11]. In this timeline, the correspondence between the Pharaoh and his Canaanite vassals regarding the troubles beingness created by Labaya and the Habiru fit very well with what we know from I Samuel, including Saul's ultimate defeat and the ascent of Ishbosheth and David.
Conclusion
The timeline for the book of Judges is a puzzle, but ane that is largely solvable. The express corporeality of information available for this flow makes the cosmos of a single, uncontested timeline impossible. Still, we have managed to create a timeline that reconciles the information in Judges with the writings of Josephus and leaves merely a few options to choose from. When aligned with the orthodox chronology for Arab republic of egypt, this timeline presents the usual problems in alignment. Just when placed next to the New Chronology for Egypt, the alignment is first-class and contributes some new insights as to the causes of the subsequently oppressions.
[2] This 450 years matches the number that Paul gives in his oral communication at Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13:20. However, this number should exist understood as the sum of the years given in scripture and not the actual elapsed fourth dimension.
[3] Run across https://patternsofevidence.com/2019/06/01/artifacts-show-biblical-exodus/ for photos and more than item on the Israel Stele, Berlin Pedestal, and Shasu of YHWH name band.
[4] Meet https://patternsofevidence.com/2021/09/24/inscription-provides-bible-archaeology-link/ or more than particular.
[5] Some manuscripts of Josephus have a 40-year reign for Saul in Ant 6.378. Even so, Josephus gives the 20-yr reign again in ten.143 with all manuscripts being in agreement. Also, he has given 32 years total for Samuel and Saul and so gives 12 years for Samuel, then Saul must accept a reign of xx years to maintain consistency with the rest of the volume. Consequently, the manuscripts that show xl years likely reflect either a scribal error or an attempt by a later Christian copyist to align this passage with Acts thirteen:21. Every bit Paul and Josephus were contemporaries it'southward interesting that Paul's number, which must reverberate the Jewish tradition at that fourth dimension, differs from that of Josephus.
[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 terminal mention of the Philistines in the historical books is Two Kings 18:eight, in the reign of Hezekiah; however, they would go on to exist a presence in the land until they were finally wiped out by Nebuchadnezzar Two. See Jeremiah 47:four
[8] This article is, in fact, my second try at a Judges chronology. You tin notice the original, 2018 version here.
[ix] Nolen Jones, Dr. Floyd, The Chronology of the One-time Attestation, Green Wood, Arkansas, Master Books, 2017, pp71-94
[ten] All of the major city states in Canaan in this time period were Egyptian vassals, not simply the Philistines.
[eleven] See Rohl, David, A Test of Fourth dimension, London, Random House, 1995, Chapter nine. For a more scholarly discussion see Newgrosh, Bernard, Rohl, David Thousand., and Van der Veen, Peter Grand., The el-Amarna Letters and Israelite History, Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum (JACF), Vol 6, 1993.
Figure 1: Total Years vs. Bachelor Time
Figure 2: Dates from I Samuel and Josephus
Figure iii: Jephthah to Samson
Effigy 4: Timeline for the Late Flow
Figure 5: The Early on Menstruum Choice one.two
Figure 6: The Early Period Choice 2
Figure eight: The Judges in the Orthodox Chronology
Effigy ix: The Judges in the New Chronology
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