Judges

The Book of Judges covers 14 judges of biblical law who lead the Israelites through continuous cycles of prosperity, unfaithfulness, falling and repentance.

The book covers the history of each of the series of biblical judges, for whom a single cycle lasts for the lifetime of a single judge. Key figures include Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Jephthah, Samson and Delilah. The judges are divinely inspired leaders who champion the cause of the Israelites during the period lasting from Joshua to Samson. The stories follow a consistent pattern: the people are unfaithful to God and then fall into the hands of the enemies; the people repent and entreat God for mercy and are delivered from oppression by a judge so they may prosper again; the people fall into unfaithfulness again and the cycle is repeated. Genres that are used to tell the stories include poetry, riddles and historical narratives.