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Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament
Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament Author:S. R. Driver Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. JUDGES, SAMUEL, AND KINGS. § i. The Book Of Judges. Literature.—G. L. Studer, Das Buck tier Riehter, 1842; E. Bcrthcau (in the Kurzgef. Eieg. ... more »Handb.), ed. 2, 1883; Keil njosua, Kifhter u. Kuth (cd. 2), 1874; Wellhauscn in Week's Einl. (1878) pp. 181-205 [ = Comf. 213-238]; Hist. pp. 228-245; A. van Doorninck, Bijdragt lot de tekst-kritiek van Richt. i.-xvi. (1879); C. Budde, ZATW. 1887, p. 93 ff., 1888, p. 148 (on I, 1 — 2, 5), 1888, p. 285 ff. (on c. 17—21). (The substance of the following pages appeared in )m Jewish Quarterly Review, April 1889.) Thk Book of Judges derives its name from the heroes whose exploits form the subject of its central and principal part (2, 6— c. 16). It consists of three well-defined portions: (i) an introduction i, i—2, 5, presenting a view of the condition of the country at the time when the period of the Judges begins; (2) the history of the Judges, 2, 6—c. 16; (3) an appendix, c. 17—21, describing in some detail two incidents belonging to the period, viz. the migration of a part of the tribe of Dan to the north, c. 17—18, and the war of the Israelites against Benjamin, arising out of the outrage of Gibeah, c. 19—21. The Judges whose exploits the book records are 13 in number, or, if Abimelech (who is not termed a judge) be not reckoned, 12, viz.: Othniel (3, 7-11); Ehud (3, 12-30); Shamgar (3, 31); Barak [Deborah] (c. 4—5); Gideon (6, i—8, 32); Abimelech (8, 33—9. 57); Tola (10, 1-2); Jair (10, 3-5); Jephthah (10, 6—12, 7); Ibzan (12, 8-10); Elon (12, 11-12); Abdon (12, 13-15); Samson (c. 13—16). Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, whose exploits are told only summarily, are sometimes called the "minor" Judges. According to the chronology of the book itself, the period of the Judges embraced 410 years; thus:— 3, 8 I...« less