Adventist International Institute

of Advanced Studies

Theological Seminary

THE CHRONOLOGY OF

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

A Paper

Presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Course

OTST 834 Seminar in Biblical History and Backgrounds

By

Patrick Etoughé A.

April 2010
 THE CHRONOLOGY OF
THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

Introduction

For centuries, biblical scholars have widely accepted biblical chronology of

Joshua to Kings as representing an accurate figure. But the new paradigm in Biblical

scholarship is to distance from the old landmark concerning the biblical chronology. Until

recently, to explain the 480 years of 1 Kgs 6:1, for example, Kenneth A Kitchen uses and

appeals to the oft-repeated explanation that this figure is not a total time span, but rather 12

generations made up of an ideal (or “full” as Kitchen says) generations of 40 years each.1

However, Bryant G. Wood contends that there here is no basis for such an

interpretation, biblical or otherwise. Nowhere in the Bible is it hinted that a “full” or ideal

generation was 40 years in length. Quite the contrary, in the Hebrew Bible 40 years is often

stipulated as a standard period of elapsed time2. Nevertheless, for Kitchen, Joshua, Moses, the

wilderness years, and the exodus are preceding Merenptah mentions of Israel in Canaan in

his fifth year in ca.1209/1210 B.C. Hence they were contemporary. In this scheme, the

period of the Judges would be placed ca. 1200 B.C. Robert Coote is even more drastic

1
K.A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 2003), 307; William F. Albright, “A Revision of Early Hebrew Chronology,”
JPOS 1 (1921) 64 n. 1.
2
Bryant G. Wood, “The Rise and Fall of the 13th-Century Exodus Conquest
Theory,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48 no 3 (2005): 484,206-207.

2
concerning the era of the exodus, conquest, or judges, when he says that “[T]hese periods

never existed”1

Besides, scholars have recently suggested that the Chronology in the Book of

Judges is a theological and literary creation. For example, the occurrence of repeated 40

years are said to belong, however to the Deuteronomist historian.2 It appears that the

nonexperts have nothing to say, but, the chronology of the Bible need to assessed in order to

evaluate how frightening the image is.

The aim of this term paper is to see whether the Biblical data can figure out a

normal picture that can confirm or infirm the tradition of the Exodus. The premise of this

paper is that the chronology of the book of Judges is not a fancy one. The problem is of

importance since well-known scholars have embraced the 13th-century; for example, the late

R. K. Harrison, held the 13th-century date as reliable.3 The Assyriologist and scholars of

renown Donald J. Wiseman holds to the 13th-century exodus date.4 To these we can add the

1
Ancient Israel: A New Horizon (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990) 2-3.
2
Jeremy Hughes, Secrets of the Times: Myth and History in Biblical Chronology, Journal
for the Study of the Old Testament Sup. 66(JSOT Sup.), (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic
Press, 1990), 71.; nowadays scholarship lends to a “pan Deuteuronomist history”; however
what do we know about him and what is not even Deuteronomist in the Hebrew Bible?
How does it relate to the books of Joshua-king? In fact, voices started to question whether
one should continue to talk about the Deuteronomistic author when there are no clear hints
in how Deuteronomy relate to these books. Is such an unified work ever existed? How do
we explain the uniqueness of each book? See Lindo S. Sharing and Steven L. McKenzie, The
Elusive Deuteronomist: The Phenomenon of Pan-Deuteronomism, JSOT Sup. No 268 (1999), 68,116.
3
R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969),
115-16.
4
Cf. 1 & 2 Kings (TOTC; Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 104.

3
names of Alan Millard,1 and, of course, Kitchen, who has been championing the date for

long.2

Models for the Conquest of Canaan

The study of the Chronology of Judges implies an understanding of how

Canaan was conquered. In fact, the disbelief of the Biblical chronology of Joshua-Judge is

usually connected to Israel settlement in Canaan. Theories about Israelite nomadism have

been strongly challenged in recent years and confidence in the conquest model has

disappeared as the matches between biblical accounts of conquest and archaeological

evidences are usually interpreted as if God did not exist.

Four models have been used into scholarship. The conquest model, which is

tied to the arrival of Israel as it found in the Biblical text of Joshua. The infiltration model,

which is based on an existing Israelite league or confederation in a nomadic fashion, the

liberation model suggesting that Israel came from an outside position and by the help of

some Canaanite populations; yet this allow also that this group of Israelite might have come

from Egypt, where they escaped from slavery. This theory is also known as the revolution

model. The other model, called the pioneer settlement model consider that Israel was a

native of Canaan and then they settled from the urban part of the land to the wilds of the

highlands3

1
Picture Archive of the Bible (Tring, Herts.: Lion Books, 1987), 22.
2
Ancient Orient and the Old Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1966) 57-69;
Idem., The Bible in Its World (Exeter: Paternoster, 1977) 75-79; Idem., On the Reliability of the
Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003) 307-9.
3
See Susan Niditch, “Judges,” Oxford Bible Commentary, eds. John Barton and
John Muddiman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 176-78.

4
 Biblical Model

Notwithstanding the new trend in scholarship, the biblical model is still valid.

Chronologically speaking, Judges follows the death of the disciples of Moses, Joshua (Josh

24:29; Jdg 2:8), after the seven years of conquest (Josh 14:6-10).1 Within the scale of Israel

chronology, the book of Judges is set in a time of turmoil, and before the existing king who

ruled Israel or before any ritual actions and sacred sanctuary whereby worship was

centralized. Leaders, at times, could even be boasting villain whose influence last only

during their lifetimes, for at that times, the twelve tribes were seen as unity. They had to

unite to fight enemies as a member of one family; this could justify why judges were rotating,

geographically speaking.

The pattern of the book is simple, for it is delineated between apostasy, and

punishment by allowing the enemies to have durable dominance on God’s people; then, the

people would distress and repent, and the raising of a deliverer or the Judge who would

deliver them by God’s power, then would follow a time of rest or peace until the death of

the leader; yet also another relapse into apostasy would come (3:7-10;12;15; 4:1; 6:1-10; 10:6-

16; 13:1).

The Biblical Chronology

Nevertheless, Does the Bible provide us with an absolute date for the exodus or

any others events for that matter? Do the books of Joshua-Judges can be used for a serious

1
“The Assemblies of Gilgal and Shilo,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
(SDABC), ed. Francis D. Nichol (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1977), 2:125,
suggest that the campaigns of Jordan lasted six or seven years since Caleb was 40 years in the
second years of the Exodus, hence his discourse in Josh 14:6-15 would have been in the
46th/47th years.

5
dating of OT events? James K. Hoffmeir rejects these options.1 He says that Biblical figures

taking back from 1 Kgs 6:1 in a retrograded order to the book of Exodus when he considers

the data of the OT:

3 years – Solomon’s 4th year (1 Kgs 6:1)

40 years - the length of David’s reign (1 Kgs 2:10)
40 years - the length of Saul’s reign (1 Sam 13:1)2
30 years - estimated length of Samuel’s leadership3
40 years - length of Eli’s judgeship (1 Sam 4:18)
20 years - length of Samson’s judgeship (Judg 15:20)
40 years - length of Philistine oppression (Judg 13:1)
8 years - length of Abdon’s judgeship (Judg 12:14)
10 years - length of Elon’s judgeship (Judg 12:11)
7 years - length of Ibzan’s judgeship (Judg 12:9)
6 years - length of Jephthah’s judgeship (Judg 12:7)
18 years - length of Ammonite oppression (Judg 10:8)
22 years - length of Jair’s judgeship (Judg 10:3)
23 years - length of Tola’s judgeship (Judg 10:2)
3 years - length of Abimelech’s rulership (Judg 9:22)
40 years - period of Gideon’s deliverance and peace (Judg 8:22)
7 years - length of Midian’s oppression (Judg 6:1)
40 years - period of peace after Deborah and Barak's victory (Judg 5:31)
20 years - length of Jabin’s oppression (Judg 4:3)
3 years - length of Shamgar’s judgeship (Judg 3:31)
80 years - period of Ehud’s deliverance and peace (Judg 3:30)
18 years - length of Moabite oppression (Judg 3:14)
40 years - period of peace after Othniel’s victory (Judg 3:11)
8 years - length of Mesopotamian oppression (Judg 3:8)
1
20 years - period from end of conquest to death of Joshua and the elders (Judg 2:6-7)
7 years - period of Joshua’s conquest until the tribal allotments1
1
James K. Hoffmeir, “What is the Biblical Date for the Exodus? A Response to
Bryant Wood,” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society (JETS) 50 no 2 (2007): 226.
2
Ibid., he says, “There is a textual problem with 1 Sam 13:1 in the MT. The text
literally reads: “Saul was . . . years old when he began to reign; and he reigned . . . and two
years” (RSV). Clearly, the 10 figure did not survive. As a consequence, some LXX witnesses
drop the verse altogether, while others read that he was 31 years when he began to reign and
reigned 42 years, and others switch it around. Paul allots Saul 40 years in Acts 13:21.”
7
According to 1 Sam 7:15, “Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.” For the
purpose this study, I offer the conservative sum of 30 years. Probably a longer period is in
view by the 1 Sam 7:14 reference. Ibid., 226.

6
 40 years - length of time in the wilderness (Num 14:33)
633 years - total number

Hoffmeir listing does not account for any overlapping. Yet, it is difficult to

place consecutively the chronological periods of the events given in the book of Judges. It

seems difficult to harmonize them with the book of 1 Samuel-to 1 Kgs 6:1 and at the same

time do justice to the early date scheme. Various solutions have been proposed. Do the

Judges were overlapping? The text does not help much as to answer that. The writers was

interested to show only that whenever the people forsook the Lord he sold them in the hand

of the enemies and then delivered them after repentance by the effort of the Judges.

Prior to the 1970s, it was a common practice to identify the Patriarchal period,

the route of the Exodus, and the Israelite Conquest of Canaan in direct relation to

archaeological finds. This was a dominant agenda among leading scholars like William F.

Albright and his followers, Roland de Vaux, and the founders of biblical archaeology in

Israel, which included Benjamin Mazar, Yigael Yadin, and others. Modern scholars over the

past three decades, and, today, many scholars have abandoned the biblical model and regard

these stories as late fictional creations with distinct theological and ideological messages and

little or no chronological worth. Others emphasize that these accounts reflect and preserve

certain components that are rooted in second-millennium B.C. material from everyday life,

while conservative scholars still claim that many of these stories reflect true historical events

as they stand in the Hebrew text. Today, almost all the critical scholars have accepted that

1
Here he says, “This figure is an estimate, and the figure minimal. If we take
Joshua's lifespan of 110 years literally, and realize that he is called a “youth” (1?3) in Exod
33:11 while the Israelites were at Mt. Sinai, even if we allot him 25 years, plus 40 years for
the remaining time in the wilderness, and 7 years for the conquest, this would make him 72,
giving him 38 years until his death and the beginning of the period of the judges. So the 20-
year figure suggested here is minimal indeed.”

7
the stories as they have come down to us are a product of a Deuteronimist Israelite hand

from the time of the monarchy of even later.1

The months were numbered from Abib or Nissan, in the spring, whereas the

years were generally reckoned from the fall. This paper accept the Hebrew dating models of

kings that puts the spring of Solomon’s 4th year in 966 B.C., in the year 480 from Exodus.

Then the Exodus, in the 1st year of that period, 479 years earlier, was in 1445 B.C., and thus

the conquest of Heshbon and the other Amorite territory late in 1406; the crossing of the

Jordan in the spring of 1405, and the gathering at Gilgal after the war in Canaan, in 1400 or

1399.2

This paper does not regard the book of Judges as an embellished account of

what happened between the period of conquest and the rise of the monarchy. The book is

considered as historical, and his actors are also considered as historical figures that are

arranged in the order of their occurrence as to the events in which they are mentioned, as

well as the numbers within the text would not be imaginary.3

The Theory of Round Numbers

As mentioned in the introduction, mostly scholars who accept the late dating

scheme see the terminus ad quem for Israel settlement ca. 1212 B.C. based on the stele of the

Egyptian Pharaoh Mer-ne-Ptah in his fifth year mentioning Israel as a people living in

1
Israel Finkelstein And Amihai Mazar, The Quest For The Historical Israel:Debating
Archaeology And The History Of Early Israel (Leiden: Brill, 2007), 68.
2
“The Assemblies of Gilgal and Shilo,” SDABC, 2: 125.
3
For the evaluation of Judges in the twentieth century, especially in the last two
decades, see Marc Zvi Brettler, The Book of Judges (London: Routlege, 2002), 3-10.

8
Canaan whom he has pacified. This has caused proponents of this model to consider the

number 480 in 1 Kgs 6:1, and the 300 years of Jephtah as merely symbolic numbers or round

numbers.1 It is considered to be intentionally exaggerated numbers “in order to strengthen

his dispute with the Ammonites.”2

However, the review of biblical usage of the number “40” gives another picture.

The expression occurs 93 times in the Hebrew Bible. Usually, it is used within the frame of

the record of the age, and the chronology of kings. For example, Solomon reigned and

David reigned 40 years (1 Kgs 2:10; 1 Kgs 11:42); Eli’s judgeship lasted 40 years (1 Sam

4:18); the period of peace after Deborah and Barak’s victory was 40 years (Judg 5:31); 40

years of peace followed Gideon's delivery (Judg 8:22); and the Philistines oppressed Israel

for 40 years leading to Samson’s exploits (Judg 13:1). next, too, there is the noticeable

division of Moses’ life into three 40-year periods (Exod 7:7; Deut 34:7) and the 40 years in

the wilderness (Num 14:33-34; 32:13; Deut 2:7; 8:2, 4).

1
Kitchen, Ancient Orient, 72-73; H. H. Rowley, From Joseph To Joshua: Biblical
Traditions In The Light Of Archaeology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1950), 87-88.
2
Hoffmeir, 236; However, scholars continue to suggest that, in addition, Judg
11:26 argues for a 15th-century exodus-conquest. In this passage Jephthah stated in a
letter to the king of Ammon, “for three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer,
the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon.” Although it is not
possible to calculate precise dates for Jephthah, various scholars have estimated the
beginning of his judgeship between 1130 and 1073 BC. SO the implication is that the
tribe of Reuben had been occupying the disputed area from the Wadi Hes-ban to the
Arnon River since ca. 1400 BC. See Bimson, Redating 103 (1130 BC); John H. Walton,
Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1978) 48 (1086 BC); Leon Wood, Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1975) 411 (1078 BC); Kitchen, Reliability 207 (1073 BC); Wood, “The Rise
And Fall Of The 13th-Century Exodus-Conquest Theory,” 475-89.

9
 The right question to ask is why the number 40 does occurs so frequently? And

is it just a coincidence that the last judge and the first three kings, Eli, Saul, David, and

Solomon, ruled for 40 years? Hoffmeir indicates that the phenomenon is not unique to

Israelites historiography. By way of contrast, no Egyptian pharaoh in 3000 years of recorded

history ruled 40 years, and only two early Assyrian kings are allotted approximately 40 years

in recently published eponym lists from Kultepe, Irishum I (c. 1974-1935 BC, Middle

Chronology) and Sharrukin (c. 1920-1881 BC).

Wood suggests that for “the Hebrew Bible 40 years are often stipulated as a

standard period of elapsed time.”1 However, not only it could mean that, but also, the

number 40 simply seems to shows that God is behind the scene, He is at work in the life

and events of his people. For example, we see also in the New Testament that “all the

generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, given that there are from

David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to

1
Wood, 484, here is the summary of 40 in the Bible: During the flood it rained
for 40 days and nights (Gen 7:4,12,17); 40 days after the ark landed Noah sent out a raven
(Gen 8:6); Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah (Gen 25:20), as was Esau when
he married Judith (Gen 26:34); the embalming of Jacob took 40 days (Gen 50:3); the spies
spent 40 days in Canaan (Num 13:25; 14:34); Joshua was 40 when he went with the spies to
Canaan (Josh 14:7); Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod 16:35; Num 14:33, 34;
32:13; Deut 2:7; 8:2, 4; 29:5; Josh 5:6; Neh 9:21; Ps 95:10; Amos 2:10; 5:25); Moses was on
Mt. Sinai 40 days and nights the first time he received the law (Exod 24:18; Deut 9:9, 11), as
he was the second time (Exod 34:28; Deut 10:10); Moses fasted 40 days and nights for the
sin of the golden calf (Deut 9:18, 25); there were 40 years of peace during the judgeships of
Othniel (Judg 3:11), Deborah (Judg 5:31), and Gideon (Judg 8:28); the Israelites were
oppressed by the Philistines 40 years (Judg 13:1); Eli judged Israel 40 years (1 Sam 4:18); Ish-
Bosheth was 40 when he took the throne following Saul's death (2 Sam 2:10); David reigned
for 40 years (2 Sam 5:4; 1 Kgs 2:11; 1 Chr 29:27), as did Solomon (1 Kgs 11:42; 2 Chr 9:30)
and Joash (2 Kgs 12:1; 2 Chr 24:1); Elijah traveled 40 days and nights from the desert of
Beersheba to Mt. Horeb (1 Kgs 19:8); Ezekiel lay on his right side for 40 days for the 40
years of the sins of Judah (Ezek 4:6); Ezekiel predicted that Egypt would be uninhabited for
40 years (Ezek 29:11-13); and Jonah preached that Nineveh would be overturned in 40 days
(Jon 3:4).

10
Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations” (Matt 1:17). Thus, there are no strong warrants

to doubt biblical numbers when they are not too large and are consequently used within a

narrative and other books.

furthermore, the Study by Umberto Cassuto upon the Hebrew numbers in the

Bible is significant. He posits that whenever a biblical number is written in ascending order

(e.g. thirty and one hundred), the number is intended to be understood as a precise number:

“since the tendency to exactness in these instances causes the smaller numbers to be given

precedence and prominence.” On the other hands, those written in descending order (two

hundreds and twenty), are too be taken as non-technical numbers within the narrative,

poems, speeches or the like. The number in 1 Kgs 6:1 being written in ascending order, “in

the eightieth year and four hundredth year,” hence has to be taken as a accurate numeral.1

The Historical and Literary Context of the book of Judges

Obviously establishing a precise chronology for the period of Judges involves

the discussion over debated of the dating of Exodus, which waves between an early date ca.

1440 B.C. and a late date ca. 1290 B.C., as well to what extend the Judges overlapped among

the different periods of their rules in the time of oppression and of their estate of peace and

rest (rule of Judges 9:22; 10:2,3; 12:7,9,14; 15:20; peace: 3:11,30; 5:31; 8:28; oppression

3:8,14; 4:3; 6:1; 10:2,3; 13:1 ).

But, this paper accepts the early dating model. After the death of Joshua at the

age of 110 (1:1; cf. 2:8), Judah helped with Simeon fought for his allotted in the Canaanites

1
Umberto Cassuto, The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch
(Jerusalem: Magnes, 1961) 52.

11
and Perizzites territory unto Debir. By God’s help they subjugated Adoni Bezek, captured

Jerusalem and defeated the Canaanites in the Negev, at Hebron, as far as Hormah. Even,

Judah was able to takeGaza, Askhalon and Ekron and their provinces (1:1-18).

However, though the Lord was with them, they did not drive out the

inhabitants. This was true for Judah, Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, Zabulon, Asher,

Naphtali, and Dan who was retrenched into the hill country by the Amorites (1:19-36). They

forced these autochthones to labor for them.

Chapter 2, starts with the police report of the Angel of the Lord; he then said:

“Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you

up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I

will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants

of this land; you shall break down their altars. ‘But you have not obeyed my voice. What is

this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall

become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” Then the main narrative

who is covered in the chronological motif of the book is introduced by ‫“ וַ יְ ִהי‬and it happen,”

which signals a past tense narrative (49 x in the book). A reading of the book of Judges

reveals that the book is symmetric and embodies seven narratives. The book of Judges

seems to propose a concentric chiasm:1

A. OTHNIEL (3:7-11): Represents faithfulness compared to others (1:11-15)

B. EHUD and SHAMGAR: Killed the enemies (3:28-30)

C. DEBORAH,BARAK, JAEL (4:1-5:31)

1
I am indebted to J. Robert Vannoy, “Judges: Theology of,” New International
Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, ed. Willem A. Van Gemeren(Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1997), 4:830.

12
 GIDEON: Against God’s enemy (6:-8:32)

C’. ABIMELECH,TOLA, and JAIR (8:33-10:5)

B’. JEPHTAH, IZDAN,ELON,ABDON (10:6-12:15)

A’. SAMSOM (13:1-16:31): Samson unfaithfulness resemble the Israelites in chp 1.

This structure emphasizes the narrative of Gedeon. It takes ten mini narratives

introduces by ‫“ וַ יְ ִהי‬and it happen” (6:7,25,27,38,40; 7:6,9,15; 8:26,27) and close by his

death in 8:33 by the same device. At this narratives starting from his career until death

shows the decline of Israelite society as a whole.

The following chronological table is built upon the background of the people

response to God’s message that came because of the unfaithfulness of Israel to carry God’s

commandment (see 1:28-36-2:1-3). Then it is followed by the death of Joshua and his burial

until the next generation who did not testifies of the powerful deeds of Gods in the life of

Joshua. The book is in fact a story about how Israel reacted in the situation their

unfaithfulness created to God’s obedience. In fact, the book is a vindication of God

faithfulness (2:11-3:4).

Discussion of the Chronology

It is important to know that any chronology is not infallible. For example, the

Egyptian chronology is still hard to be anonymously accepted. To this day, the construction

of a final Egyptian chronology remains an extremely difficult task.1 Herodotus and Scaliger’s

chronology have chronological contradiction. For example, Herodotus made Rameses II of

the 19th Dynasty (ca. 1345-1200 B.C.) to succeed Cheops in the 4th Dynasty(ca. 2600-2480

1
Chantepie de la Saussage, D.P. Illustrated History of Religions (Sposo-
Preobrazhenky Staurapigial Monastery of Valaam ; reprint 1992), 1: 95-98.

13
 B.C.). Herodotus’ chronology was much shorter than Scanliger’s version of kings

chronology; and it does not concurs with the list of Kings found in Manetho’s fragment1

Usually two schemes of Egyptian chronology exist, and they were developed in

the 19th century. The consensual version is the short one, though containing also deep and

unresolved contradictions.2

Therefore, the problem related to chronological studies must always take into

account the possibility of simultaneous and paralleled reigns; this would reduce to a large

extend the excess of years found. For example, a simultaneous reign was a tool that helped

to reduce for 30 years the discrepancies in Manetho’s chronology.

In term of chronology, the distinction drawn at time between minor and major

Judges is not followed in the following table.3 They were all Judges according to the text,

though they did not have the function of “deliverers” for they exercised their Judgeship in

time of peace. Concerning the text of chronological data, the Massoretic Text, the Targum

and the LXX all agree, and there are no textual corruptions:

Deliverance to the Oppressors Formula of Repentance Deliverance and Peace

X period of the elders (2:7)

1
Anotoly T. Fomenko, History: Fiction or Science? (London: Delamere Ressource,
2003), 23.
2
Ibid., 24.
3
See for eg., P.E. Satterthawaite, “Judge,” Dictionary of the Old Testament Historical
Books (DOTHB), eds. Bill T. Arnold and H.G.M. Williamson (Downers Grove, IL: 2005),
582-84; Kitchen, Reliability, 200,202, he says, “The only difference between the “major” and
“minor” judges is that the former are reported on in some detail, for their role as (in the
ancient author's eyes) divinely commissioned deliverers for Israel locally and sometimes
more widely.”

14
Cushan-Rishathaim: 8 Years (3:8) ‫(זעק‬Qal, v. 9) Othniel 40 years (3:11)

Moab, Eglon 18 years (3:14) ‫(זעק‬Qal, v.15) Ehud 80 years (3:30)

Jabin King of Canaan 20 years (4:1-3) ‫(זעק‬Hiphil, v. 13) Deborah/Barak 40 years (5:31)

Midian 7 years (6:1) ‫( זעק‬Qal, 6:6) Gideon 40 Years (6:2-8,28)

Family and tribal strive under

Abimelech and genocide 3 years (9:22)
Tola, son of Puah 23 (10:1-2)

Jair of Galaad 22 years (10:3)

Philistines/Ammonites 18 years (10:8) ‫(זעק‬Qal, 10:10) Jephta 6 years (12:7)

Ibzan of Bethlehem 7 years (12:8-9)

Elon, Zebulon 10 years (12:11)

Abdon son of Hiller 8 years

Philistines 40 years (13:2-15) Samson 20 years (15:20/16:31)

Total years of persecution =111 years Total years of rest = 299 years

Total years from the death of the elders to the first years of Jephta 301/300 years

Total years 410 years (111+299) from the death of elders to the death of Samson

There is a three units moves that have been notices by L.G. Stone, that the

literary moves is segmented in three units: successful Judges (Ehud and Deborah),

transitional Judges (Gideon and Abimelech), and tragic leaders (Jephthah and Samson).

Added to that is the fact that Othniel, Ehud, Deborah and Gideon’s time is a multiple of the

oppression years.1

In Judges 2:7 it is said: “And the people served the LORD all the days of

Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work

that the LORD had done for Israel.” In this chart, it represents the x- period, if we add the

1
L.G. Stone, “Judges, Book of,” DOTHB, 601.

15
x years (from oppression and deliverance under Othniel until the Philistines/Ammonites),

until the time Jephtah said, “While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and

its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you

not deliver them within that time?” (11:26), we obtain 301/300 + x (x may stand for 25 or

more). From the Ammonites/Philistines persecution, there are 109 years. Hence, the total

oppression and deliverance, which is 410 years, could be more than this figure, for example

450 years of length if the period of the elders is taken to be 40 years.

The idolatry-deliverance proceeded by the cry for help is lacking during the

period of the Judges of “peaceful,” and also in the case of Samson. The texts vary in many

occasions, small spaces are reserved with some Judges whereas Gideon’s family occupied 3

chapters, and Samson’s story is not as straightforward as Othniel case is.

A closer look at the geographical repartition of the Judges lends to understand

that they were some overlap between the periods:

North South/West East

Othniel 40 years Samson 20 years Ehud 80 years

vs vs vs
Cushan-Rishathaim: 8 Years Philistines 40 years Moab, Eglon 18 years
Deborah/Barak 40 years Gideon 40 Years
vs Vs
Jabin King of Canaan 20 years Midian 7 years
Abimelech 3 years

Tola, son of Puah 23

Jair of Galaad 22 years

Jephta 6 years
vs
Philistines/Ammonites 18 years
Ibzan of Bethlehem 7 years
Abdon son of Hiller 8

16
 The obvious distribution shows that disobedience did not affect the tribes in the

same way. The northern part spent about 28 years of affliction under the Canaanites

monarch and spent eventually 80 years of rest. Samson in the south-west partly covered the

40 years of hardship under the dominion of the Philistines. For he was Judges ‫ימי‬
ֵ ‫“ ִבּ‬in the

days of” the Philistines according to the text. Gideon’s episode involves several episodes,

but his legacy brought family’s strive, internal fight and genocide for 3 years; the Eastern part

of Israel shows more stability, however. Their Judges have the privilege to be presented

through their posterity in life (eg., Jair, and Abdon).

The persecution under the time of Samson seems to be contemporaneous. The

text asserts that: “So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them

into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites” (ESV, 10:7), Hence, the

40 years of the Philistines oppression seem to have been partly contemporaneous with the

18 years of servitude to the Ammonites. This means that we have 20 years to take away,

since Samson Judgeship lasted 20 years in the same period.

Then follows the description of the Ammonite oppression and the deliverance

by Jephthah (10:8 to 12:7), and after this an enumeration of the three judges who succeeded

him, evidently unimportant characters of whom little more is recorded than the duration of

their judgeships, totaling 25 years (12:8–15). Then chapter 13 returns to the 40-years of the

Philistine oppression to recount the life of Samson, and how he “began” to deliver Israel

from the Philistines. Thus, the Scripture indicates that the Philistine oppression and the

Ammonite oppression were contemporaneous.1

1
“Some periods overlap,” SDABC, 2:127.

17
Period of Judges and the elders 410 + x years

Elie’s Judgeship 40 years (1 Sam 4:18)1

Samuel Judgeship 12 years (7:2?)

Saul’s reign 40 years (cf. Acts 13:21; 1 Sam 13:1)

David’s reign 40 years (2 sam 2:11; 5:4,5)

Solomon’s fourth reign = 480 (3 years) 1 Kgs 6:1 = 543 years to the Exodus + x

Minor Problems Related to Chronology

The Age of Joshua

Another element that needs at this stage to be dealt with is the age of Joshua.

What was the x age of Joshua and the elders?. Caleb could have been older than Joshua,

because he is usually named before him (Num 14:38; 26:65; 32:12); yet Joshua also is named

before him (Num 14:6). In addition, he is named as a ‫“ נַ ַער‬young man” in Exod 33:11.

However, the term in the context of service could mean also “(man) servant” (cf. Gen 22:3).

Joshua was already 85 years old during the time of the conquest, but he is never called old,

whereas at the same period, Joshua is called “old” (Josh 14:13; Judg 1:20 ). Joshua would

have had 102 years (cf. Josh 13:1) and after 7 years of conquest, he had 110 years (Josh 23:1;

24:29). Thus, the elders who survived Joshua would have been in twenty more years, there

Joshua and the elders would take roughly 25 years. Finally, we have the final figure of 568

years from the elders to the fourth years of Solomon.

Some Greek versions and two Latin version (ñ93,94) have 20, but it ought to be
1

discarded since the Latin is often a daughter translation of the LXX.

18
 Problems with the Reign of Saul

Concerning the exact reign of Saul, most commentators consider it to be an

omission by the copyist. MT and Targum have the first impossible reading: MT-13a ‫ן־שׁנָ ה‬
ָ ‫ֶבּ‬

‫ ָשׁאוּל ְבּ ָמ ְלכוֹ‬/TG13a ‫ ְכ ַבר ְשׁנָ א‬And Saul was a year old.—they were no sins in him (MT lack

the phrase)—/when he became king and he reigned two years over Israel. MT13b- ‫ָמ ַלְך‬

‫על־ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל‬/
ַ TG13b ‫שׁר ֵאל‬ ֵ ‫כד ְמ ַלך וְ ַת‬.ַ 1 The entire verse is missing in LXXB.
ָ ‫רתין ְשׁנִ ין ְמ ַלך ַעל ִי‬

LXXOP partially and the LXXL omit the v.2 Others witnesses of Lucianic origins have υ ς

τρι κοντα τ ν “30 years”(oe2; bc2 = MT; cf. NIV, NLT), according to Ralph W. Klein, “it

seems to be a secondary calculation (cf. 2 sam 5:4).”3 Josephus seems to mingle two

different tradition “Now Saul, when he had reigned eighteen years while Samuel was alive

(δ Σαµου λου ζ ντος τη κτ πρ ς το ς δ κα τελευτ σαντος δ (Ant 6:378 ),”

“two [and twenty] (δ ο κα ε κοσι” (Ant. 6:378 ), yet elsewhere he says that Saul was in

power for twenty years (Ant. 10.143). The book of Acts of Apostle has the tradition of forty

(13:21) which confirms the figure of Josephus. The Peshitta has 21 years, but omits the 2

years of reign.

It is suggested that: “The corresponding formula for David appears in 2 Sam.

5:4 (see also 2 Kings 21:1; 24:8, 18; etc.). If the similar omissions to those that appear to

have occurred in 1 Sam. 13:1 had been made in a comparable text, such as 2 Kings 21:1, it

1
NRSV, NJPST, NET and P.K., McKarter, I Samuel, Anchor Bible, vol. 8
(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980), Emmanuel Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992), 10, 253, give a summary of the unusual aspect of the
text which has been altered during the transmission of the text.
2
And have υ ς νιαυτο Σαουλ (Simmachus has υ ς ς νιαυτ ς).
3
Ralph W. Klein, 1 Samuel, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 10, ed. David A.
Hubbard (Word: Texas, 1983), 122 no 1a.

19
would read: “Manasseh was … years old when he began to reign, and reigned … and five

years in Jerusalem.” In basic construction the two passages are identical.”1

Juluis Wellhausen suggests to correct ‫“ ְשׁ ֵתּי‬two” as it is a corrupt duplication of

the following ‫“ ָשׁנָ ה‬years,” hence it would be like this: “Saul was—years old when he began

to reign, and he reigned—years over Israel”2 However, the first clause is clearly corrupt,

whereas, the second part is not at all, two years is textually what stands. The fact that the

Peshitta omits two years of reign seems to show that two is the original figure. According to

the note of NET bible:

The statement in v. 1 is intended to be a comprehensive report on the length of Saul’s

reign, the number is too small. According to Acts 13:21 Saul reigned for forty years.
Some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT), taking this forty to be a round
number, add it to the “two years” of the MT and translate the number in 2 Sam 13:1
as “forty-two years.” While this is an acceptable option, the present translation instead
replaces the MT’s “two” with the figure “forty.” Admittedly the textual evidence for
this decision is weak, but the same can be said of any attempt to restore sense to this
difficult text (note the ellipsis marks at this point in NAB, NRSV).

The important question is whether two years allows enough time for the various

events that are reported about Saul life in the Bible to probably having taken place. The

phrase ‫וּשׁ ֵתּי ָשׁנִ ים‬

ְ seems faulty, for it is not the Hebrew formula of “two years” (see 2 sam

ְ or the dual in 1 Kg 15:25, 16:8, 22:52, 2 Kgs 15:23, 21:19, ‫)שׁנָ ָתיִ ם‬.
2:10, ‫וּשׁ ַתּיִ ם ָשׁנִ ים‬, ְ S.R.

Drivers understands that the text is possibly a late insertion into the MT, conceivably, it was

11
“Saul Reigned one year,” SDABC, 2:505.
2
Julius Wellhausen, Der Text der Bücher samuelis untersucht (Göttingen:
Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1871), cited in McCarter, 222; Paul Dhorme, Les livres de Samuel
(Paris Gabalda and Cie., 1910), 108, says, “le verset, inintelligible dans l’hébreu actuel,
n’existe pas dans G (B,A). La formule est celle de II Sam. X,4; I Reg. XIV,21, etc… Selon
Hitzig, suivi par Wellhausen, le rédacteur avait laissé un espace blanc devant ‫ ָשׁנָ ה‬et ‫ ָשׁנִ ים‬.
L’espace aurait été comblé devant ‫ ָשׁנִ ים‬par une double lecture des premières lettres du mot.
Selon Peters, un manuscrit aurait eu en marge ‫בּ־שׁנָ ה‬ ָ « deuxième année», d’où un rédacteur
aurait tiré la formule courante, débutant par ‫ן־שׁנָ ה‬
ָ ‫ ֶבּ‬. ”

20
a marginal reading that found is way into the main text.1 In addition, he says, “in view of the

age at which Jonathan, almost immediately after Saul’s accession, appears, a higher figure

seems to be required.”2

Josephus’ Reckoning

After the Judgeship of Elie, Samuel reigned 12 years and with the king Saul, he

judged for 18 years; hence 30 years, though we consider only 12 for our chronological

computation (Ant. 6.294). Concerning the death of Saul, Josephus said: “Now Saul, when he

had reigned eighteen years while Samuel was alive, and after his death two [and twenty],

ended his life in this manner. (Ant 6:378).” Seems to mean that Saul had reigned 18 years

while Samuel was alive, and 2 after his death; hence Saul reign 22 more after Samuel death,

therefore it agrees with the forty years of Acts his total reign.

This figure gives more than five-century between Joshua and the third years of

Solomon (if we consider one years of Co-regency). It is exactly 529 years to the Exodus,

thus 49 years of excess need to be explained.

Attempts of Synchronization

If we accept the fourth year of Solomon to be in the spring 966B.C., then a

sketch of the chronology of Judges may be undergone. In addition, if we take from the

480th year after the Exodus will make the Exodus commences in the year ca.1445 B.C., and

the crossing of the Jordan at ca. 1405 B.C. Now in working forward until the time of

1
S.R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and Topography of the Book of Samuel of Samuel,
2d ed. rev. and enl. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1913), 97 no 1.
2
Ibid.; see also Alden Thompson, A Prcatical Guide to Abundant Christian Living in
the Book of Samuel, The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier, ed. George Knight (Boise, ID:Pacific
Press, 1995), 103-104.

21
Solomon we find interesting complementally chronological data as the following table will

show:1

ISRAEL UNDER THE JUDGES B.C. EGYPTIAN KINGS

The Exodus 1446 Eighteenth Dynasty
Wandering period in the Wilderness (40 years) 1446-1406
Invasion of Canaan (6/7 years) 1406-1399 Amenhotep III
Israel under Joshua and the elders (25 years) 1399-1374 Ikhnaton, Smenkhkare

Othniel’s liberation from Chushan rishathaim’s Tutankhamen, Eye

8–year oppression and period of rest of 40 Harmhab
years (= 48 years) 1374-1326
Nineteenth Dynasty

Ramses I
Seti I
Ehud’s liberation from 18 years of Moabite Seti in Palestine
oppression and 80 years’ rest of southern and Ramses II
eastern tribes (= 98 years) 1326-1228 Battle at Kadesh
Deborah and Barak’s liberation after Jabin’s 20
years of oppression in the north and 20 Rest in
the north (40 years) 1228-1118
Gideon’s liberation from 7–year Midianite Merneptah and other weak kings
oppression and 40 years of Gideon’s rule Twentieth Dynasty
(47 years) 1118-1141 Ramses III
Abimelech’s kingship over Shechem for 3 years 1141-1138 War against Peoples of the Sea
Jephta and the Philistines/Ammonites 1138-1114
oppression (24 years)
Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon peaceful’s 1144-1044 Ramses IV-XI
years(63)
Beginning of Philistine oppression and 1044-1024
deliverance from Samson (40 – 20 = 20 years) Twenty–first Dynasty

Elie Judges in Israel (40 years) 1024-984 (High priests of Amen as kings of
Egypt)
Samuel judge in Israel (12 years) 984-972
Saul’s reign (40 Years) 972-932
David’s reign (40 years) 932-892
Solomon beginning reign (3 years) 892-889

1
“Chronology of the Period,” SDBC, 2:35; cf. 1:191.

22
 There is a gap of 77 years from the 4th year of Solomon (is the 3th year, since

they had 1 year of co-regency, cf. 1 Chr 28-29) to the years of the Exodus 1446 B.C. As fair

as possible, it is not really possible to present a complete an exact scheme of chronology

based on the date given in Joshua-Judges. What has been done is a tentative chronology

that, possibly, may fit within the frame of the Exodus-monarchic period in the 480th year or

fourth year of Solomon reign.

Thus, if the 1st year of the Exodus has to be placed earlier in 1446 B.C. and the

conquest in 1406 after the crossing of the Jordan in the spring 1405, there is this uncertain

77 years that need to be play off. The chronology suffers from the fact that the book of

Judges lack of important details of the history during the period. What was evident for the

writer of Judges is not for our modern time. But whether many of these events happened in

succession or had some contemporaneity in other tribes, the writer is all inclusive.

Kitchen sees the Judges as a series of local leaders who partly covered the same

period in their leadership with other Judges in other geographical area. He telescopes the

period of the Judges drastically. For example, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar delivered their

population around 1195-1170 B.C. whereas, Deborak and Barak’s deliverance and the forty

years of peace that came after overlapped with the eighty years of peace following Ehud’s

victory (Judg 3:30; 5:31); Jephtah and Samson are considered by him to be contemporary in

the time of Eli’s Judgeship.1 While it is true that, this paper agrees with the fact that

different parts of the land knew peace and conflict at the same time, but to fit these events

within 160 years only, from ca. 1200-1042 B.C. is incompatible with the Biblical account.

1
Kitchen, On the Reliability, 204-10.

23
 Kitchen’s approach has the merit to accommodate almost all given in Judges,

however, it does fail to interpret the figure given in Judg 11:26, the 300 years and 1 Kgs 6:1,

the 480 years symbolically. Yet, in 1 Kgs 6: 37, in conclusion says, “In the fourth year the

foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv,” hence this can be

hardly be considered as figurative in essence.

P.E. Satterthwaite, says that a corollary of Kitchen’s approach is that Israel had

more local leaders than mentioned in the book. Then there are matters to inquire, what was

their achievement? Why the text of Judges did not include them?1

As suggested earlier, we agree with Kitchen when he indicates certain that many

periods partly cover the same time. However, Kitchen radical 160 years seems too high.

The 63 years of what of the peaceful Judges (Tola = 22 years, Jair = 22 years, Ibzan = 7

years, Elon =10 years, Abdon = 8 years = 70) would have as well overlap geographically and

chronologically.

Despite the image of negativistic interpretations of the archaeological data, there

are in some cases the archeological data do not contradict at all the Conquest stories.

Though Archeology, in the hands of skeptical excavators, cannot confirm that Israelite tribes

were responsible for the destruction of the Canaanites cities, the Israelites Conquest remains

an historical event, because they would have been more difficult to create of all pieces such a

story. How can we imagine, as many do, that all these were a melting pot of invented

memories? 2

1
“Judges,” Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books, eds. Bill T. Arnold and
H.G.M. Williamson (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2005), 591.
2
See for these Amihai Mazar, “The Patriarchs, Exodus, and Conquest Narratives
in Light of Archaeology,” in Israel Finkelstein And Amihai Mazar, The Quest For The Historical
Israel:Debating Archaeology And The History Of Early Israel (Leiden: Brill, 2007), 78.

24
 Given an Exodus toward ca. 1446 B.C. and a defeat of Sihon ca. 1406 B.C., then

Jephthah statement would be placed ca. 1106 B.C., eighteen years after the

Philistine/Ammonites oppression (10:7-8) began, ca. 1124 B.C. (Howard, 118).1

Conclusion

Clearly, much of what we have suggested is not speculative. The Biblical data

can figure out a normal picture that can confirm the Early date scheme as 1 Kings 6:1 holds

and it may as well infirm the tradition of an late model for the Exodus.

It has been seen that the disbelief of Biblical chronology of Joshua-Judges has

followed four avenues: the conquest model, the infiltration model, the liberation model, and

the pioneer settlement model. Yet, the paper has suggested that the biblical model is still

valid based on the context of the book of Judges itself. Hence the book of Judges is not an

embellished account of the period before the monarchy, it is historical in nature. For the use

of round number, in fact, the expression of the years in “40” years is unique to Israel and it

may imply that God is behind the scene of the life of his people.

The result of this present study fall short of about 7 years when we consider the

geographical distributions of Israel settlement and the time of peace that could have been

distributed consecutively. The results of this study, however, have only begun to illuminate

the dynamics and the difficulties tied to biblical chronology. The taking into account of

some overlaps between date and the ignorance of the ancient reckoning may probably bring

a variably of uncertainty. The date of 1446 B.C. for the Exodus agrees with Thiele’s scheme

1
The years of peace in the book of Judges have been considered as the work of
an editor who widened the chronological date of the book extending it as far as 480 years in
the fourth years of King Solomon. See the Bibliography in Barry G. Webb, The Book of
Judges: An Integrated Reading, JSOT Sup. 46 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990), 243.

25
except for those who presuppose at first that Judges is not reliable source for any dating

scheme. Further investigations need to be done, to first confirm what have been done and to

look for others possible explanations.

These investigations must also examine the presuppositions behind the school

of dating—what drive them? How is that most critics will adopt the late scheme dating?

And conservative scholars tend to accept the early scheme dating? The 15th-century model,

on the other hand needs to be given adequate consideration even though there is a perceived

disparity between archaeological discoveries and the biblical narrative at Jericho and Ai.

26
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Brettler, Marc Zvi. The Book of Judges. London: Routlege, 2002.

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Magnes, 1961.

Coote, Robert. Ancient Israel: A New Horizon. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990.

Chronology of the Period.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Edited by

Francis D. Nichol. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1977. 2:35.

Dhorme, Paul. Les livres de Samuel. Paris Gabalda and Cie., 1910.

Driver, S.R. Notes on the Hebrew Text and Topography of the Book of Samuel of Samuel. 2nd ed.
Rev. and enl. Oxford: Clarendon, 1913.

Finkelstein, Israel And Amihai Mazar. The Quest For The Historical Israel:Debating Archaeology
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Fomenko, Anotoly T. History: Fiction or Science? London: Delamere Ressource, 2003.

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Hoffmeir, James K. “What is the Biblical Date for the Exodus? A Response to Bryant
Wood.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 50 no 2 (2007): 226.

Hughes, Jeremy. Secrets of the Times: Myth and History in Biblical Chronology, Journal for the
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Kitchen, K.A Ancient Orient and the Old Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1966

Kitchen, K.A On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.

Kitchen, K.A The Bible in Its World. Exeter: Paternoster, 1977

Kitchen, K.A. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.

27
 28

Klein, Ralph W. 1 Samuel. Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 10. Edited by David A.
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Mazar, Amihai. “The Patriarchs, Exodus, and Conquest Narratives in Light of

Archaeology.” In Israel Finkelstein And Amihai Mazar, The Quest For The Historical
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““Saul Reigned one year.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Edited by
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“Some periods overlap.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Edited by Francis D.
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Stone, L.G. “Judges, Book of.” Dictionary of the Old Testament Historical Books. Edited by. Bill
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Francis D. Nichol. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1977. 2:125-30.

Thompson, Alden. A Prcatical Guide to Abundant Christian Living in the Book of Samuel. The
Abundant Life Bible Amplifier. Edited by George Knight. Boise, ID:Pacific Press,
1995.

Tov, Emmanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
 29

Vannoy, J. Robert. “Judges: Theology of.” New International Dictionary of Old Testament
Theology and Exegesis. Edited by Willem A. Van Gemeren. Grand Rapids, MI:
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Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Grand
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