The 450-Year Period of the Judges
Here is a problem in Bible Chronology which, in some measure, should exercise the minds of students.
The Apostle Paul declares that God gave judges to Israel. “He gave unto them judges about [during] the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul … forty years.” (Acts 13:20, 21)
Did the Apostle speak solely by inspiration when he gave us this important chronological information? Or could he also have been guided by the records of the Old Testament? In other words, is it possible to find in the ancient Hebrew Scriptures chronological records which prove that judges ruled in Israel during 450 years?
It is possible, and this fact shows that the inspired Apostle Paul spoke “according to the Scriptures” in this matter of the period of the judges, and of the reign of Saul, as he did in his preaching of the Gospel of Christ. (1 Cor. 15:1-4) But we shall not find in the Old Testament a plain statement, such as that given by the Apostle, that Judges ruled during 450 years. Close study is necessary, also attention to the original Hebrew text in some important passages.
We have been much helped in this study by our dear Brother in the Lord, Hugo Karl6n, whom we mention in our Pyramid booklet, “Its Scientific Features,” page 37, 2nd paragraph. What follows is largely the result of his investigations, made some years ago.
In connection with this period of the judges, Brother Russell wrote in his 2nd volume of Studies, page 49 (B49): “The records given in the books of Judges and 1 Samuel mention nineteen periods, approximating a total of four hundred and fifty years.” He adds, however, “but they are disconnected, broken, lapped and tangled so much that we could arrive at no definite conclusion from them, and should be obliged to conclude as others have done, that nothing positive could be known on the subject, were it not that the New Testament supplies the deficiency … Acts 13:19-2l.”
Brother Russell did not attempt to define the 19 periods to which he calls attention; but other students of the Word have made the attempt. Recently we presented such a list, with Scriptural references, which add up to 450 years. This list appeared to be conclusive, but we invited examination and comments. Most of those to whom we sent the list expressed themselves as satisfied, but a few were critical. Certain Scriptural statements, it was pointed out, seem to be irreconcilable with the list as it stands, even though the 19 periods sum up to the desired 450 years. Let us repeat the list as presented, and then we can consider the irreconcilable Scriptures referred to:
The above 19 periods appear to be those Bro. Russell referred to. Nevertheless, Scriptures can be quoted which prove that this list is not quite correct.
For instance, the 8 years of servitude to Mesopotamia is the first period of the list. But a punishment of servitude could not follow immediately after the end of the wilderness journey when Joshua led the people into the land of promise. The Scriptures declare: “And the people served the Lord [not the king of Mesopotamia] all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel.” (Judges 2:7)
Before the punishment of servitude for unfaithfulness could be due, the faithful generation which served the Lord under the elders that outlived Joshua must have died out, and an unbelieving generation taken its place (judges 2:8-10). Therefore an interval of many years must have passed. (We shall refer to this interval presently.)
Jephthah, a prominent judge in Israel, speaks of a period of 300 years (see Judges 11:26). The Scriptures show that this 300 year period began to count from the end of the wilderness-journey, and terminated when Jephthah began his judgeship. When Judge jair died, and Jephthah took over the judgeship of Israel, the Ammonites determined to “crush’into complete subjection the children of Israel. (See the marginal reading of judges 10:8.) Jephthah tried to reason with the Ammonite king, and asked him why he fought against Israel. The king replied: “Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt” (judges 11:12, 13). Jephthah then reminded the king that for 300 years the children of Ammon had made no attempt to regain their lost land, saying: “While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? Why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?”
The termination of the 300 years spoken of by Jephthah Uudges 11:26), which coincides with the death of Judge Jair and the beginning of jephthalys judgeship, is a definite timepoint in the history of Israel. From this time-point we can reckon backward to the days of Joshua, and forward to the time when Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel.
JUDGES BEFORE JEPHTHAH
First, let us reckon backward. From the foregoing list, we note that Jair judged Israel for 22 years, and Tola before him for 23 years. Abimelech had a brief reign of 3 years, after Israel had enjoyed a rest of 40 years under Gideon. Before Gideon’s deliverance Israel had suffered bondage to Midian for 7 years.
These five periods total 95 years, and all are easily to be followed in the Scriptural records.
But the preceding times of Deborah, Jabin, and Ehud call for careful consideration. For it is a mistake to assume that the 80 years referred to in Judges 3:30 were entirely under the deliverer Ehud.
Ehud delivered Israel after their 18 years’ servitude to Moab (judges 3:14-29); but the Scriptures neither say nor imply that the 80 years rest which the land then enjoyed were all under the deliverer Ehud. The judgeship of Shamgar who followed Ehud, and of Deborah the prophetess who judged after Shamgar, are included in this 80 year period. Also, the oppressor Jabin, with his captain Sisera, were conquered within that time.
The Philistines tried to break the rest which Ehud had won for the land, but they were immediately overthrown by Shamgar. (Judges 3:31)
The “Twenty” years spoken of in Judges 4:5 can also be read “twentieth” according to the Hebrew original. For there are no ordinals in the Hebrew above 10, and the context, and the meaning of the passage, must determine which is correct in any particular text (ordinals: First, Second, Third etc., cardinals: One, Two, Three, etc.).
After the death of Ehud, during the time of Shamgar, the children of Israel again did evil (judges 4:1), and in punishment the Lord “sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; and the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.” (Judges 4:1-3)
But as we point out, we can read “and in the twentieth year he [Jabin], mightily oppressed the children of Israel.” It was in the 20th, and last, year of Shamgar that Jabin oppressed Israel. The Hebrew of the word translated “oppressed” in this text does not necessarily imply that Jabin subjected Israel, but that he troubled them, and this in the northern part of the country only. (See marginal note of Judges 4:2.)
Judge Shamgar apparently did not exercise complete control of the land, for we read: “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways” or “crooked ways” (judges 5:6, marginal reading). Although the land had rest during this time (no active wars) yet, owing to the weakness of judge Shamgar, there was a feeling of insecurity. The people were afraid to walk openly along the highways. In the last, the twentieth, year of Shamgar, jabin determined to subject Israel and not merely to trouble them, and his yoke became so great that the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, with the result that Deborah, with Barak, put an end to Jabin and Sisera. (See the Song of Deborah and Barak, Judges 5.)
From the Hebrew text it is clear that the times of Ehud, Shamgar (jabin), and Deborah are included in the 80 years of Judges 3:30.
Immediately preceding the 80 years, Israel had been in servitude to Moab for 18 years (judges 3:14). Previous to this, Othniel had judged Israel for 40 years (judges 3:9-1 1). Otbniel had delivered Israel from their 8 years of servitude to Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia (judges 3:8-10). This punishment of 8 years’ servitude had come upon the erring children of Israel, when all that faithful generation which served the Lord during the days of Joshua, and of the elders that outlived him, had died out.
How many years were there between the end of the wilderness journey, and the beginning of the 8 years’ servitude? This we can ascertain by summing up the periods backward from the death of Jair, and deducting this sum from the 300 years mentioned by Jephthah.
The Lord had caused Israel to wander for 40 years in the wilderness, until all men from 20 years old and upward, who had come out of Egypt, had been consumed in the wilderness (Numbers 32:11-13). Therefore the oldest of the “elders that outlived Joshua” would be 60 when he entered Canaan; and even if he had lived to the extreme age of Joshua, 1:10, his death would be 9 years short of the beginning of the Mesopotamian servitude.
Turning again to the list of 19 periods referred to earlier, we find that the 12th period, the oppression of Ammon, requires our attention. Let us read judges 10:8 and context. “… The anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: 18 years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.” (Judges 10:7-9)
The above translation from the English Authorized Version does not convey the true meaning of the Hebrew original. The English text requires explanation. The word “eighteen” should be rendered “eighteenth;’ judging from the context. The correct translation is: ‘And that year they [the Ammonites] vexed and crushed the children of Israel in this, the 18th year …” Note also that the word “oppressed” is, in the marginal reading, “crushed,” which is a truer translation of the Hebrew word, and suggests a different thought.
The Ammonites did not succeed in dominating Israel as a whole. They troubled and vexed part of Israel for 17 years, during the time of jair’s judgeship.. But “that year,” when Jair died (judges 10:5), which was the 18th year of their hostility to Israel, they evidently thought the passing of Judge Jair would allow them to easily dominate the whole of Israel, so they attacked Israel dreadfully, crushingly. But they were stopped and defeated by jephthah, who is declared to be “a mighty man of valour” (judges 11:1)
In Judges 11 we read how Jephthah was made leader of Israel, and how the Lord delivered the children of Ammon into his hands: “ He smote them from Aroer, … with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.” (Judges 11:32, 33)
The Ammonites did not “crush” Israel for a period of 18 years from the date of Jair’s death; rather, it was in the 18th year of their trouble-making that they crushed Israel (in “that year”), so calling forth that special effort of Israel under Jephthah to defeat and subdue the Ammonites. Therefore the 18 years of oppression do not commence with the death of Jair.
The 6 years of Jephthah’s judgeship began at the death of Jair, the end of the 300 years spoken of by Jephthah. From this time-point we now move forward to the time of Samuel’s judgeship, and his anointing of Saul as king.
JUDGES AFTER JEPHTHAH
lbzan followed Jephthah and judged Israel 7 years. Then Elon judged for 10 years, and Abdon for 8. The 40 years’ opppression by the Philistines followed, in the last 20 of which Samson judged Israel. (judges 13: 1; 15:20; 16:30, 3 1)
Eli followed with a judgeship of 40 years (1 Sam. 4:12-18). Finally, the prophet Samuel acted as Judge until the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul.
In the list of 19 periods, Samuel is entered as having judged Israel for 20 years, on the assumption that the 20 years spoken of in 1 Samuel 7:2 has reference to the duration of Samuel’s judgeship. But 1 Samuel 7:2 does not state that Samuel judged Israel for 20 years. The Scriptures show that up to the time Saul was anointed king, Samuel must have judged much longer than 20 years.
Ferrar Fenton says 45 years, while other chronologers reckon Samuel’s judgeship at between 40 and 50 years. The Scriptures show that Samuel was “a child” at the time when Eli’s “eyes began to wax dim” for age (I Sam. 3:1, 2), but Samuel was “old and grayheaded” when he anointed Saul as king of Israel (1 Sam. 12:1, 2). This implies a considerable number of years between the death of Eli when Samuel replaced him as judge, and Saul’s anointing. (See also 1 Sam. 8:1, 5; 12:2.)
When we take the literal translation of the Hebrew of 1 Sam. 7:2, we read: “And it came to pass from the time the ark remained in Kirjath-jearim, that the days were multiplied and it was the 20th year and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord,” or “assembled before the Lord.” The Latin Vulgate reads: “it was now the 20th year”
Most translators and commentators consider that the Philistines, after the death of Eli, continued to have a certain power over Israel during 20 years. In the meantime, however, Samuel was Judge in Israel.
But in the 20th year from the arrival of the ark in Kirjathjearim, Israel had had enough of the oppressive Philistine power, and turned to the Lord for help. Samuel prayed to the Lord for aid on behalf of the children of Israel in their distress, after admonishing them to “put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he shall deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 7:3)
When the Philistines sought to do battle against the now repentant children of Israel, “the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel … So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more unto the coast of Israel.” (1 Sam. 7:4-15)
After these 20 years, in the last of which the Philistines were finally subdued, Samuel judged Israel for 25 years until he anointed Saul to be king, making, therefore, 45 years in all for the judgeship of Samuel. This number of years for Samuel as judge, 45 until Saul became king, is consistent with the Scriptures.1
Commencing with the end of the wilderness journey, our amended list now reads:
As the final total of 456 years dates from the end of the wilderness journey, whereas the Apostle Paul dates his 450 years from the division of the land among the tribes of Israel, we require to deduct 6 years from the 456 year total, the remainder of 450 years being that period spoken of by the Apostle in Acts 13:20.
That it took 6 years to divide the land is fully discussed by Brother Russell in Volume 2, pages 47, 48.
Although the above amended list appears to be comprised of 17 periods, it must be noted that the 80 years is the sum of three periods: 20 years for Ehud, 20 for Shamgar, and 40 for Deborah. Thus we still have 19 periods in all for the time during which judges ruled in Israel.
– Morton Edgar, 25 November, 1947
1 Editor’s note: we know no scripture statement for the length of Samuel’s judgeship. Therefore we acknowledge the foregoing statement of 45 years is a matter of deduction. However, from 1 Samuel 7:15; 8:5 and 12:1-2 we know it was for an extended length of time. Therefore we still need Paul’s words in Acts 13:19-21.