Book of Judges

—the historical book of twenty-one chapters following Joshua. Its authorship is unknown; the traditional attribution to Samuel cannot be demonstrated. The book recounts recurring cycles in which Israel abandons the LORD, falls under oppression, cries for help, and is delivered through a judge whom God raises up. It therefore displays both the ruinous consequence of apostasy and the LORD’s patient mercy. Its final narratives repeatedly observe that there was no king in Israel and every man did what was right in his own eyes, preparing for the transition to monarchy while exposing the need for righteous covenant faithfulness.