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Introduction to Judges

 

Introduction

 

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES

The title of this book in the Hebrew copies is Sepher Shophetim the Book of Judges; but the Syriac and Arabic interpreters call it

"the Book of the Judges of the Children of Israel;'

and the Septuagint only Judges; so called not because it was written by them though some think it was compiled out of annals and diaries kept by them; but it seems to be the work of one person only: the true reason of its name is because it treats of the judges of Israel gives an account of their lives and actions and especially such as concerned their office; which office was different from that of kings and seems only to have been occasional and chiefly lay in delivering the people out of the hands of their enemies when oppressed distressed or carried captive by them; in protecting them in the enjoyment of their country rights and liberties; in leading out their armies against their enemies when needful; and in settling differences judging law suits and administering justice. The government of the nation during their time was a theocracy. It is not certain who was the penman of this book; some ascribe it to King Hezekiah others to Ezra; but the Jewish writersF1 are generally of opinion that it was written by Samuel which is most likely who was the last of the judges; and it seems plainly to be written before the times of David us appears from a speech of Joab 2 Samuel 11:21; and from some passages in Psalm 68:8 which seem to refer or allude to Judges 5:4; and from Jerusalem being called Jebus which shows it to be inhabited by the Jebusites in the time of the writer of this book whereas it was taken out of their hands by David; besides Samuel himself refers to the annals of this book; 1 Samuel 12:9; and from whose testimonies as well as from others in the New Testament there is no doubt to be made of its being genuine and authentic and written by divine inspiration; as is evident from the use the Apostle Paul and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews have made of it Acts 13:20; it is useful as an history and without which the history of the people of Israel would not be complete; it containing an account of all their judges excepting the two last Eli and Samuel of whom an account is given in the following books and of some facts incidental to those times related in an appendix at the end of it concerning the idol of Micah and the war of Benjamin; and furnishes out many useful moral observations concerning God's displeasure at sin in his own people Israel and his corrections for it; and about his providential care of them in raising up for them deliverers in their time of need as well as points at various virtues and excellencies in great and good men worthy of imitation. It contains according to Piscator Dr. Lightfoot and others an history of two hundred ninety and nine years.

 

Commentator

John Gill (November 23 1697-October 14 1771) was an English Baptist a biblical scholar and a staunch Calvinist. Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.

He was born in Kettering Northamptonshire. In his youth he attended Kettering Grammar School mastering the Latin classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow Gill throughout his life.

At the age of about twelve Gill heard a sermon from his pastor William Wallis on the text "And the Lord called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost nineteen years of age.

His first pastoral work was as an intern assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel Horsleydown Southwark in 1719. In 1757 his congregation needed larger premises and moved to a Carter Lane St. Olave's Street Southwark. His pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.

During Gill's ministry the church strongly supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.

In 1748 Gill was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar and a prolific author. His most important works are:

John Gill is the first major writing Baptist theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century. Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist which would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself which would make him merely a precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.

 

¢w¢w¡mJohn Gill¡¦s Exposition of the Bible¡n

 

New King James Version Bible NKJV

The NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars church leaders and lay Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and grammar of the King James Version while preserving the classic style of the of the 1611 version.

The task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order grammar vocabulary and spelling. One of the most significant features of the NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou" "thee" "ye " "thy " and "thine." Verb forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example "speaks" rather than "speaketh").

 

Young¡¦s Literal Translation (YLT)

Young¡¦s Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young who also compiled Young¡¦s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as published by Baker Book House Grand Rapids Michigan. Obvious errors in spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.