JUNE 10, 2022 BRYAN WINDLE

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…” (Jdg 10:6)

The book of Judges largely records Israel’s early history in Canaan after the initial Conquest victories. It has been called an “Intermediate Period” in Israel’s history, a time of disunity after the unified leadership of Moses and Joshua.1 The Hebrew settlement in the land of Canaan was slow and sometimes ineffective, with numerous tribes failing to take possession of their allotted territory and living alongside the Canaanites. Finally, the book records the continuous cycles of disobedience, oppression, repentance and deliverance as God raised up judges to free the Israelites.

Some have suggested the book of Judges does not record authentic history. Israel Finkelstein, for example, states, “The Bible’s stirring picture of righteous Israelite judges – however powerful and compelling – has very little to do with what really happened in the hill country of Canaan in the Early Iron Age.”2 In contrast, Kenneth Kitchen has analyzed the biblical text and the archaeological evidence, concluding the books of Joshua and Judges are based in realia: “In short, along with many other details, there is no valid reason for denying the basic picture of an entry into Canaan, initial raids and slow settlement, with many incidental features that belong to that period…None of the aforementioned features could be simply invented without precedent in the seventh century or later.”3 Here are the top ten discoveries related to the book of Judges. Each affirms details in the book, suggesting that it accurately reflects the situation in Late-Bronze and Early-Iron-Age Canaan.

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