Judges
士師記 {shi4-shi1-ji4}
Old Testament – Historical Books
Egyptians had pharaohs, Babylonians had kings, the United States has presidents, and Canada its prime ministers. For a period of turmoil in Israel’s history, the people had none of those. Instead, Judges ruled their lands.
It’s natural to wonder why they were called Judges in the first place, why Judges led the people into battles instead of commanders, and why Judges ruled the people instead of politicians. Was this another artifact of translation or was it on purpose?
For that, let’s first look at the Chinese name for the Book and those chosen leaders. Judges are called 士師 in Chinese, which doesn’t have a literal meaning. The Chinese translation for “judges” in the modern-day sense (the ones with the gavels) is 法官, and this book is most certainly not called “法官記”.
Now, turning to Hebrew for some clues, we find the word שָׁפַט (Shaphat), which quite literally means to judge, condemn, punish, and so on. BUT! It also has the meaning of law-giver or governor, plus a few others along those lines. It would seem that Judges not only acted in a judicial capacity but also governing capacity. Because of the comprehensive roles that the Judges played between Joshua and Saul, the Chinese translations made a good call not to call them 法官.
It’s also worth noting the divine wisdom of God in raising Judges during that time. Remember that God did not raise a commander to lead the Exodus, but a prophet. God did not assign them a king once they entered the Promised Land, either. Although Joshua was valiant in battles, God made a point to show that He Himself was the commander and that Joshua must lead the people to observe God’s laws. God was describing to him how to be a Judge!
No, Joshua was not technically a Judge. However, it was clear that God was the commander, king, and ruler of the Israelites and that the focus of the highest human leader should be to worship God and lead the people according to the laws, which became a useful definition of a Judge or Shaphat.
So who were the Judges? We can find 12 Judges in the Book of Judges, and 2 more in 1 Samuel. Unlike the days of Kings, where one king succeeded the last, the office of Judges was not inherited but appointed by God Himself. At certain times, there was not even a Judge in the whole land, during which the Israelites were oppressed by a wide range of enemies because of their sins and rebellion against God.
Even the Judges themselves were not immune to the wretched human conditions. Nevertheless, they found the unlikely strength, courage, and deliverance only through the mighty hands of God, who loved, disciplined, and defended His people without fail. After all, He was the ultimate commander, king, and ruler of the Israelites.
Artwork from Public Domain
Inspiration: Judges 6:20-22