Judges 1-12

Informed by the literature and language of the ancient Near East, this bountiful new commentary to Chapters 1 to 12 of the biblical Book of Judges provides a literary and theological analysis of some of Scripture's most stirring narratives and verses. Addressed are issues about the techniques that advance the text's objectives, the impulses behind its composition, the motivations behind its preservation, the diversity of interpretations during its transmission in several ancient languages, and the learned attention it has gathered over time in faith traditions, Jewish, Christian and Muslim. In its pages is a fair sampling from ancient Near Eastern documents to illumine specific biblical passages or to bolster the interpretation of contexts. A comprehensive Introduction surveys issues and approaches in the study of Judges. Introductory Remarks identify issues of religious, social, cultural or historical significance appropriate to each segment. As such, they provide a background to the Notes and a frame for the exposition in the concluding Comments. This insightful modern commentary stands apart from others by its multilayered treatment of the many issues raised in the study of Judges.