AUTHOR: According to Jewish tradition, the authorship of the Book of Judges has not been identified, and is considered anonymous due to the lack of precise information. Although some Jewish segments claim that it is the prophet Samuel, it cannot be said with certainty who the author of this book really is. Internal evidence suggests that the book was already in circulation before David conquered Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, the writer used writings left by previous judges, relating to the time and events of their respective government.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME: The title of the book of Judges was probably suggested by verse 16 of chapter 2, which says: "But the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the hand of those who spoiled them" .

THEME: While Joshua is a book of victories, Judges is a book of defeats. The disobedience of the people of Israel to God's principles resulted in oppression at the hands of neighboring peoples. In their distress, Israel cried out to the Lord for help. God answered the cries by providing them with either judges or deliverers. As long as the deliverer rules, the Israelites remain faithful, but when he dies, they revert to apostasy. The book can be summed up in four words: Sin, Bondage, Repentance, Salvation. The book of Judges records a long period, approximately 400 years of Israel's history, containing the history of the thirteen judges who ruled Israel from the death of Joshua until the time of Eli and Samuel. It is possible that some of the judges ruled simultaneously in different regions. It is a valuable book for the historical evidence it presents of the development of Israel's religion during the early years of the conquest.

COMPILATION: Approximately 1043 / 1004 BC, it consists of 21 chapters and 618 verses.