The Ark is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus, and then numerous times in Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Psalms and Jeremiah.

Rather than being written as history, the Deuteronomistic history – Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings – was intended to illustrate a theological scheme in which Israel and her leaders are judged by their obedience to the teachings and laws ( the covenant ) set down in the book of Deuteronomy.

Since the second half of the 20th century most scholars have agreed with Martin Noth's thesis that the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings form parts of a single work.

Deuteronomy contains the laws by which Israel is to live in the promised land, Joshua chronicles the conquest of Canaan, the promised land, and its allotment among the tribes, Judges describes the settlement of the land, Samuel the consolidation of the land and people under David, and Kings the destruction of kingship and loss of the land.

The two Books of Samuel () are part of a series of historical books ( Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings ) that make up a theological history of the Israelites and affirm and explain God's law for Israel under the guidance of the prophets.

Although details remain disputed, the vast majority of recent studies agree with Martin Noth's thesis, published in 1943, that the book of Samuel was composed as part of the Deuteronomistic history, the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings.

It concludes a series of historical books running from Joshua through Judges and Samuel, the overall purpose which is to provide a theological explanation for the destruction of the Jewish kingdom by Babylon in 586 BCE and a foundation for a return from exile.

In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel.

The solution, set out in the series of history books from Joshua and Judges to Samuel and Kings, was to interpret the Babylonian destruction as divinely-ordained punishment for the failure of the kings to worship Yahweh alone.

The etymology of the word into English is from Old French Philistin, from Classical Latin Philistinus found in the writings of Josephus, from Late Greek Philistinoi ( Phylistiim in the Septuagint ) found in the writings by Philo, from Hebrew Plištim, ( e. g. 1 Samuel 17: 36 ; 2 Samuel 1: 20 ; Judges 14: 3 ; Amos 1: 8 ), " people of Plešt " (" Philistia "); cf.

Eli was, according to the Books of Samuel, the name of a priest of Shiloh, and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel.

The Deuteronomistic Historians, who redacted the Former Prophets ( Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings ), idealized Samuel as a figure who is larger than life like Joshua.

Samuel is a judge who leads the military like in the Book of Judges and also who exercises judicial functions.

Gersonides was also the author of commentaries on the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, and Chronicles.

In the books of 1 Samuel and Judges, the tribe of Kenites are associated with the Amalekites, sometimes their allies, sometimes allied with the tribes of Israel.

The act of this Shamgar is evidently similar to that of Shammah, son of Agee, mentioned in the appendix of the Books of Samuel as being one of The Three, a distinct group of warriors associated with King David ; scholars believe that the same individual is meant, and that the passage in the book of Judges moved to its present location as a result of the mention of a Shamgar in the subsequent ( to the present position ) Song of Deborah.

" Mentions of rock-cut tombs are also found in the Judges 8: 32 ; 2 Samuel 2: 32 ; Second Kings 9: 28 ; 23: 30 ; 21: 26 ; 23: 16 ; Matthew 27: 60 ).

Joshua, Judges, Samuel I and II, Kings I and II are also written, presumably by the same authors.

The entire New Testament ( first published in 1526, later revised, 1534 and 1535 ), the Pentateuch, Jonah and in David Daniell's view, the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, and First and Second Chronicles, were the work of William Tyndale.

" The extermination of the nations glorifies Yahweh as a warrior and promotes Israel's claim to the land ," while their continued survival " explores the themes of disobedience and penalty and looks forward to the story told in Judges and Kings.

Several parallel animal fables in Sumerian and Akkadian are among those that Erich Ebeling introduced to modern Western readers ; there are comparable fables from Egypt's Middle Kingdom, and Hebrew fables such as the " king of trees " in Book of Judges 9: 8-15 and " the thistle and the cedar tree " in II Kings 14: 9.

The next ten windows of the nave follow clockwise with scenes from Exodus, Joseph, Numbers / Leviticus, Joshua / Deuteronomy, Judges, ( moving to the south wall ) Jeremiah / Tobias, Judith / Job, Esther, David and the Book of Kings.

James called the judges before him and, furious, ripped up the letter, patronisingly telling them that " I well know the true and ancient common law to be the most favourable to Kings of any law in the world, to which law I do advise you my Judges to apply your studies ".

In Protestant England the philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his major work Leviathan denied Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, and identified Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles as having been written long after the events they purported to describe.

While this view is still held by a few conservative Christians and Jews, modern scholars argue that the whole of the Torah was composed in the mid-1st millennium BCE as a " prequel " to the prophetic books ( books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings ).

Its position is indicated in the Bible: it lay north of Bethel and Shiloh, on the high road going from Jerusalem to the northern districts ( Judges xxi, 19 ), at a short distance from Michmethath ( Joshua 17: 7 ) and of Dothain ( Genesis 37: 12-17 ); it was in the hill-country of Ephraim ( Joshua 20: 7 ; 21: 21 ; 1 Kings 12: 25 ; 1 Chronicles 6: 67 ; 7: 28 ), immediately below Mount Gerizim ( Judges 9: 6-7 ).

In this way, we have Jewish names like Asmodai ( Book of Tobit ), Azazel ( Leviticus 16: 8-10 ), or Belial ( Deuteronomy 13: 13, Book of Judges 19: 22, Books of Samuel, part 1, 1: 16, 2: 12 10: 27 and 25: 17, and part 2 16: 7 and 22: 5, Books of Kings part 1, 21: 10-13, Books of Chronicles, part 1, 13: 7 ); Semitic deities like Adramelech, Baal ( see Baal ( demon ), Baal was also a general Jewish name for a false god ), Ashtaroth ( derived from Astarte ); Greek, Roman and Egyptian names like Bifrons ( See Bifrons ( demon )), Lamia, Phoenix ( see Phenex ); and so on.

These include fables, like that of Jotham ( Judges 9: 7-15, although in prose ); parables, like those of Nathan and others ( 2 Samuel 12: 1-4, 14: 4-9 ; 1 Kings 20: 39 and following, all three in prose ), or in the form of a song ( Isaiah 5: 1-6 ); riddles ( Judges 14: 14 and following ; Proverbs 30: 11 and following ); maxims, as, for instance, in 1 Samuel 15: 22, 24: 14, and the greater part of Proverbs ; the monologues and dialogues in Job 3: 3 and following ; compare also the reflections in monologue in Ecclesiastes.

In the Old Testament, evil spirits appear in the book of Judges and in Kings.

Joshua forms part of the biblical history of the emergence of Israel which begins with the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, continues with their conquest of Canaan under their leader Joshua ( the subject matter of the book of Joshua ), and culminates in Judges with the settlement of the tribes in the land.

Judges forms part of Deuteronomistic history, a theologically-oriented history of Israel from the entry into Canaan to the destruction of the Temple.

By the end of Judges the Israelites are in a worse condition than they were at the beginning, with Yahweh's treasures used to make idolatrous images, the Levites ( priests ) corrupted, the tribe of Dan conquering a remote village instead of the Canaanite cities, and the tribes of Israel making war on the Benjamites, their own brothers.

After the fall, the rule of God was expressed through the Law, the Judges, the King of Israel and finally the promise that God would write his law on his people's hearts ( Jer 31: 33 ).

Category: Judges of ancient Israel

His status, as viewed by rabbinical literature, is that he was the last of the Hebrew Judges and the first of the major prophets who began to prophesy inside the Land of Israel.

Category: Judges of ancient Israel

Early Israel was ruled by Judges before instituting a monarchy.

* Deborah, Judge of Israel, accompanies Barak on a military campaign in Qedesh, according to Judges 4: 6 – 10.

* Abdon ( Judges ), the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, the tenth judge of Israel ; also probably Bedan

In Judges 6-8 in the story of Gideon, the Amalekites and the Midianites are said to have amassed a visible army of at least 135, 000 encamped against Israel.

They answered the call of Gideon and joined in battle against Madian ( Judges 6: 35 ); and gave to Israel Elon, who judged it ten years ( Judges 12: 11 ).

Category: Judges of ancient Israel

Category: Judges of ancient Israel

It was originally proposed by Markus Reiner, a professor at Technion in Israel, inspired by a verse in the Bible, stating " The mountains flowed before the Lord " in a song by prophetess Deborah ( Judges 5: 5 ).

Category: Judges of ancient Israel

Jephthah ( pronounced, also spelled Jephtha or Jephte ;, " Yifthaḥ "; ; ), as described in the Old Testament's Book of Judges, served as a judge over Israel for a period of six years ( Judges 12: 7 ).