According to scholars, this is a more logical and more original location of Shamgars story in the scriptures. Today we look into the really uninformed life of Shamgar, the third judge of Israel.Sub Count Goal: 500Subscribe to . It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before (italics added for emphasis). Shamgar is essentially a footnote at the end of Judges Chapter 3: 31After him [Ehud] was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel. Required fields are marked *. Finally, they ruled on opposite sides of the Jordan which adds to the plausibility of parallel reigns. Ehud He killed all his brothers and claimed the leadership. Beginning with Abimilech, we enter the Late Period (Judges 9-16). . It had a demoralizing effect. As he grew up, the spirit of God beat within him (Judges 13:25). Another occasion where Shamgar was mentioned was in the Song of Deborah. An oxgoad was a strong stick about eight to 10 feet long and six inches in diameter. An interesting insight into the early period is that the dates are built around the beginnings and ends of the oppressions, and the event that accomplished the delivery from that oppression. After reading the account of Ehud and the killing of about 10,000 Moabites, it is normal to see Shamgar and the Philistines he killed as simply part of a list of the accomplishments of a man of war. To get some idea of how the Judges fit into the period between the Exodus and the coronation of David we will need to look at the whole of scripture and what scant archaeological evidence we have and try to find a solution that makes sense in the larger context. Who was the 7th judge in the Bible? However, with the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt by Amose, the first Pharoah of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the political situation in Canaan changes. In solving a problem like the chronology of the Judges period, it is best to start with what we can be certain about: the firm dates and time periods that we can rely on. What is the meaning of AD, BC, BCE and CE? The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, how many years did shamgar judge israel. Regardless of the timeline used, after the conquest by Thutmose I the other major political powers in the Near East (the Hittites, Mittani, Assyrians and Babylonians) do not make incursions into the area of Israel until much later. Samuel possibly wrote the books of Judges, Ruth,and large portions of First Samuel. 1 Samuel 7:15. Option 2 is appealing because it does not require what may be an artificial parallelism between Tola and Jair to get the numbers to work out. The next oppression of 18 years is under Eglon, king of Moab. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Bible Charts and Maps, PO Box 171053, Austin, TX 78717 The Jewish Encyclopedia suspects him of having been a foreign oppressor of the Israelites, rather than an Israelite ruler. The name occurs twice: Unlike the descriptions of Biblical Judges, the first reference to Shamgar has no introduction, conclusion, or reference to the length of reign,[3] and it is not said that he judged Israel. In general, Josephus is in very close agreement with the Biblical sources, and he provides numbers to fill in the gaps that we have identified. Employing a new secret weapon torches inside glass: the first Molotov Cocktails he took a small army of 300 men and destroyed a Midian army of thousands. Thutmose I campaigns as far as the river Euphrates in his year 2, but this does not seem to coincide with a renewed oppression. Shamgars name means named a stranger, he is here a stranger. This gives a total of 48 years, Place Tola and Jair in parallel and in sequence with the oppression. It was used for driving ox and other animals. It has been dated to c1208 BC in the orthodox chronology. The judges continued until Saul was made king, which ended the line of judges. And the LORD said to Samuel, Heed the voice of The implication from this solution is that not only was Samson in parallel with the 40-year Philistine oppression, but so were Elon and Abdon, and to some extent Ibzan. ACTS 13:21 21 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. They destroyed Siseras army, powerful new metal chariots and all. However, such leaders come about perhaps not even once in a thousand years. I Kings 6:1 provides us with the overall span of time between the Exodus and the reign of Solomon: And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomons reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. It is important for us as Spirit-filled Christians to keep close accounts with God (1 John 1:9) and remember we have been set free from sin (Romans 6: 1-14). Thus, I believe that the period recorded in Judges ends shortly before the capture of the ark and that event signifies the start of the I Samuel account, with I Samuel 1-3 being back story that occurred during the Judges period. Shamgar served as the third judge over Israel, after Othniel and Ehud. But his sons did not walk in his In fact, the book of Ruth could be considered a third part of this Appendix, but we wont address that here. The situation was turned around by a great person who happened to be a woman: Deborah. In the conquest of Canaan, Othniel captured Debir. open circuit examples in daily life; mobile legends diamond shop. Israel is laid waste and his seed is not; This is the first datable mention of the name Israel in recorded history, and the only one from the period of the judges. Note: This article received a significant update on October 24, 2021 with a completely new solution for the Judges timeline. In the first accounts on Shamgar, there was no introduction given nor any conclusion and reference to the period that he ruled the land. The judges were instruments of Gods perfect justice, and, while they acted as civil magistrates, God also used them as military defenders of the nation of Israel. It also places the 40-year oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli. [4] The subsequent text[5] follows on directly from the previous narrative. He was the master of covert operations, hitting the Philistines hard without them realizing it was he who did it. All of these judges are found in the book of Judges except for Eli and Samuel, who are found in 1st Samuel. On the day of a great feast the Philistines took him out of prison and tied him to two great stone pillars in their temple, planning to make a public spectacle of him. [ NB: The 450 years of Acts 13:20 is often discussed . B-1025, Dev Atelier, Opp. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. I Samuel 4:18 states that Eli had judged Israel for 40 years. Shamgar, it is written, killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel (Judges 3:31). Other accounts on Shamgar pointed out that the terms son of Anath, which was often linked with his name, was only a royal title. Tabor. The other mention of Shamgar, that in the Song of Deborah, connects Shamgar with a low period of Israelite society. If you are keeping score, the 32 years for Samuel and Saul means that we have a mere 65 years remaining to the 300-year mark for Jephthah and 131 years to fit in there. ), Jair (1126-1105 B.C. Heart of the Story: Shamgar was identified as the third Judge in Israel.. Back Story: After the death of Joshua and Israelite elders who lived during Joshua's life, the Israelites began to worship gods of the peoples in the land where they lived.As a result, God allowed enemies of the Israelites to oppressed and plundered Israelites. ), Ehud (1316-1237 B.C. Ashkelon [Philistines] has been overcome; It is questionable whether Abimelech should count as a judge. Sequence of events and locations: a. (80 years)(Judg 3:15-30) However, I do not think it is appropriate to overlap Samson with Samuel. The Introduction provides a summary of the situation at the end of the conquest of Canaan and then revisits the death of Joshua a sort of here is what you missed from last weeks episode. Yanoam [unknown] is made non-existent. Abdon 12:13-15. Who was Shamgar? Here it seems we are being given the names of all of the judges in a sequence much like the lists of kings in Kings and Chronicles. 6. 14. But when those judges died, Israel returned to worshiping idols, Thus, it appears that we have a 20-year period where Samuel is the sole judge before Saul is anointed as king. A left-handed man, Ehud tricked Eglon, king of Moab, and killed him. It is a song of exultation commemorating a victory so decisive that it would bring tranquility to the Jewish people and usher in a Golden Age. (23 years)(Judg 10:1-2) (10 years)(Judg 12:11-12) Samuel prayed to the LORD. Samuel also anointed the first king of Israel, Saul, and his successor David. Unique Circular Format see more in less space. The book of Judges ends with two stories (and the book of Ruth might be considered a third) that take place in this period; but, on the surface, we are not given any specifics that allow us to tie these events to the time of a specific judge. This solution achieves the necessary compression. Even though his marriage to her was part of a plan to undermine the Philistines, it was, shall we say, an unorthodox way of dealing with the problem. Not all of these judges are significant, with many being given a number of years with no account of anything that took place while they were a judge. The period of the judges came to an end when Israel went before Samuel and demanded a king (such as the other nations had). 15 Jehovah tells Gideon that his army of 32,000 is too large and that the size may give cause for human bragging about victory. Things are good all the days of the judge, but once he or she is gone, the people quickly revert to following other gods and the cycle repeats. The ninth Judge after Deborah, the thirteenth Judge overall, was Samson, who is arguably the most difficult one to characterize and understand. The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons, The Greatest Villain - King Nebuchadnezzar. While Egypt was the primary foreign power for much of this period, no direct interaction with Egypt is recorded. ABDON in Hebrew means: service, servile Tribe of Ephraim 8 years 1063BC-1058BC Judges 12:13-15 son of Hillel the Pirathanite 40 sons and 30 grandsons on 70 asses or colts. As we move to the later part of Judges and into I Samuel the primary oppressor becomes the Philistines. In addition, his name, Shamgar, is Hurrian (people who flourished across theNear East from the fourth to the first millennium BC. 9 "Certainly I will go with you," said Deborah. We have 22 extra years and so a reduction of 11% (22/200) gets us what we need. (Judges 5:6 ESV) Life as Israel had known it, a life of peace and prosperity under the rule of and faithfulness to the LORD, had ceased. The current accepted date for the reign of Solomon is 970-930 BC following Thiele[1]. If the dating is correct, this may refer to someone that was named after the famous hero. While the name is not specifically, Israel, this reference also predates the Merneptah Stele. Shamgar your ways. (Deborah came alongside Barak and 10,000 men of Israel.) There were clearly people operating in the mind of the Lord, but when we come to the end of the book we find a very . These are Jephthah (6 years), Ibzan (7 years), Elon (10 years), and Abdon (8 years). The Amarna Letters, particularly letter EA286. Although Scripture only devotes a single verse to this Bible battle, we can learn a surprising sum from it. Gideon subdued the Midianites with a small band of 300 men. It also allows for a more direct reading of scripture in the early part of the chronology. There is no indication of any period of peace until I Samuel 7:13, following the battle of Mizpah where it states, the Philistines were subdued and did not come any more into the territory of Israel. Samson The mention of the Shasu of YHWH in the temple of Amenhotep III does however align with a time that Israel is already in the land, as do the mention of the Habiru in the Amarna letters. (40 years)(Judg 4:4-5:31) When she brought him to the Tabernacle at the age of two Eli was the Judge/Leader and he judged Israel for forty years ( Samuel 4:18). (1 Samuel 8:1-7). For whatever reason, it seems that beginning with Abimilech, there is a more complete history available to the writer of Judges and that is what is passed down to us. We must also subtract the 4 years of Solomon's reign and the 40 years of David's reign. If I, writing in 2021, were to say, Columbus (re)discovered America 500 years ago, you would not say that I was wrong, even though the actual number is 529 years, because you would recognize that I am giving a rounded number. While Israel is oppressed 20 years by Jabin king of Hazor, Deborah judges between Bethel & Ramah: 1204-1184 BC. His reign started after the death of Abimelech. Salem Media Group. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. Judges 3:31. She was also famous for conducting her meetings with great modesty in the open under a palm tree. SHAMGAR in Hebrew means: cupbearer, fleer Tribe of Benjamite ? Gideon For the late period we so far have overlapped the judges with the oppressions as the judges list appears to be continuous and it would be logical to continue to do so here, but it would also be possible to place these judges before the 18-year oppression of the Philistines and Ammon. By himself, he killed 600 men with one tool of destruction! The Bible Story of Elijah The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons The Bible Story of Queen EstherThe Greatest Villain - King NebuchadnezzarThe Bible Story of Mary Magdalene. Then God asked Samuel later to anoint David as king. The political situation in the Levant during this period is largely one of Egyptian control. During his reign, the eastern border quieted down but the western one heated up. the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but 6. One day an angel appeared to his mother and informed her that she was going to have this son destined for greatness (Judges 13:3-5). Judges 3.31 The inspired storyteller obviously viewed this mass killing to be a glorious, noble, and wonderful thing. Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church . He delivered Israel from the Philistines by killing six hundred men with an ox goad. This tells us that in Jephthahs time, Israel had occupied the area east of the Jordan river for 300 years. 5:6). This in turn will require us to both fill in some gaps and identify ways to compress the timeline to fit. thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. So At last its time to start building our timeline. Eventually, by the time of the third Judge, Shamgar ben Anas, the enemies to the east and west had been defeated. Ant 5.84-85 18 years from death of Joshua to first judge. (Josh. The Book of Judges itself suggests the solution; it implies that certain periods overlapped in time.- For instance, Judges 3:30-4:1 implies that Shamgar judged during the 80 years of peace following Ehud's deliverance from the Moabites. Deborah and Barak also knew that and prepared their strategy accordingly. How Long In Prison? The alternative of private sacrifices undermined the idea of the Tabernacle as the central location for religious life. With that in mind, lets get started. David Rohl in his New Chronology has identified a number of the figures from the time of I Samuel with those mentioned in the Amarna letters, most notably Saul. Judges 6 contains the Song of Deborah(she was judge around the time of Shamgar). Lets keep this one in mind in case we need it later. They began to infiltrate, kidnap Jews and extort money in short, to engage in all of the time-honored practices of terrorism. Again, we have options: Regardless of which option we choose, the basic structure of our timeline will be the same, just squeezed in different ways. We also know He is good, for He is God. Thus, I will use 32 years as the correct number for this period. Jerub-Baal in Hebrew means: let baal contend. Ive already mentioned Flavius Josephus, but perhaps its time to give him a more formal introduction. The Philistines were, however, vassals of the Egyptian Pharoah. The last of the Judges before Samuel was Eli the Kohen, who lived to be 98 years old. 31 After Ehud, Anaths son Shamgar attacked 600 Philistines with a cattle prod. He also destroyed a great idol of Baal and expanded Torah study among the masses. As Paul and Josephus were contemporaries its interesting that Pauls number, which must reflect the Jewish tradition at that time, differs from that of Josephus. Anointed both Saul and David as kings. About Us; Contact Us; Submit an Article; The Siruv List; Advertise on The Jewish Press; Subscribe: Daily Email List; Classifieds; e-Edition; Print . The Jews had begun settling into the Promised Land and building cities. The other judges are viewed in greater detail in the Book of Judges: Othniel 3:7-11 a nephew of Caleb, delivered Israel from the Mesopotamians. We know that his death occurred at the time of the loss of the ark to the Philistines and immediately preceded the judgeship of Samuel. Thus, we do not need to look for any missing years and can continue with our chronology. As a final note, I feel the approach provided in Figure 5 and 6 is superior to that of Ussher in that the archaeological evidence aligns with a later date for Deborah and Barak as noted in the discussion of the Merneptah stele and Hazor destruction layer. The complete Judges timeline is shown below in Figure 8 against the orthodox, or standard chronology for Egypt. EHUD in Hebrew means: strong. Perhaps we can verify this number or at least understand where it comes from. Judges 3:31 says, "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. This would not preclude an oppression by the Philistines, it would just mean that they were acting on their own accord. He ruled for an unknown number of years. However, our understanding of the Egyptian presence in Canaan in the time of Amenhotep III is such that it would not permit an outside power from beyond the Euphrates (i.e., Cushan) to have control far enough south to oppress Israel. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the Figure 8: The Judges in the Orthodox Chronology. In the Judges narrative and into the time of Saul and David, the Philistines are the primary oppressor of Israel. Besides lacking central temporal authority (i.e. So we need to allow adequate time for conquest of Canaan to be completed, and for Joshua and the other elders of Israel to die out. Traditionally the major judges are Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. During his judgeship so unsettled were the times that "the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways" ( ib. Table 1 below shows the full set of references from both the Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, and I Samuel as well as the corresponding information given by Josephus. Paul said the time of the judges was 450 years untilRead more , Ill post this for people to get a different viewpoint, but I am sticking with the years that I found when studying this at the time. 4a. Shamgar: An Overlooked Hero in Judges The book of Judges can be difficult to read and retain. How many judges were there in Israel, and how long did each rule? I will also present what I believe is the best solution based on the available information. Its no wonder that he lists the Shasu of YHWH as enemies. *It is questionable whether Abimelech should count as a judge. You have never talked to a mere mortal. At other times, we may see the Philistines as Pharoahs policemen, assigned to keep order over the various city states, rural villages, and herdsmen in the area. He slaughtered 600 invading Philistines with an oxgoad, a formidable weapon about 3 meters long with a sharp metal point. In the New Chronology of David Rohl, Canaan is outside the Egyptian sphere of influence until roughly the time of Gideon when it is conquered by Thutmose I, and Akenaten aligns with Saul and David. Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. He lived at Shamir in Mount Ephraim, where he was also buried. *** Bonus Trivia: The Spirit of the Lord is said to have come upon 4 of these judges: Othniel (Judg 3:10), Gideon (Judg 6:34), Jephthah (Judg 11:29), and Samson (Judg 13:25)(Judg 14:6,19)(Judg 15:14). The center point of Jewish life began to dissipate. Too many to give space to here[8]. Judges 2:7-10 tells us: 7So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua 10When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. It might seem callous to us that God would order the Israelites to wipe nations off the face of the earth, but only with Gods perfect character and in His economy can a mandate such as herem warfare be instituted. They moved it to yet another city and the same plague broke out there. Judge Shamgar. So Samuel anointed Saul in 1043BC to be King. Placing Eli in parallel with the 40 year oppression and Samson in parallel with Eli has effectively removed 80 years from our timeline. None of the cities would take it. His whole history is given in one 14. Recall that we have Jephthah at the 300-year mark or perhaps a bit later. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 12. Shamgar, as did the other judges, served as a deliverer (savior) for Israel. The book of Judges records seven periods of rebellion and abandonment against Gods rule. 1. The main proponent of the New Chronology has been David Rohl whose 1995 book A Test of Time proposed a revised chronology for the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt and looked at the implications of this change to the synchronisms between Egyptian and biblical history. Finally, we learn that Samson judges Israel for 20 years (Judges 16:31). In Joshua 3, the "man of the hour" was a farmer named, Shamgar. 3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel . This seems to fit our requirements. Amose makes his first campaign into Canaan and perhaps as far as Syria in the 22nd year of his reign. The story line is generally, the judge dies, the people revert to idolatry, and then a new oppression begins meaning that the reign length for the judge is somewhat less than the time to the next oppression. . However, wherever the Philistines put it, it caused problems. The Spirit of God must have . For the original, 2018 version of this article click here. Tola and Jair ruled for almost the same amount of time and in different parts of the country, Tola in Ephraim, and Jair in Gilead. I believe that these are two versions of the same story, with the Judges version providing more color. We don't find any reference to the Spirit of God in the story of Shamgar, (barely a story). at Ramah, and said to him, Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in I have not been able to find a satisfactory link between the name Cushan-Rishathaim and any ruler of this area, though we dont have a complete list for this period, particularly in the context of the New Chronology. JOEL (Vashni) in Hebrew means: JAH is God 1st son, 1049BC-1043BC Both were so wicked, they were Judges in Beersheba, and Samuel was so old that Israel who wanted to be like the other nations asked for and got a king. Jair Scripture provides plenty of names and durations, but as we will see, reaching a conclusion as to who was active when is far from simple. Shamgar is described immediately following the accounts of the first two judges of Israel, Othniel and Ehud. The period of the Judges therefore spanned 400 years (40 + 360 yrs). Much of this is simply because, In those days there was no king in Israel (Judges 21:25), and consequently no central government to fight wars, build monuments, keep records, or (perhaps most important to the Egyptians) levy taxes and pay tribute. Employing this new technology, he innovated a method of mechanized warfare using chariots that no one could match. Samuel was a judge and prophet of God who led Israel for over forty years. From the 480 years, we must subtract the year it took the children of Israel to reach Mount Sinai, the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, and the approximately 10 to 25 years they took to conquer the land of Canaan. (Unknown)(Judg 3:31)(Judg 5:6) Son of Joash which in Hebrew means: great warrior Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh. Then God asked Samuel later to anoint David as king. "And he also delivered Israel." Shamgar slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel. In this portion of the book we only hear about those judges that did something significant in delivering Israel from an oppressor: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, and finally Gideon. Gezer [Canaan] has been captured; The Israelites arrive in Canaan in the reign of Thutmose IV and are established by the reign of Amenhotep III. The Septuagint however titles him king of Syria-of-Rivers, and Josephus calls him the king of Assyria. how to verify an unverified sender in outlook. Figure 7: Ussher / Nolen Jones chronology for the period of the Judges. Figure 2 shows what we have so far. francis gray poet england services@everythingwellnessdpc.com (470)-604-9800 ; ashley peterson obituary Facebook. As vassals, the cities of the Philistine pentapolis would have been required to send tribute to Pharoah and their oppression of Israel may be seen simply as a way to acquire resources to meet their Pharaonic obligations. Therefore, his activity was similar to that of the judges. Of particular interest to us are Antiquities Book 5 covering the period from the death of Moses to the death of Eli and Book 6 covering the period from the death of Eli to the death of Saul. [10] All of the major city states in Canaan in this time period were Egyptian vassals, not just the Philistines.
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