Judges

         "What was the role of Israel's judges in the Tribal Confederacy? Though translated as 'judge' (implying a person who presides in a court of law), the Hebrew word shofet is actually closer in meaning to 'ruler.' ... Hence the statement that so-and-so 'judged Israel' has a broad meaning. In the period following Joshua's death, a judge was primarily a military champion or 'deliverer.' Judges also arbitrated internal disagreements... the office of judge was nonhereditary. Judges were qualified to head the Tribal Confederacy by virtue of the divine charisma, or spiritual power..." [Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament, Abr. 4th ed., 1998), pp. 176f.]

        Covering the approximate years from 1200 to 1020 B.C., Judges "tells the story of a period of transition for the Israelite tribes. ... Both Moses and Joshua were dead. The age of greatness under the rule of David was yet to come. ... This is also the story of a new community emerging from disparate groups that were trying to create an entirely new pattern of life for their people. This new community was to be one in which all citizens had an equal range of opportunities. ... The book of Judges shows that the creation of this new society was an immense struggle. In the midst of revolutionary social upheaval, the Israelites found support in their belief that they were ruled by the Lord who took the side of the lowly against their oppressors. ... The book is really a composite work...illustrative of an important principle ...: Israel's future is a product of the loyalty that Israel owes to its Lord." [from the introduction to Judges in The New Oxford Annotated Bible, p. 300]

        Building on traditions of hundreds of years, a reediting of Judges occurred sometime after 587 B.C.