A Proposed Chronology of the Judges Era

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A Proposed Chronology of the Judges Era A Proposed Chronology of the Judges Era Bruno Kolberg Abstract The judges were the pre-monarchic rulers in Israel. Dating the events of that era, though, is difficult. This is because the periods of oppression and rulership in the book of Judges, when added together, exceed the chronological space available by several decades. That space falls within the longer period of 1 Kings 6:1, which states that Solomon’s temple was founded in the 480th year after the Exodus. Because the time periods do not fit consecutively, those who accept the historical accuracy of both 1 Kings 6:1 and the judges era data conclude that overlapping oppressions and / or rulerships occurred. However, no consensus exists on which oppressors / rulers overlapped and by how much. A chronology of the era is there- fore considered by many to be unattainable. This study proposes a solution based on two guiding principles. First, the six cycles of oppression and deliverance that characterize the era follow consecutively without significant gaps (each cycle heroes a “major judge”). Second, the other leaders in those six cycles (the “minor judges,” Abimelech, Eli, and Samuel) all ruled during periods of oppression. The six cycles therefore fix the chronology of the era. Published Apr, 2020 — Revised Jun, 2021 Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................. 7 Era of the Judges .................................................................................................................. 7 A Chronology Problem ........................................................................................................ 7 Outline of the Study ............................................................................................................. 9 Egyptian Chronology ......................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 – Six Cycles of Oppression and Deliverance .......................................... 12 Relative and Absolute Chronologies ................................................................................. 14 Chapter 3 – Cushan-Rishathaim and Othniel (Cycle 1) ......................................... 16 Chapter 4 – Eglon and Ehud (Cycle 2) ..................................................................... 19 Shamgar and the Minor Rulers .......................................................................................... 20 “The Land had Rest” and Egyptian Imperialism in Syria-Palestine .................................. 22 Israel in Canaan: Why the Textual and Archaeological Silence?...................................... 23 Chapter 5 – Jabin and Deborah / Shamgar (Cycle 3) ............................................. 24 Shamgar and Jael in the Song of Deborah ......................................................................... 26 Psalm 83: Sisera and Endor ............................................................................................... 26 Chapter 6 – Midian and Gideon (Cycle 4) ............................................................... 28 The Gideon Narrative: A Turning Point ............................................................................ 29 The Omission of “again” in Judges 6:1 ............................................................................. 30 Chapter 7 – Abimelech, Tola, and Jair ..................................................................... 31 Abimelech: A Self-Proclaimed King ................................................................................. 31 The Third Longest Story .................................................................................................... 32 Tola the Son of Puah .......................................................................................................... 33 Jair the Gileadite ................................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 8 – Philistines / Ammonites and Jephthah (Cycle 5) ................................ 35 Outline of Jephthah’s Story ............................................................................................... 37 Chapter 9 – Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon ........................................................................ 38 Ibzan of Bethlehem ............................................................................................................ 38 Elon the Zebulonite ............................................................................................................ 38 Abdon of Pirathon .............................................................................................................. 39 Chapter 10 – Philistine Oppression (Cycle 6) .......................................................... 40 The Scope of “Israel” and the “Land Had Rest” in the Book of Judges ........................... 41 Chapter 11 – Origin of the Philistines ...................................................................... 42 Merneptah’s Karnak Reliefs and the Siege of Ashkelon ................................................... 44 2 Chapter 12 – The Collapse of Civilizations .............................................................. 45 Initial Impact on Israel ....................................................................................................... 46 Subsequent Impact on Israel .............................................................................................. 47 The Minor Judges Were Not Divinely Called ................................................................... 48 More Than Six Minor Judges May Have Ruled ................................................................ 49 Chapter 13 – Samson the Judge ................................................................................ 50 Locating Samson’s Timeline in the Judges Chronology ................................................... 50 Some Observations on Samson .......................................................................................... 51 Samson and the Danite Migration ..................................................................................... 52 Chapter 14 – Eli the Priest ......................................................................................... 56 Eli’s 40-Year Judgeship ..................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 15 – Samuel: Prophet and Judge ................................................................ 58 Samuel’s Introduction to the Lord ..................................................................................... 59 Chapter 16 – Israel’s Time in Canaan before Cushan-Rishathaim ....................... 61 Joshua’s Age When the Land was Divided ....................................................................... 62 The Census, and the Age Difference Between Joshua and Caleb ..................................... 63 The Duration of Joshua’s Rule in Extra-Biblical Texts .................................................... 64 Life Expectancy of Israelites in Joshua’s Generation ....................................................... 65 The Sinful Generation ........................................................................................................ 66 Chapter 17 – The Time Interval Between the End of Cycle 6 and Saul ................ 67 Synchronism #1: The Battle of Qarqar and Israel (the Northern Kingdom) ..................... 67 Synchronism #2: Sennacherib Invades Judah (the Southern Kingdom) ............................ 70 Thiele’s Original Pattern.................................................................................................... 70 Northern Kingdom Problems ............................................................................................. 72 The Southern Kingdom ...................................................................................................... 74 Sennacherib’s Campaign to Judah ..................................................................................... 74 Chronology of Saul, David, and Solomon ......................................................................... 77 The “King of Nineveh” in Jonah ....................................................................................... 79 Chapter 18 – Chronology from the Exodus to Solomon’s Fourth Year ................ 81 Chapter 19 – Jephthah’s 300 Years .......................................................................... 83 The Sabbath-Jubilee Year Calendar .................................................................................. 86 Jephthah’s Figure of 300 Years ......................................................................................... 87 Jephthah’s 300 Years and the Date of the Exodus ............................................................ 88 Chapter 20 – Paul’s 450 Years in Acts 13:20 ........................................................... 90 450 Years “Until Samuel the Prophet” .............................................................................. 90 The Accusative and Dative Cases ...................................................................................... 91 400 Years of Affliction ...................................................................................................... 92 Why 400 Years and Not 430 Years? ................................................................................. 94 Chapter 21 – The (Israel) Stela of Merneptah ........................................................
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