Judges and Ruth Kenneth C. Way Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton General Editors Illustrating the Text Kevin and Sherry Harney Associate Editors Joshua Blunt Contributing Writer C Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) © 2016 by Kenneth C. Way Illustrating the Text sections © 2016 by Baker Publishing Group Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Way, Kenneth C., author. Title: Judges and Ruth / Kenneth C. Way. Other titles: Ruth Description: Grand Rapids : Baker Books, 2016. | Series: Teach the text commentary series | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016009295 | ISBN 9780801092152 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Judges—Commentaries. | Bible. Ruth—Commentaries. Classification: LCC BS1305.53 .W39 2016 | DDC 222/.307—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016009295 Unless otherwise indicated, illustrations and maps are copyright © Baker Publishing Group. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan and Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com; Biblica.com. Italics in the NIV text have been added by the author for emphasis. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offices by Biblica, Inc.™ Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011 Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permis- sion. (www.Lockman.org) Scripture quotations labeled NJPS are from the New Jewish Publication Society Version © 1985 by The Jewish Publication Society. All rights reserved. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) To my precious children: Schuyler, Bradford, and Lila. May you and your generation do what is right in the eyes of the Lord� Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Contents Welcome to the Teach the Text Additional Insights .............................79 Commentary Series ........................ ix Angel of the Lord | Hebrews 11 Introduction to the Teach the Text and Hermeneutics Commentary Series ........................ xi Judges 8:33–9:57 ..................................81 Abimelek Preface ..................................................xiii Judges 10:6–16 .....................................89 Abbreviations ...................................... xv Israel’s Problem Judges 10:17–11:28 .............................95 Introduction to Judges .........................1 Jephthah’s Rise Judges 1:1–2:5 ......................................13 Judges 11:29–12:7 ............................. 101 Military Failure Jephthah’s Fall Judges 2:6–3:6 ......................................20 Judges 3:31; 10:1–5; 12:8–15 ......... 108 Religious Failure Minor Judges Additional Insights .............................26 Judges 13:1–25 .................................. 115 Giants | Bronze Age Cities | Baal Samson’s Beginning ....................................... Judges 3:7–11 28 Judges 14:1–20 .................................. 122 Othniel Samson’s Marriage Judges 3:12–30 .....................................34 Judges 15:1–20 .................................. 129 Ehud Samson’s Revenge Judges 4:1–24 .......................................41 Judges 16:1–31 .................................. 136 Prose Account of Deborah and Barak Samson’s End Judges 5:1–31 .......................................49 Judges 17:1–13 .................................. 144 Poetic Account of Deborah and Barak Micah’s Shrine Additional Insights .............................56 Judges 18:1–31 .................................. 151 Women in the Book of Judges Danite Migration Judges 6:1–32 .......................................58 Judges 19:1–30 .................................. 158 Gideon’s Rise The Levite’s Concubine Judges 6:33–7:25 ..................................65 Judges 20:1–48 .................................. 165 Gideon’s Battle Israel versus Benjamin Judges 8:1–32 .......................................72 Judges 21:1–25 .................................. 172 Gideon’s Demise Wives for Benjamin vii Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Introduction to Ruth ....................... 179 Ruth 4:1–22 ........................................ 208 Ruth 1:1–22 ........................................ 186 Redemption and Marriage for a The Widows Return after a Bitter Past Blessed Future Ruth 2:1–23 ........................................ 194 Ruth’s Initiative and the Character Notes ................................................... 215 of Boaz Bibliography ...................................... 229 Ruth 3:1–18 ........................................ 201 Contributors ...................................... 242 Naomi’s Initiative and the Character Index .................................................... 243 of Ruth Contents viii Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Welcome to the Teach the Text Commentary Series Why another commentary series? That was the question the general editors posed when Baker Books asked us to produce this series. Is there something that we can offer to pastors and teachers that is not currently being offered by other commentary series, or that can be offered in a more helpful way? After carefully researching the needs of pastors who teach the text on a weekly basis, we concluded that yes, more can be done; the Teach the Text Commentary Series (TTCS) is carefully designed to fill an important gap. The technicality of modern commentaries often overwhelms readers with details that are tangential to the main purpose of the text. Discussions of source and redaction criticism, as well as detailed surveys of secondary lit- erature, seem far removed from preaching and teaching the Word. Rather than wade through technical discussions, pastors often turn to devotional commentaries, which may contain exegetical weaknesses, misuse the Greek and Hebrew languages, and lack hermeneutical sophistication. There is a need for a commentary that utilizes the best of biblical scholarship but also presents the material in a clear, concise, attractive, and user-friendly format. This commentary is designed for that purpose—to provide a ready reference for the exposition of the biblical text, giving easy access to information that a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. To that end, the commentary ix Kenneth C. Way, Judges and Ruth Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2016. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) is divided into carefully selected preaching units (with carefully regulated word counts both in the passage as a whole and in each subsection). Pastors and teachers engaged in weekly preparation thus know that they will be reading approximately the same amount of material on a week-by-week basis. Each passage begins with a concise summary of the central message, or “Big Idea,” of the passage and a list of its main themes. This is followed by a more detailed interpretation of the text, including the literary context of the passage, historical background material, and interpretive insights. While drawing on the best of biblical scholarship, this material is clear, concise, and to the point. Technical material is kept to a minimum, with endnotes pointing the reader to more detailed discussion and additional resources. A second major focus of this commentary is on the preaching and teaching process itself. Few commentaries today help the pastor/teacher move from the meaning of the text to its effective communication. Our goal is to bridge this gap. In addition to interpreting the text in the “Understanding the Text” section, each unit contains a “Teaching the Text” section and an “Illustrating the Text” section. The teaching section points to the key theological themes of the passage and ways to communicate these themes to today’s audiences. The illustration section provides ideas and examples for retaining the interest of hearers and connecting the message to daily life. The creative format of this