| Preface | xi | |
| Abbreviations | xiii | |
| General bibliography | xix | |
| Introduction | ||
| 1. | The Title | 1 |
| 2. | Division and Characteristics | 4 |
| 3. | Redaction of the 'Main Body' | 5 |
| 4. | Chronology | 6 |
| 5. | Text and Translations | 12 |
| Commentary | ||
| Part 1 | Traditions on the Conquest (1.1-2.5) | 15 |
| Part 2 | The 'Main Body' of the Book (2.6-16.31) | 35 |
| 2.6-3.6 The Deuteronomistic Introduction | 37 | |
| 3.7-11 The Judge Othniel | 45 | |
| 3.2-30 The Judge Ehud | 48 | |
| 3.31 Shamgar ben Anath | 57 | |
| 4-5 Deborah and Barak as Judges | 60 | |
| (a) | Chapter 4 | 60 |
| (b) | Chapter 5 | 79 |
| 6-8 Gideon | 102 | |
| (i) | The Calling and Mission of Gideon (ch. 6) | 109 |
| (a) | The Midianite oppression (6.1-10) | 109 |
| (b) | Gideon and the altar at Ophrah (6.11-24) | 113 |
| (c) | Gideon destroys the sanctuary of Baal at Ophrah (6.25-32) | 122 |
| (d) | The call to arms against Midian (6.33-35) | 129 |
| (e) | The test of the fleece (6.36-40) | 131 |
| (ii) | Campaign in Cisjordan (7.1-8.3) | 134 |
| (a) | The troops of the tribal league and the three hundred Abiezrites (7.1-8) | 134 |
| (b) | Favourable omens (7.9-15) | 140 |
| (c) | The attack (7.16-22) | 142 |
| (d) | The capture of two princes of Midian (7.23-8.3) | 146 |
| (iii) | Campaign in Transjordan (8.4-35) | 148 |
| (a) | Gideon in Transjordan (8.4-12) | 148 |
| (b) | Gideon's feud and vendetta (8.13-21) | 153 |
| (c) | Anti-monarchical epilogue (8.22-32) | 157 |
| (d) | Conclusion (8.33-35) | 161 |
| 9.1-57 The Reign of Abimelech | 162 | |
| (a) | Abimelech becomes king (9.1-6) | 166 |
| (b) | Jotham's apologue (9.7, 8-15) | 171 |
| (c) | Jotham's speech (9.[7] 16-21) | 171 |
| (d) | First difficulties between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (9.22-25) | 179 |
| (e) | Gaal's conspiracy (9.26-29) | 183 |
| (f) | Abimelech's first campaign (9.30-41) | 186 |
| (g) | The second campaign and the destruction of Shechem (9.42-45) | 190 |
| (h) | The destruction of the 'Tower of Shechem' (9.46-49) | 191 |
| (i) | The death of Abimelech (9.50-55) | 193 |
| (j) | Final comments (9.56f.) | 193 |
| 10.1-5 The First List of 'Minor' Judges | 195 | |
| 10.6-12.7 Jephthah | 201 | |
| (a) | Prologue: Deuteronomistic introduction (10.6-18) | 201 |
| (b) | The appointment of Jephthah (10.17-11.11) | 203 |
| (c) | The delegation to the Ammonites (11.12-28) | 208 |
| (d) | Jephthah's vow (11.29-40) | 213 |
| (e) | The civil war between Gideon and Ephraim (12.1-7) | 219 |
| 12.8-15 The Second List of 'Minor' Judges | 223 | |
| 13-16 Samson | 225 | |
| (a) | The miraculous birth (ch. 13) | 232 |
| (b) | Samson's first wedding (ch. 14) | 237 |
| (c) | Samson, incendiary and warrior (ch. 15) | 244 |
| (d) | Other exploits and the death of Samson (ch. 16) | 250 |
| Part 3 | Appendix on Various Themes (chs. 17-21) | 261 |
| 17-18 The Migration of Dan and the Origins of its Sanctuary | 264 | |
| (a) | Micah's idol (17.1-6) | 264 |
| (b) | The levite, Micah's priest (17.7-13) | 266 |
| (c) | The Danites explore (18.1-7) | 270 |
| (d) | The beginning of the Danite migration (18.8-13) | 273 |
| (e) | The capture of Micah's image (18.14-21) | 274 |
| (f) | Micah's reaction (18.22-26) | 275 |
| (g) | The capture of Laish (18.27-31) | 275 |
| 19-21 The Civil War against Benjamin | 279 | |
| (a) | The levite and his concubine (19.1-9) | 283 |
| (b) | The arrival at Gibeah (19.10-21) | 285 |
| (c) | The outrage of the Gibeonites (19.22-28) | 287 |
| (d) | The publicity given to the outrage (19.29f.) | 289 |
| (e) | The assembly of the tribes of Israel (20.1-11) | 289 |
| (f) | The demands made on the Benjaminites (20.12-17) | 291 |
| (g) | The first two battles and defeats (20.18-28) | 292 |
| (h) | The third battle and the Israelite victory (20.29-48) | 293 |
| (i) | Women of Jabesh for Benjamin (21.1-14) | 297 |
| (j) | The rape of the women of Shiloh (21.15-25) | 298 |
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