Let's Get Judge-Mental!

Judges Chapter 1, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 36

Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: The very first verse of the book of Judges notes the Israelites asking the question, “Which of us shall be the first to go up against the Canaanites and attack them?” As Barry G. Webb notes in his book The Book of Judges: An Integrated Reading, this phrase will be asked again in slightly different forms in the middle and at the end of the book, giving the events of this book a sort of “envelope structure”.

Basic Plot: For the most part, this chapter deals with events we read about in the book of Joshua. The tribe of Judah, accompanied by the tribe of Simeon, decisively win a series of battles in the Promised Land against previous inhabitants. Once again, we find the account of Caleb and his daughter (now called “Achsah” instead of “Achash”), in which she marries Othniel and then demands — and receives — a gift of land. And we once again read that the land, contrary to certain passages in Joshua, is not completely free of foreign inhabitants, as certain Jebusites and numerous Canaanites remain. So much for the neat and tidy ending to the Book of Joshua.

What’s Strange: In a gruesome sign of things to come, the fighters of Judah conquer the city of Bezek, then capture the chief of the town — referred to as “Adoni-Bezek”, or the “lord of Bezek” — and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Why? According to Adoni-Bezek himself, it’s an appropriate punishment given his past indiscretions, as he says, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to pick up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has requited me.”

As unpleasant as this is, this kind of punishment, known as “a measure for a measure”, is pervasive in the Hebrew Bible. One of the better-known examples is when Jacob, who tricks his brother out of his birthright and his father into giving him blessings meant for Esau, is tricked by Laban out of marrying Rachel. Another is how the Egyptians, who drowns Israelite boys during their captivity, are forced to watch their soldiers drown in the Sea after the Israelites cross it. What’s rare about Adoni-Bezek is his voluntary admission that his punishment is fitting given his past behavior.

What’s Spectacular: We’ve entered a new book of the Hebrew Bible, and this chapter is a somewhat messy start. It’s sometimes hard to know whether the events described are chronological, and the anecdotes seem to be random. My theory is that this chapter is a veiled swipe at Joshua. For all of his successes, one thing Joshua neglects to do at the end of his life is endorse a successor. By contrast, once Moses realizes that he will die before entering the Promised Land, he entreats God to designate a new Israelite leader, which is how Joshua takes charge. And, as we’ve read, the transition between Moses and Joshua is practically seamless. Meanwhile, at the dawn of the Book of Judges, no one’s really in charge.

Spoiler alert: Though there are many ups and downs, this problem never really goes away in the book, leading to one of the most haunting sentences in the entire Bible. But we’ll have to get through the whole book to appreciate it to its full effect. Until next time …

Shabbat Shalom!