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Introduction
to Judges
Introduction
INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES
The
title of this book in the Hebrew copies is Sepher Shophetim, the Book of
Judges; but the Syriac and Arabic interpreters call it,
"the
Book of the Judges of the Children of Israel;'
and
the Septuagint only Judges; so called, not because it was written by them,
though some think it was compiled out of annals and diaries kept by them; but
it seems to be the work of one person only: the true reason of its name is,
because it treats of the judges of Israel, gives an account of their lives and
actions, and especially such as concerned their office; which office was
different from that of kings, and seems only to have been occasional, and
chiefly lay in delivering the people out of the hands of their enemies, when
oppressed, distressed, or carried captive by them; in protecting them in the
enjoyment of their country, rights, and liberties; in leading out their armies
against their enemies when needful; and in settling differences, judging law
suits, and administering justice. The government of the nation, during their
time, was a theocracy. It is not certain who was the penman of this book; some
ascribe it to King Hezekiah, others to Ezra; but the Jewish writersF1
are generally of opinion that it was written by Samuel, which is most likely,
who was the last of the judges; and it seems plainly to be written before the
times of David, us appears from a speech of Joab, 2 Samuel 11:21; and
from some passages in Psalm 68:8, which
seem to refer or allude to Judges 5:4; and
from Jerusalem being called Jebus, which shows it to be inhabited by the
Jebusites in the time of the writer of this book, whereas it was taken out of
their hands by David; besides, Samuel himself refers to the annals of this
book; 1 Samuel 12:9; and
from whose testimonies, as well as from others in the New Testament, there is
no doubt to be made of its being genuine and authentic, and written by divine
inspiration; as is evident from the use the Apostle Paul, and the author of the
epistle to the Hebrews, have made of it, Acts 13:20; it is
useful as an history, and without which the history of the people of Israel
would not be complete; it containing an account of all their judges, excepting
the two last, Eli and Samuel, of whom an account is given in the following
books, and of some facts incidental to those times, related in an appendix at
the end of it, concerning the idol of Micah, and the war of Benjamin; and
furnishes out many useful moral observations concerning God's displeasure at
sin in his own people Israel, and his corrections for it; and about his
providential care of them in raising up for them deliverers in their time of
need, as well as points at various virtues and excellencies in great and good
men, worthy of imitation. It contains, according to Piscator, Dr. Lightfoot,
and others, an history of two hundred ninety and nine years.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.