Sources: Judges 1–21; 1 Samuel 1–8; Ruth.

The period of the Judges (~1380–1050 BC) is presented by the Deuteronomistic historian through a rigidly recurring cycle: Israel abandons YHWH → God allows oppression by neighboring peoples → Israel cries out → God raises a judge (deliverer) → peace during the judge’s lifetime → Israel again abandons YHWH → repeat. This sin-oppression-cry-deliverance-rest cycle (Judges 2:11–19) is the theological framework that interprets all the material. The “judges” (shofetim) are not judicial figures but charismatic military deliverers empowered by the Spirit of God: Othniel, Ehud (left-handed assassin), Deborah (the only female judge, also a prophet — Judges 4–5), Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. Deborah’s leadership is theologically significant: she is explicitly called a prophet (4:4) and leads the military victory; the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) is one of the oldest texts in the Hebrew Bible. The book ends with two deeply disturbing episodes (Judges 17–21 — the Levite’s concubine and the near-extermination of Benjamin) introduced by the refrain “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” — a setup for the monarchy that follows.