What does Judges 10:1 mean?

Abimelech's reign as king of the region around the city of Shechem ended with his violent death (Judges 9:52–54). This brought a sad end to the story of his father Gideon, whom God had raised up as a judge and deliverer over Israel (Judges 8:28).

The book of Judges uses the Hebrew term sōpetim', from the root word shaphat, which is translated into English as "judge." The Hebrew word means much more than a legal authority, including concepts of vindication, vengeance, defense, rescue, and advocacy. So far, Scripture has described Israel's rescue by people like Gideon and Ehud with extended narratives. The first verses of chapter 10 mention two men who served as judges, though little information is provided about them. Some scholars refer to these as "minor" or "secondary" judges.

The first new judge mentioned is a man named Tola. He arose to save Israel after the time of Abimelech. It's possible his rescue involved resolving the chaos brought about by Abimelech's viciousness in and around Shechem.

Nothing is known of Tola's father Puah or his grandfather Dodo. He was from the tribe of Issachar and given the same name as one of the original Issachar's four sons (Genesis 46:13). However, Tola operated from a town called Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. Some scholars suggest Shamir later became Samaria, but this is uncertain. Shamir was likely not far from Shechem.