Judges 3:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

NIV: So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

NASB: Then the land was at rest for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

CSB: Then the land had peace for forty years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.

NLT: So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

KJV: And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

NKJV: So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

God has empowered the first of what will be 12 named judges—deliverers, serving as military and civic leaders—in this book. God uses Othniel (Judges 3:9–10) to free Israel from eight years of suffering under the rule of a foreign king. God does this by placing the Spirit of the Lord on Othniel to empower him to do what would normally be impossible for one mere mortal man.

Now we're told that a time of rest followed this great victory. This is the pattern of the era of the judges: so long as the judge lived, the land continued to be protected (Judges 2:18). Othniel lived another 40 years after the struggle against Cushan-rishathaim, and the people of Israel had peace for those four decades. Forty years was often used as a way of saying "one generation." After Othniel died, however, the pattern repeated.

Judges 3:7–11 describes Israel's first cycle of rebellion and rescue. The very first generation after Joshua forgets the Lord and serves the Canaanite gods known as Baals and Asheroth. In anger, God allows them to be conquered and enslaved by the king of Mesopotamia. The people cry out to God eight years later, and He raises up the first "judge:" Othniel, Caleb's nephew. He leads the people to victory over the Mesopotamians. This is followed by forty years of peace.

God leaves several Canaanite nations in and around the Promised Land to test Israel's reliance on Him. Some live among the people, others are part of unconquered territories. The Israelites immediately ignore God's commands and begin serving other gods. First, the Lord subjects them to Mesopotamia. After eight years, the first judge, Othniel, leads them to victory and peace. Israel again rebels and is conquered by Moab for 18 years. Ehud's brutal assassination of the Moabite king sparks another period of freedom and peace. In a single brief statement, the obscure Shamgar is celebrated for his victory.

After Israel's failure to complete their mission, as described in chapters 1 and 2, chapter 3 begins by describing the idolatrous nations God left intact to test Israel. In the first of many such cycles, the people sin, are conquered, then are rescued by a "judge." This chapter describes the victories of Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Chapter 4 mentions the first of the truly famous names among the judges, describing the careers of Deborah and Barak. This is followed in chapter 6, which introduces Gideon.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).

Accessed 5/8/2024 6:36:19 PM