Judges 3 Study Notes: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar
God leaves nations in Canaan to test Israel, who intermarry with them and worship their gods. Othniel, empowered by the Spirit, frees Israel from Cushan-rishathaim; the left-handed Ehud kills Moab’s king Eglon and leads Israel to victory; and Shamgar kills Philistines using an oxgoad.
General
What did the LORD do when Israel called out to Him for help under Cushan-rishathaim (Judges 3:9)?
Answer: He gave them Othniel to rescue them
When Israel called out for help, the LORD raised Othniel up as their deliverer (3:9). The text names the LORD as the one who acted: Othniel did not appoint himself, and Israel had not earned its rescue. This is the pattern announced in 2:16 now played out for the first time. Later Scripture remembers the period the same way: when Israel cried out in distress, God in His great compassion gave them deliverers (Nehemiah 9:27; 1 Samuel 12:10-11).
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”When Israel cries out, the LORD raises up Othniel as a deliverer.
- Judges 2:16 (BSB)“Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.”Chapter 2 had announced that the LORD would raise up judges to save Israel.
- Nehemiah 9:27 (BSB)“So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.”Nehemiah’s prayer recalls that when Israel cried out in distress, God in compassion gave them deliverers.
- 1 Samuel 12:10-11 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’ So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel recalls Israel crying out and the LORD sending deliverers in response.
Theological
What was the LORD’s response to Israel’s cry under Cushan-rishathaim (Judges 3:9)?
Answer: He gave them Othniel to rescue them
Israel’s cry is met by the LORD’s initiative: He raises up Othniel as deliverer (3:9). The agency is entirely divine, fulfilling the programmatic statement of 2:16, and later Scripture interprets the whole era in the same terms: in compassion God answered Israel’s cries by giving deliverers (Nehemiah 9:27; 1 Samuel 12:10-11). Deliverance is God’s gift, not Israel’s achievement.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”When Israel cries out, the LORD raises up Othniel as a deliverer.
- Judges 2:16 (BSB)“Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.”Chapter 2 had announced that the LORD would raise up judges to save Israel.
- Nehemiah 9:27 (BSB)“So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.”Nehemiah’s prayer recalls that when Israel cried out in distress, God in compassion gave them deliverers.
- 1 Samuel 12:10-11 (BSB)“Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’ So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel recalls Israel crying out and the LORD sending deliverers in response.
General
After escaping from Eglon’s palace, Ehud rallied Israel to follow him. Whom did he say had given the Moabites into their hands (Judges 3:28)?
Answer: The LORD, who handed their enemies over
Ehud had killed Eglon in his upper room and escaped (3:21-26). He then sounded the ram’s horn in Ephraim’s hills, and as the Israelites gathered he told them to follow him because the LORD had given their Moabite enemies into their hands (3:27-28). Ehud did not credit his own daring; the victory was the LORD’s. Scripture repeats this truth often: the battle belongs to the LORD, who does not depend on weapons to save (1 Samuel 17:47); Israel did not take the land by its own strength (Psalm 44:3); and however carefully the horse is prepared, victory comes from the LORD (Proverbs 21:31).
- Judges 3:27-28 (BSB)“On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over.”Ehud rallies Israel and tells them that the LORD has given their Moabite enemies into their hands.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David declares that the battle is the LORD’s, who saves not by sword or spear.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”The psalm says Israel did not win the land by its own sword but by God’s power and favor.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”However carefully a horse is readied for battle, the victory comes from the LORD.
Theological
To whom does Ehud attribute the coming victory over Moab when he rallies Israel (Judges 3:28)?
Answer: The LORD, who handed their enemies over
Having killed Eglon and escaped (3:21-26), Ehud summons Israel with a blast on a ram’s horn, grounding his call in a declaration that the LORD has already handed Moab over to them (3:27-28). The deliverer points away from himself to the LORD, echoing the consistent biblical confession that the LORD owns the battle (1 Samuel 17:47), that Israel’s possession of the land was by God’s arm and favor (Psalm 44:3), and that victory belongs to the LORD (Proverbs 21:31).
- Judges 3:27-28 (BSB)“On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over.”Ehud rallies Israel and tells them that the LORD has given their Moabite enemies into their hands.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David declares that the battle is the LORD’s, who saves not by sword or spear.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”The psalm says Israel did not win the land by its own sword but by God’s power and favor.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”However carefully a horse is readied for battle, the victory comes from the LORD.
General
How does Judges 3:15 describe Ehud, the deliverer God provided against Moab?
Answer: A left-handed man from Benjamin
When Israel cried out again, the LORD provided a deliverer: Ehud, Gera’s son, a Benjamite who was left-handed. Israel sent him to carry their tribute to Eglon (3:15). His left-handedness matters to the story: the sword was fastened on his right thigh beneath his cloak, and he drew it left-handed (3:16, 21). Benjamin was known for left-handed fighters (20:16) and for warriors who could use either hand (1 Chronicles 12:2). The narrator stresses that the LORD raised Ehud up, just as He had raised up Othniel (3:9).
- Judges 3:15 (BSB)“And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.”When Israel cries out, the LORD raises up Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, who is sent with Israel’s tribute.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin later fields hundreds of select left-handed soldiers, showing the tribe’s reputation.
- 1 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite warriors are described as able to use both hands in battle.
Theological
Besides naming him as the LORD’s deliverer, how does Judges 3:15 identify Ehud?
Answer: A left-handed man from Benjamin
The LORD raises up Ehud, Gera’s son, identified as a Benjamite who was left-handed, and Israel sends him to deliver its tribute to the Moabite king (3:15). The detail matters to the account, which notes that the sword was fastened on his right thigh beneath his cloak and that he drew it left-handed (3:16, 21). Benjamin was noted for left-handed and ambidextrous warriors (20:16; 1 Chronicles 12:2). As with Othniel (3:9), the deliverer is the LORD’s provision.
- Judges 3:15 (BSB)“And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.”When Israel cries out, the LORD raises up Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, who is sent with Israel’s tribute.
- Judges 20:16 (BSB)“Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.”Benjamin later fields hundreds of select left-handed soldiers, showing the tribe’s reputation.
- 1 Chronicles 12:2 (BSB)“they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):”Benjamite warriors are described as able to use both hands in battle.
General
According to Judges 3:6, what did Israel do that led them into serving the gods of the peoples around them?
Answer: They intermarried with them and their families
Israel settled among the peoples of Canaan (3:5), married their own sons and daughters to them, and then worshiped their gods (3:6). God had forbidden this very thing, warning that such marriages would turn Israel’s children away from following Him toward idols (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Exodus 34:16). Centuries later Solomon’s foreign wives led his heart astray in exactly this way (1 Kings 11:2-4). Marriage bound Israel’s families to Canaanite households, and the worship of those households came with it.
- Judges 3:5-6 (BSB)“Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.”Israel lives among the peoples of Canaan, intermarries with them, and serves their gods.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (BSB)“Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.”God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites because it would turn Israel’s children to other gods.
- Exodus 34:16 (BSB)“And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.”God warned at Sinai that such marriages would lead Israel’s sons into idolatry.
- 1 Kings 11:2-4 (BSB)“These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.”Solomon married women from these nations, and in his old age they turned his heart after other gods.
Theological
What step does Judges 3:6 present as the path by which Israel came to serve Canaanite gods?
Answer: They intermarried with them and their families
Dwelling among the Canaanite peoples (3:5), Israel exchanged sons and daughters with them in marriage and then worshiped their gods (3:6). This was precisely the danger the law had named when it forbade intermarriage with the peoples of the land (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Exodus 34:16): family bonds would carry the heart into idolatry, as Solomon’s history would later confirm (1 Kings 11:2-4).
- Judges 3:5-6 (BSB)“Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.”Israel lives among the peoples of Canaan, intermarries with them, and serves their gods.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (BSB)“Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.”God forbade intermarriage with the Canaanites because it would turn Israel’s children to other gods.
- Exodus 34:16 (BSB)“And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.”God warned at Sinai that such marriages would lead Israel’s sons into idolatry.
- 1 Kings 11:2-4 (BSB)“These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.”Solomon married women from these nations, and in his old age they turned his heart after other gods.
General
After following Ehud down from the hills, what did the Israelites do at the Jordan crossings toward Moab (Judges 3:28)?
Answer: Held them so no one could cross
The Israelites seized the river crossings toward Moab and let no one across, cutting off the Moabites (3:28). About ten thousand strong, capable Moabite men were struck down, and none escaped (3:29). Moab was brought under Israel’s control that day, followed by eighty years of rest in the land (3:30), after eighteen years of Moabite rule (3:14). Holding the Jordan crossings appears again later in the book, under Gideon (7:24) and Jephthah’s Gileadites (12:5).
- Judges 3:28-30 (BSB)““Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over. At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped. So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.”Israel seizes the river crossings, defeats Moab, and the land has rest for eighty years.
- Judges 7:24 (BSB)“Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.”Gideon later uses the same tactic, having Ephraim seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of the Midianites.
- Judges 12:5 (BSB)“The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,””The Gileadites later hold the Jordan crossings against fleeing Ephraimites.
Theological
What did Israel do at the Jordan crossings toward Moab after Ehud’s rally (Judges 3:28)?
Answer: Held them so no one could cross
Israel took control of the Jordan crossings toward Moab and allowed no one to pass (3:28), resulting in the defeat of about ten thousand Moabite fighting men without an escapee (3:29). Moab was subdued, and the land rested eighty years (3:30), replacing eighteen years of oppression (3:14). Control of the river crossings recurs as a decisive tactic under Gideon (7:24) and in the Gileadite conflict with Ephraim (12:5).
- Judges 3:28-30 (BSB)““Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not allow anyone to cross over. At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped. So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.”Israel seizes the river crossings, defeats Moab, and the land has rest for eighty years.
- Judges 7:24 (BSB)“Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.”Gideon later uses the same tactic, having Ephraim seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of the Midianites.
- Judges 12:5 (BSB)“The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,””The Gileadites later hold the Jordan crossings against fleeing Ephraimites.
General
According to Judges 3:7-8, who handed Israel over to Cushan-rishathaim, and why?
Answer: The LORD, because Israel forgot Him for idols
Israel did evil, forgot the LORD, and worshiped Baals and Asherahs (3:7). The Asherahs were wooden poles or images linked with the worship of a Canaanite goddess. So the LORD’s anger burned, and He handed them over to Cushan-rishathaim, a king from Aram-naharaim, whom they served for eight years (3:8). This first story after the book’s introduction follows the pattern of 2:11-14 exactly, and Samuel later summarizes the whole period the same way: Israel forgot the LORD, and in response He gave them over to their enemies (1 Samuel 12:9). Moses had warned them never to forget the God who rescued them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 6:12). The oppressor was the LORD’s instrument of discipline.
- Judges 3:7-8 (BSB)“So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.”Israel forgets the LORD and serves idols, and the LORD in anger gives them into Cushan-rishathaim’s hand for eight years.
- 1 Samuel 12:9 (BSB)“But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.”Samuel summarizes the era the same way: Israel forgot the LORD, and He sold them to their enemies.
- Deuteronomy 6:12 (BSB)“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses had warned Israel not to forget the LORD who brought them out of Egypt.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”The pattern announced in chapter 2 has the LORD handing Israel over to enemies in His anger.
Theological
Whom does Judges 3:7-8 identify as handing Israel over to Cushan-rishathaim, and on what grounds?
Answer: The LORD, because Israel forgot Him for idols
The first cycle opens with Israel’s evil defined as forgetting the LORD and serving Baals and Asherahs (3:7), and the LORD, in burning anger, sells them to Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim for eight years (3:8). The oppression is the LORD’s act of covenant discipline, exactly as 2:14 announced and as Samuel later recounts (1 Samuel 12:9), the consequence of forgetting the God Moses had warned them never to forget (Deuteronomy 6:12).
- Judges 3:7-8 (BSB)“So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.”Israel forgets the LORD and serves idols, and the LORD in anger gives them into Cushan-rishathaim’s hand for eight years.
- 1 Samuel 12:9 (BSB)“But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.”Samuel summarizes the era the same way: Israel forgot the LORD, and He sold them to their enemies.
- Deuteronomy 6:12 (BSB)“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses had warned Israel not to forget the LORD who brought them out of Egypt.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”The pattern announced in chapter 2 has the LORD handing Israel over to enemies in His anger.
General
Why did Moab’s king Eglon gain power over Israel, according to Judges 3:12?
Answer: The LORD gave it to him because Israel did evil
Once again Israel did evil, and the LORD strengthened Moab’s king Eglon against them because of their evil (3:12). Eglon then gathered Ammonite and Amalekite allies, defeated Israel, seized the town called City of Palms, and ruled them for eighteen years (3:13-14). The verse names the LORD as the one who gave Eglon this power, yet Eglon remained answerable for his own deeds and was in time brought down (3:21-22). Scripture often shows God using a foreign nation to discipline His people while still holding that nation accountable (Isaiah 10:5-6, 12), for God is the one who brings one down and lifts up another (Psalm 75:6-7).
- Judges 3:12 (BSB)“Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.”Because Israel again did evil, the LORD strengthens Moab’s king Eglon against them.
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.”The LORD calls Assyria the rod of His anger, sent against His disobedient people.
- Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”The LORD still punishes the Assyrian king for his own arrogance.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (BSB)“For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.”The psalm declares that God brings one down and lifts up another.
Theological
What reason does Judges 3:12 give for Eglon’s dominance over Israel?
Answer: The LORD gave it to him because Israel did evil
Eglon’s power over Israel is attributed directly to the LORD, who strengthened him on account of Israel’s renewed evil (3:12); the coalition, the capture of the town called City of Palms, and eighteen years of subjugation follow (3:13-14). God’s sovereign use of a pagan ruler does not make Him the author of that ruler’s wickedness, nor exempt the ruler from judgment, as Eglon’s end shows (3:21-22). Isaiah applies the same pattern to Assyria, the instrument of God’s anger later punished for its arrogance (Isaiah 10:5-6, 12), for God humbles one ruler and raises up another (Psalm 75:6-7).
- Judges 3:12 (BSB)“Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.”Because Israel again did evil, the LORD strengthens Moab’s king Eglon against them.
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.”The LORD calls Assyria the rod of His anger, sent against His disobedient people.
- Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”The LORD still punishes the Assyrian king for his own arrogance.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (BSB)“For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.”The psalm declares that God brings one down and lifts up another.
General
True or False: Judges 3:1-4 says the nations were left in the land as a reward for Israel’s faithfulness.
Answer: False
This is false. The nations remained as a test, to reveal whether Israel would obey the commands the LORD had given through Moses (3:4), and to train later generations in war (3:1-2). Chapter 2 gives the background: the LORD left these nations because Israel had broken His covenant and had not listened to Him (2:20-21). Their presence was a test that arose from Israel’s unfaithfulness, not a reward for obedience. Moses had explained that God’s testing reveals what is in His people’s hearts and whether they will keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 8:2).
- Judges 3:4 (BSB)“These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.”The nations remain to reveal whether Israel will obey the LORD’s commands given through Moses.
- Judges 2:20-21 (BSB)“So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.”The LORD left the nations because Israel had broken His covenant and not listened to Him.
- Deuteronomy 8:2 (BSB)“Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.”Moses explained that the LORD’s testing reveals whether His people will keep His commandments.
Theological
True or False: Judges 3:1-4 presents the remaining nations as God’s reward for Israel’s covenant faithfulness.
Answer: False
This is false. The stated purposes are testing, to reveal whether Israel would obey the commands given through Moses (3:4), and training in war (3:1-2). The occasion was covenant breach, not faithfulness (2:20-21). The nations functioned as a divinely appointed test that would expose the heart, in the sense Deuteronomy 8:2 describes.
- Judges 3:4 (BSB)“These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.”The nations remain to reveal whether Israel will obey the LORD’s commands given through Moses.
- Judges 2:20-21 (BSB)“So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.”The LORD left the nations because Israel had broken His covenant and not listened to Him.
- Deuteronomy 8:2 (BSB)“Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.”Moses explained that the LORD’s testing reveals whether His people will keep His commandments.
General
Besides testing Israel, what other purpose does Judges 3:2 give for the nations the LORD left in Canaan?
Answer: To train later generations who had never fought
The LORD left certain nations to test those Israelites with no experience of the wars of Canaan (3:1), as chapter 2 had explained (2:22). Verse 2 adds a second purpose: so that later generations of Israel who had never experienced battle would learn war. So the nations that remained were not outside God’s plan; the LORD Himself states why He left them. Scripture elsewhere praises the LORD as the one who trains His servants’ hands for battle (Psalm 144:1; Psalm 18:34).
- Judges 3:1-2 (BSB)“These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:”The LORD leaves certain nations to test Israel and to teach war to generations that had not experienced it.
- Psalm 144:1 (BSB)“Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”David blesses the LORD as the one who trains his hands for war.
- Psalm 18:34 (BSB)“He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”David credits God with training his hands for battle.
- Judges 2:22 (BSB)“In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.””The previous chapter gives the testing purpose that 3:1 repeats.
Theological
What second purpose, alongside testing, does Judges 3:1-2 assign to the nations the LORD left in the land?
Answer: To train later generations who had never fought
The nations were left first to test the generation that had not known the conquest (3:1; cf. 2:22), and second so that succeeding generations without battle experience would learn war (3:2). Training for battle is something David later credits to the LORD, blessing Him as the one who prepares his hands for war (Psalm 144:1; Psalm 18:34). Even the remaining enemies served the LORD’s purposes for His people.
- Judges 3:1-2 (BSB)“These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:”The LORD leaves certain nations to test Israel and to teach war to generations that had not experienced it.
- Psalm 144:1 (BSB)“Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”David blesses the LORD as the one who trains his hands for war.
- Psalm 18:34 (BSB)“He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”David credits God with training his hands for battle.
- Judges 2:22 (BSB)“In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.””The previous chapter gives the testing purpose that 3:1 repeats.
General
True or False: The account of Othniel in Judges 3:7-11 records no fault or failure on his part.
Answer: True
This is true. Othniel’s brief account (3:7-11) contains every step of the pattern described in chapter 2: Israel’s evil, the LORD’s anger, oppression, crying out, a deliverer raised up by the LORD, victory, and rest, and it records nothing against him. He had already appeared as the man who captured Kiriath-sepher (1:13). The LORD was with him and saved Israel during his lifetime, as 2:18 describes, and after his victory the land enjoyed forty years of rest, ending with his death (3:11). Later judges are shown with growing flaws; Gideon, for example, made an ephod (a priestly garment) that Israel worshiped and that trapped him and his household (8:27). Against that background, Othniel’s account, with no fault recorded, shows the pattern of chapter 2 most clearly.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”After Othniel’s victory the land has rest for forty years until his death.
- Judges 1:13 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Othniel first appears as the man who captured Kiriath-sepher.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”Othniel’s account matches the pattern of the LORD being with the judge and saving Israel while he lived.
- Judges 8:27 (BSB)“From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.”A later judge, Gideon, makes an ephod that becomes a snare, showing the decline that follows.
Theological
True or False: Judges 3:7-11 presents Othniel without any recorded fault.
Answer: True
This is true. The Othniel narrative is the paradigm cycle: evil, anger, oppression, outcry, a deliverer raised by the LORD, the Spirit, victory, and forty years of rest until his death (3:7-11), with no flaw reported. Already introduced as the captor of Kiriath-sepher (1:13), he embodies the pattern of 2:18. The judges who follow are shown with growing flaws, such as Gideon with his ensnaring ephod (8:27), in contrast to this account.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”After Othniel’s victory the land has rest for forty years until his death.
- Judges 1:13 (BSB)“So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Othniel first appears as the man who captured Kiriath-sepher.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”Othniel’s account matches the pattern of the LORD being with the judge and saving Israel while he lived.
- Judges 8:27 (BSB)“From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.”A later judge, Gideon, makes an ephod that becomes a snare, showing the decline that follows.
General
What does Judges 3:31 say Shamgar, Anath’s son, did?
Answer: He saved Israel, killing 600 Philistines with a goad
Shamgar, Anath’s son, followed Ehud, and he too rescued Israel, killing 600 Philistines; his weapon was an oxgoad, a long pointed stick used to drive oxen (3:31). The verse is brief, but it counts Shamgar among those through whom Israel was saved. He is mentioned again in Deborah’s song, which recalls that in his days the main roads lay empty and travelers kept to side paths (5:6). Shamgar’s weapon was a farm tool, not a soldier’s sword, and Scripture affirms that the LORD can rescue His people with a large force or a small one (1 Samuel 14:6).
- Judges 3:31 (BSB)“After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.”Shamgar son of Anath saves Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
- Judges 5:6 (BSB)“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.”Deborah’s song recalls the days of Shamgar as a time when travelers avoided the main roads.
- 1 Samuel 14:6 (BSB)“Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.””Jonathan affirms that nothing can stop the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.
Theological
How does Judges 3:31 summarize Shamgar’s contribution?
Answer: He saved Israel, killing 600 Philistines with a goad
Shamgar, Anath’s son, following Ehud, also saved Israel, killing 600 Philistines using an oxgoad (3:31). The one-verse notice places him among Israel’s deliverers, and Deborah’s song uses his days to mark a time of insecurity when the highways were abandoned (5:6). A farmer’s implement in one man’s hand illustrates Jonathan’s confession that the LORD can save with a large force or a small one (1 Samuel 14:6).
- Judges 3:31 (BSB)“After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.”Shamgar son of Anath saves Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
- Judges 5:6 (BSB)“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.”Deborah’s song recalls the days of Shamgar as a time when travelers avoided the main roads.
- 1 Samuel 14:6 (BSB)“Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.””Jonathan affirms that nothing can stop the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.
General
What does Judges 3:10 say came upon Othniel before he judged Israel and led them into battle?
Answer: The LORD’s own Spirit
The LORD’s Spirit came upon Othniel; he judged Israel and led them into battle, and the LORD handed the enemy king over to him so that he prevailed (3:10). The Spirit’s coming equipped Othniel for the task God had given him. Judges records the same empowering for Gideon (6:34) and Jephthah (11:29). The text ties Othniel’s success to God’s power, not to his own strength, in line with God’s word that His work is done not by might or power but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). This empowering of a leader for a particular task is not the same as the Spirit’s dwelling in every believer that the New Testament describes.
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Othniel, who judges Israel and defeats the enemy king with the LORD’s help.
- Judges 6:34 (BSB)“So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.”The same empowering is later recorded for Gideon.
- Judges 11:29 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.”The same empowering is later recorded for Jephthah.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God declares that His work is done not by might or power but by His Spirit.
Theological
According to Judges 3:10, what came upon Othniel to equip him for judging and for war?
Answer: The LORD’s own Spirit
The LORD’s Spirit came upon Othniel, enabling him to judge Israel and defeat Cushan-rishathaim, whom the LORD delivered into his hand (3:10). This is the first of the Spirit’s empowerings of deliverers in Judges (cf. 6:34; 11:29), an equipping for office and task rather than the New Testament indwelling of every believer, and it locates the victory in divine power rather than human might (Zechariah 4:6).
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Othniel, who judges Israel and defeats the enemy king with the LORD’s help.
- Judges 6:34 (BSB)“So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.”The same empowering is later recorded for Gideon.
- Judges 11:29 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.”The same empowering is later recorded for Jephthah.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God declares that His work is done not by might or power but by His Spirit.