The Judges
Judg 2:16 (KJV)cried unto the Lord, he
raised up a deliverer, Othniel the son of Kenaz, and
the land had rest forty years
the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years
raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded; afterwards
the land had rest fourscore years
after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who
slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goadand
delivered Israel
sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, and for
twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel
Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time; afterwards
the land had rest forty years
the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years
the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon
Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel
after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola, who
judged Israel twenty and three years
after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years
sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon, who
vexed and oppressed the children of Israelfor
eighteen years,
all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead
Jephthah judged Israel six years
he judged Israel seven years
Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years
Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel, and
he judged Israel eight years
delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years; Samson
judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years
he had judged Israel forty years
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life
Dated lines on the chart
1 Kgs 6:1: 356 years at most8 — month 12, year 356 (1 Kgs 6:1)
Acts 13:20 (KJV): about 4509 — month 12, year 450 (Acts 13:20)
How the dates were worked out
Every bar on this chart is a length of time the Bible itself gives (Judg 3–16; 1 Sam 4:18), read from its verse by a program. The chart gives no BC dates: the Bible does not say when the first oppression began, how long Joshua and the elders lived after the land was divided (Judg 2:7–10), or whether any of these periods overlapped. The years are counted from the first year of the first oppression the book gives a length for (Judg 3:8), and each period is laid after the one before it, in the order of the book (Eli, from 1 Samuel, after Samson); that arrangement is this chart's reading of the book, not a statement of the text. The last five chapters of Judges (17–21) give no number of years and are not drawn. Laid end to end, the periods reach year 430, counting Samson's 20 years (Judg 15:20; 16:31, one period) inside the Philistines' 40 (Judg 13:1) and including Eli's 40; adding Samson's 20 once more as a separate period, the lengths add up to 450. The four hundred and eightieth year
of 1 Kgs 6:1 is 479 years after the Exodus; less the wilderness (40, Josh 5:6), Saul (40, a figure only Paul gives, Acts 13:21), David (40, 1 Kgs 2:11) and Solomon's first three years, 356 years are left for Joshua, the elders and the judges together. One chronology for the whole series: the Bible's own numbers with the main ancient records. "c." = about; a range (e.g. 6–4 BC) = some time in that range.
Notes
1The Bible gives most of these lengths, and often the order, but not how the periods fit together. Here each is laid after the one before; the years carry no BC dates.
2The pattern (Judg 3:7–11): Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord
, is sold into an enemy’s hand, cried unto the Lord
, and the LORD raised up a deliverer
.
3The text gives no number of years for Shamgar (Judg 3:31) or for Samuel (1 Sam 7:15); each is a dot where the book places him, with no length.
4Abimelech is not said to have judged: he reigned three years over Israel
(Judg 9:22); his years stand here because Tola came after Abimelech
(Judg 10:1).
5Jephthah told the king of Ammon that Israel had dwelt in Heshbon three hundred years
(Judg 11:26); this chart does not place that count on its axis.
6Samson judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years
(Judg 15:20; compare 16:31); those years are counted inside the Philistines’ forty, not drawn again.
7Eli’s 40 years (1 Sam 4:18) are laid after Samson’s because 1 Samuel follows Judges; the text does not say whether Eli’s years and Samson’s overlap.
8The four hundred and eightieth year
(1 Kgs 6:1) is 479 years after the Exodus; less 40 + 40 + 40 + 3, 356 are left for Joshua, the elders and the judges.
9Paul: God gave judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet
(Acts 13:20). Every length added, with Eli’s 40, makes 450.
Key
dashed = reconstructed date (scholars differ). Certainty: A Stated in Scripture · B Worked out from Scripture · C Ancient record or astronomy · D Scholarly reconstruction · E Tradition / uncertain — scholars differ.
Scripture quotations: King James Version (KJV)