What Is the Theme of the Book of Judges?

The key to understanding the work of the judges appears in 2:16: “The Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.” “Delivered” is the common verb meaning “to save.” This is ironic, for Moses was sent to deliver the people from Egypt, and ended up presiding over funerals in the wilderness for 38 years. Joshua, whose name means “Deliverer” or “Savior,” succeeded only partially in delivering the people. The apparent motivation for the writing of the book of Judges is the recurring failure of the judges to deliver the people. This theme occurs twice in the book: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6; 21:25). That even divinely empowered human leaders could not lead Israel to spiritual triumph points to the need for a great King beyond even Saul and David. The term “great King” is a Near Eastern concept, first applied by the Hittites, of a “king above the kings,” or leader of an empire. In the context of Israel in the time of the judges, the term “great King” refers to the messianic leader who alone can fulfill the needs of mankind.