{N}1,{/}1: The first chapter throws some light on the conquest. It was not as triumphal as it appears in the Book of Joshua, but slow and difficult. The Israelites did not obey the command to wipe out the pagans, though such a massacre would have protected their faith in the only God. In this regard, let us put aside our modern sense of respect for other nations. Israel's world is one where survival depends on violence and the future of divine revelation in the world is in the hands of primitive nomads continuously threatened with destruction in a pagan environment.
Compare verses 8 and 21: there is no certainty as to this data.

{N}2,{/}1: The "Angel of Yahweh" goes up from Gilgal, the first Israelite sanctuary in Palestine beside the Jordan, to Bethel. We know that using the expression{C} Angel of Yahweh{/} is a way of naming Yahweh himself, whom the author knows cannot be seen.
The sin consists in not having destroyed the culture and religion of the Canaanites. Let us think of these beginnings: the true faith is given to a few tribes who have neither chief nor organization, and who are surrounded by a more advanced but pagan culture. The temptation of idolatry was ever present. The Canaanite agriculturists practiced a very attractive religion which celebrated the forces of life and fecundity. They gathered together for rural feasts, assembling in the sacred woods and there had recourse to sacred prostitution to obtain rain and plentiful harvests from their gods, the Baals. It cost the Israelites something unaccustomed to such liberties, to refrain from joining their pagan neighbors in these celebrations.
This explains the affirmations of the author: all this pagan culture should be destroyed; on this point see the commentary of Joshua 6 which shocks us today.

{N}2,{/}11: Here begins a second introduction to the Book of Judges wherein, after recalling the death of Joshua (see Jos 24:31), the real causes of events that will transpire are given.
The first cause of Israel's disaster, why they cannot drive out the Canaanites, is their infidelity to Yahweh. All of the Bible will say that for us as well the main cause of the misfortunes in our society is our unfaithfulness to God, even if it cannot be said without causing laughter even among believers.
The writer who later combined all these stories in a single book found a unifying thread which shed light on delays in the conquest and on the stages of liberation. He noted this sequence of events:
- the Israelites abandon Yahweh and fall into idolatry;
- because of this, Yahweh delivers them into the hands of their enemies;
- the Israelites acknowledge their errors and call on Yahweh;
- Yahweh then raises up a savior.
But once victory has been won, after a short period of peace the people forsake their mission once again. In this present world, there is no definitive liberation.
This text summarizes the lesson found throughout the entire book and which we already read in Deuteronomy 4:1-31.
God always acts as an educator. Since Israel was still a very primitive people and could understand only what was seen and felt, God dealt with them through material rewards and punishment. 
{C}They had abandoned Yahweh to serve Baal{/}. Baal (this means: Lord) referred to any Canaanite god, especially to him who let the rain fall. The Asheroths were goddesses, particularly of the soil and of fertility.
{C}So Yahweh raised up liberators{/}. The chiefs or leaders who exercised authority for a time were called "judges" because, at that time, {C}to judge{/} a people and {C}to govern{/} meant one and the same thing (see Introduction). In the present translation we shall often use the term {C}commanders {/}since this word expresses more accurately what those "judges" actually were.
Chapter 3 presents three of these {C}Judges.{/}

{N}3,{/}7: {C}They forgot Yahweh, their God, and served the Baals... and Yahweh abandoned them into the hands of the king of Aram{/}. The biblical text often plays with these words: he who serves a false god by his own will will be a slave against his own will. Compare with 1 Samuel 7:3.
{C}The spirit of Yahweh was on Othniel{/}. See commentary on 11:1.
Whereas Othniel and Ehud fought against the Edomites, the Moabites and Amonites, raiders from the other side of the Jordan, Shamgar encountered the Philistines. The latter had arrived by sea on the Palestinian coast at the same time that the Israelites arrived from the desert. A people of superior civilization, who were well-armed and organized, the Philistines occupied the "Five Departments" i.e., the five cities of Gath, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron and Gaza, with the surrounding territories.
They dominated the rich plain that bordered the Mediterranean Sea, and their troops, time and again, harassed the Israelites who settled in the hills. Only King David would finally conquer them but their name would survive: {C}Palestine,{/} name of the land of Israel, comes from "Philistines."

{N}4,{/}1: {C}Yabin, king of Canaan{/}, was, in reality, king of the plain of Northern Canaan, called Jezrael. It was here that a great victory was won at the time of the Judges.
A woman, Deborah, is judge of Israel, i.e., she administers justice in the name of Yahweh. This is an exceptional case among a people where men hold all the positions of social and religious responsibility. She sends for Barak from the north. He refuses to go alone, and seeks the cooperation of the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin among whom Deborah is installed.
Barak will be the "technician" of victory, and nothing more, since the word of God was not enough for him to commit himself totally. The Bible held Deborah in higher regard who inspired the uprising. 

{N}5,{/}1: The "Song of Deborah" is one of the more ancient pieces of Hebrew literature. Composed a little after the events, it is a hymn to Yahweh the conqueror. This poem takes note of the individualism of the tribes with only three of them joining together to confront the Canaanites.

{N}6,{/}1: Chapters 6-9 relate the story of Gideon and his son, Abimelech. The former is called by Yahweh and acts as "Judge." 
In two successful campaigns he ensures the freedom of his people. After Gideon, Abimelech rides on his father's fame in a bid to become king.
The Angel of Yahweh shows himself to Gideon in human form. Luke's Gospel will remind us of this paragraph: Luke 1:26-38.
Yahweh raises up a savior even where there is no hope. Gideon believes in Yahweh but lacks confidence: God may have done everything in the past, but Gideon does not see him acting in the present.
6:15. We find this attitude of Gideon in other texts of the Bible. The mission which God entrusts to us always goes beyond our human strength (Ex 3:11; Jer 1:6).
God gives hope when he gives a task to be done; he does not promise to do things for us but he invites us to take action: {C}by your valor, you will save Israel from the Midianites.{/} Thus Yahweh looks to the man he chooses. Then the young farmer Gideon discovers himself in this call and already knows that he will carry it through.
Verses 25-31 closely tie up the liberating mission entrusted to Gideon with the public confession of his faith in Yahweh, thereby making him worthy of God's commitment to him.
Gideon agrees to commit himself but wants to have the assurance that it is indeed Yahweh who speaks. He, therefore, asks for a sign which Yahweh grants him. Gideon is not like others who ask for signs in order to gain time because they doubt or do not want to be convinced (see Mk 8:11 and Lk 1:18). 

{N}7,{/}4: {C}There are too many people with you{/}. These words of Yahweh help us believe that a small minority of militant people can bring about revolutionary change. 

{N}8,{/}22: The Israelites had to form a nation, and this stage would bring great progress after the anarchy created by disunited and disorganized tribes. For the first time in the Bible, the desire to have a king is hinted at in 8:22-31.
Perhaps those who edited the present book in the last century of the kingdom of Jerusalem had been so mistreated by their rulers that they dreamt of a time in the past when there had been neither kings nor administrators. They thought that Israel, being the people of God, had no need of permanent chiefs like the rest of the nations, that perhaps it would have been better had they lived day by day, trusting in Yahweh who would raise up a liberator whenever necessary.
That is why the Book of Judges remarks on Gideon's refusal to be their king: {C}Yahweh has to be your king.{/} Unfortunately, Gideon asked for gold instead of authority, and, by this, the hero destroyed everything he had done for his people.
All these saviors: Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samson are very disappointing - like many of those who now speak of liberating oppressed people. What lesson shall we draw from these bitter experiences which Scripture recalls? That political action is useless and that we should instead focus our efforts on prayer and catechetical work? Shall we leave to others the struggle for justice? Justice is inscribed on every page of the Bible.
Actually, to speak of politics is to speak of power, and power corrupts those who do not have a well formed conscience. Little can be expected of politics where a conscience has not been formed early in a healthy family where a child discovers love and fidelity in his parents (two qualities that are never separated in the Bible), and has not been formed by parents ready to use their authority to control whims.
Later, a time will come when God will give priority to personal formation in the family for believers: the time of the Wisdom books and the observance of the Law.

{N}9,{/}8: In 9:8-15, an ancient fable was inserted and placed in the mouth of Jotham whereby the authority of the kings was vehemently criticized: the most useless persons, it claims, are those who are willing to reign.

{N}10,{/}1: Each tribe had its own problems. There rose up saviors in various places who, after a victory, were honored as "Judges" for the rest of their lives: Gideon from Manasseh; Tola from Issachar; Jair from the country of Gilead.
One notices Yahweh's tireless and ever-forgiving love. As sins increase Yahweh says {C}"I will not save you again";{/} and again {C}God could no longer bear the sufferings of Israel.{/} If we complain about God's inaction with regard to oppression and social injustice, it is because we cannot see that the oppressed, as well as the oppressors, share the responsibility and sin.

{N}11,{/}1: Jephthah is one of the more controversial saviors found in the Bible. He is filled with rancor against his brothers who despise him. His war against the tribe of Ephraim does not bring glory to the people of Israel. Finally, his vow to sacrifice a member of his family is in line with the custom of the Canaanites who easily sacrificed their children. Still, we read: {C}the Spirit of Yahweh was on Jephthah.{/}
By{C} the Spirit{/} people of those times meant the superhuman strength from Yahweh which drives a person to accomplish extraordinary feats. The Spirit of Yahweh does not act merely in religious ceremonies, or through religious people, prophets or priests. It acts "renewing the face of the earth" (Ps 104) through people gifted with strength and authority for historic tasks that advance the kingdom of God. Sometimes, the liberators of modern times are undeservedly looked upon as saints in spite of the fact that they do not always live by faith, or recognize Christ. It would be more accurate to compare them with the "judges" who, in spite of their limitations, served God's plans "moved by the Spirit of Yahweh."

{N}11,{/}29: The Bible relates Jephthah's vow without commentary. It is considered as the lamentable error of a hero.

{N}13,{/}1: Here follow four episodes from the "stories" of Samson. Samson seems to have been a man from the countryside who had extraordinary strength and fought on his own account against the Philistines. Legend attributes to him numerous feats. 
Samson is said to have been miraculously born of a barren couple. This was in accordance with God's ways, as seen in the case of Abraham's son (Gen 18), and in the case of Samuel (1 S 1), and still later John the Baptist (Lk 1:5).
The child must be a {C}Nazirite{/}, i.e., consecrated to God, according to a very ancient rite in the Bible (Num 6:1). This consecration to God is the source of his strength. 

{N}16,{/}4: After presenting Samson as a "superman" continually winning over the Philistines, the story shows him conquered by a woman. 
Samson reveals to Delilah his consecration to God, as a Nazirite. There is in him a part reserved for Yahweh which is the source of his supernatural strength.
Weakness of heroes. Samson entrusts himself, body and soul, to a woman who does not love him. 
Elsewhere in the Bible we read: "It is good to keep to oneself the king's secret," and "Do not throw your pearls before swine lest they trample on them and stretch themselves over you."

{N}17,{/}1: The Book of Judges concludes with two typical stories about the life of Israel at that time. After having extolled that epoch during which there was no need for kings (see 8:22), the author recognizes the evils that anarchy produced.
In Chapters 17-18, the absence of religious authority results in a situation where priests do as they please. Let us bear in mind that, at that time, men of the tribe of Levi were dedicated to Yahweh's service (see Num 3). 
In 18:27 we have one of those passages in the Bible where great indifference is shown regarding a savage massacre. The Israelites at that time did not know how to value human life, either that of an enemy or their own. Individuals did not count but only the people collectively. To them it was not more serious to wipe out a foreign people than to destroy a forest. 

{N}19,{/}1: This misdeed resembles very much what is found in Genesis 19 and what is said there in the footnote, with respect to the answer of the master of the house, is also relevant here. Verses 24-25 and 27-28 are a horrible testimony to what has been for centuries, the attitude of men towards women: total irresponsibility and contempt. 
For as long as there was no central authority, or king who would "judge," each family and tribe felt obliged to defend and avenge its own members. There was no other way to protect the individual among a people who had no authorities. In this situation, a crime could cause war among the tribes, as happened in the example recounted here. The narration gives much emphasis to the war and to the destruction of Benjamin. We do not need to accept the figures as authentic.
A lesson is imparted here: in spite of all the sins and errors of Benjamin, not one of the twelve tribes which are Yahweh's inheritance can disappear. In spite of the trials they bring upon themselves, a remnant will always be saved.

