J24-5: Why The Biblical Definition Of A Judge Changed Over Time

Yesterday we talked about the Princes, Elders and Officers.

These were the groups of men who represented the different societal classes in Israel.

Today, let’s take a quick look at the group of men who were collectively labeled “Judges”.

The first thing you need to know is that the role and function of a judge BEFORE Joshua’s death and AFTER his death differed.

Actually, to be honest, what a judge did during Joshua’s leadership was not very clear.

The Hebrew term for “judge” is SHOFET.

The plural form of this word is SHOFETIM and is the name of the next book up in the Bible after Joshua.

Once we dive into the Book of Judges, we’re going to get a much clearer idea of what a Hebrew judge was all about and what he or she did (and yes, there were female judges).

Unfortunately, what a judge did before and up until Joshua’s time was a bit up in the air.

Most likely they assisted Joshua so he wouldn’t get overwhelmed when the people came to him with complaints and a ton of issues that needed to be resolved.

Recall that Moses almost had a nervous breakdown before he established a proper delegation system that would take the load of dealing with all of the people off his shoulders.

For a good working definition of what a judge did up until the death of Joshua, the following verses from the book of Deuteronomy are helpful.

“If people have a dispute, seek its resolution in court, and the judges render a decision in favor of the righteous one and condemning the wicked one; then, if the wicked one deserves to be flogged, the judge is to have him lie down and be flogged in his presence. The number of strokes is to be proportionate to his offense;”-Deuteronomy 25:1-2

Again, however, there is no doubt that what a judge did in Moses’ day evolved over time.

So his or her function now (in Joshua’s day) was radically different.

During the period leading up to Joshua’s passing away, as the Israelites gradually conquered and then inherited territories inside the Promised Land, their duties expanded far beyond just settling legal disputes.