This theological treatment of the Book of Judges is fresh, original, imaginative, scholarly, and relevant.
In his commentary E. John Hamlin pays careful attention to the structure and meaning of the text of Judges, and he elucidates the "risk" that Israel faced in the Promised Land—the risk of living among the “Canaanites,” of adopting their ungodly practices and their way of organizing society (the way of death). Hamlin’s characterizations of the various liberator judges are particularly thought-provoking.
Each chapter concludes with “Perspectives” on the text—reflections on the ancient context of the Judges accounts, insights from the Asian cultures among which Hamlin has lived and worked, and applications to modern situations.

CONTENTS
Abbreviations vii
Editors’ Preface viii
Author’s Preface xii
Introduction 1
I: THE PROLOGUE: AFTER JOSHUA (l:l-2:5) 9
Setting the Stage (1:1) 11
Faithful Judah (1:2-21) 22
The Northern Tribes at Risk (1:22-36) 39
Israel’s Lament (2:1-5) 54
Theology of Sin and Grace (2:6-3:6) 58
II: THE DRAMATIC NARRATIVES:
TWELVE LIBERATOR JUDGES (3:7-16:31) 65
Othniel, the Model Judge (3:7-11) 67
Ehud, the Handicapped Judge (3:12-30) 70
Shamgar, the Foreign Deliverer (3:31) 78
Deborah, the Woman Judge (4:1-5:31) 81
Gideon, the Flawed Judge (6:1-9:57) 90
Tola and Jair, Two Wise Administrators (10:1-5) 106
AT RISK IN THE PROMISED LAND
Jephthah, the Outcast Judge (10:6-12:7) 108
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, Three Wise Administrators (12:8-15) 122
Samson, the Profligate Judge (13:1-16:31) 126
III: THE EPILOGUE: AFTER THE JUDGES (17:1-21:25) 141
Abominations in the Promised Land 143
The First Abomination: Idolatry (17:1-18:31) 146
The Second Abomination: Wantonness (19:1-21:25) 159
Selected Bibliography 178