1 Samuel 12

Exodus 6:26.

King Jabin oppressed Israel for 20 years (Judges 4:2-3). Numbers like this in Judges seem rounded, with many reported as 40 years, about a generation. He controlled the northern territory because he had 900 chariots.

1 Samuel 4; Judges 13:1.

Philistines controlled Israel for a generation, 40 years (Judges 3:12).

Some scholars say this Baal refers to different forms of the main Canaanite god, Baal. He was a god of weather and fertility in family, flocks, and fields. People worshiped him using different styles of idols and by calling him various names: Hadad, Cloud Rider, Baal of [fill in whatever the local region was, such as Baal-zephon or Baal of Peor]. Peor was a mountain in Moab where people worshiped Baal. Baal of Peor was apparently a local representation of him. When women from Moab seduced some of the Israelite men to engage in either ritual sex or just plain ol’ illicit sex, it led the men into idolatry (Numbers 25).

This god is also known as Ashtarte, the Greek form of her name. Like Baal, she was a god of fertility. But she was also a go-to god for matters of love and war. Sometimes she’s described as Baal’s wife. Her figurines portray her as well-endowed, and then some—with her privates exposed and prominently displayed.

Scholars have comments or questions about all four of these names. Gideon’s name in the Hebrew text is “Jerubbaal,” which is a second name Bible writers had for him (Judges 6—9), “Barak” is “Bedan” in some ancient manuscripts. But the story is apparently about Deborah’s victory over an enemy chariot corps (Judges 4—5). So, the question is why not mention Deborah instead of one of her subordinates? As for Jephthah, some scholars wonder if he and Barak/Bedan are the same person, like Gideon and Jerubbaal. Samson? Some Bibles say “Samuel” instead because some ancient copies read that way. Others point to Samson. One argument against “Samuel” is that he would have referred to himself in the third person, like some sports figures do when they refer to themselves like they’re talking about someone else.

1 Samuel 11.