The judges of Israel in order
The Book of Judges names 12 judges of Israel. In order: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson. Othniel was the first (Judges 3:9) and Deborah the only woman (Judges 4:4). Samson is the last in Judges; 1 Samuel adds two more, Eli and Samuel, the last judge.
Updated October 25, 2026. Every verse and every number of years on this page is checked against the King James Version, and every year figure against the World English Bible too. Word and phrase counts cover the full text of both.
All the judges of Israel in order
Here are the 12 judges of the Book of Judges in the order the text gives them, numbered 1 to 12, with Eli and Samuel from 1 Samuel as 13 and 14. Barak and Abimelech stand in their places without a number. Years are as the KJV gives them; scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| # | Judge and tribe | Oppressor | Rest or rule | What the Bible records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OthnielJudges 3:7-11Judah (Caleb's younger brother; Caleb was of Judah) (Numbers 13:6) | Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia8 years (KJV "eight years", Judges 3:8) | 40 years, restKJV "forty years", Judges 3:11 | The first judge. The Spirit of the LORD came on him and he defeated the king of Mesopotamia; earlier he had taken the city of Kirjath-sepher and married Caleb's daughter Achsah."Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother" (Judges 3:9; also Judges 3:10, Judges 1:13) |
| 2 | EhudJudges 3:12-30Benjamin (Judges 3:15) | Eglon, king of Moab18 years (KJV "eighteen years", Judges 3:14) | 80 years, restKJV "fourscore years", Judges 3:30 | A left-handed man who brought Eglon a present, then killed him with a dagger in his private room. The 80 years of rest after him are the longest rest in the book."a man lefthanded" (Judges 3:15; also Judges 3:21) |
| 3 | ShamgarJudges 3:31Not given ("the son of Anath") | none given | no years given | One verse: he killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad and "also delivered Israel". No years are given, and Deborah's song names him once more (Judges 5:6)."Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel" (Judges 3:31; also Judges 5:6) |
| 4 | DeborahJudges 4-5Not given (she lived in mount Ephraim) | Jabin, king of Canaan, and his captain Sisera20 years (KJV "twenty years", Judges 4:3) | 40 years, restKJV "forty years", Judges 5:31 | A prophetess, and the only woman among the judges. Israel came to her for judgment under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel; she sent Barak against Sisera, and Jael killed Sisera with a tent nail."Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time" (Judges 4:4; also Judges 4:5, Judges 5:7) |
| Barak (with Deborah)Judges 4-5Naphtali (from Kedesh-naphtali) (Judges 4:6) | none given | no years given | Deborah's commander, who would not go to battle without her. The text never says he judged Israel, but Hebrews 11:32 names him beside Gideon, Samson and Jephthah."If thou wilt go with me, then I will go" (Judges 4:8; also Judges 5:1, Hebrews 11:32) | |
| 5 | GideonJudges 6-8Manasseh (the family of Abiezer) (Judges 6:15) | Midian7 years (KJV "seven years", Judges 6:1) | 40 years, quietnessKJV "forty years", Judges 8:28 | Also called Jerubbaal. He tested God with a fleece, beat Midian with 300 men, and refused to rule over Israel. The gold ephod he made later "became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house"."his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress" (Judges 6:11; also Judges 7:7, Judges 8:23, Judges 6:32) |
| Abimelech (not a judge)Judges 9Manasseh (Gideon's son, by a concubine in Shechem) (Judges 8:31) | none given | 3 years, reignedKJV "three years", Judges 9:22 | Not called a judge. He killed 70 of his brothers, was made king by the men of Shechem, and at Thebez a woman cast a piece of a millstone on his head; his armourbearer finished him."slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone" (Judges 9:5; also Judges 9:6, Judges 9:53) | |
| 6 | TolaJudges 10:1-2Issachar (Judges 10:1) | none given | 23 years, judged IsraelKJV "twenty and three years", Judges 10:2 | Rose "to defend Israel" after Abimelech. He lived and was buried in Shamir in mount Ephraim."there arose to defend Israel Tola" (Judges 10:1; also Judges 10:2) |
| 7 | JairJudges 10:3-5Not given ("a Gileadite", east of the Jordan) | none given | 22 years, judged IsraelKJV "twenty and two years", Judges 10:3 | He had 30 sons who rode 30 donkey colts and held 30 towns in Gilead, called Havoth-jair."Jair, a Gileadite" (Judges 10:3; also Judges 10:4) |
| 8 | JephthahJudges 10:6-12:7Not given ("the Gileadite", east of the Jordan) | Ammon (with the Philistines in the west)18 years (KJV "eighteen years", Judges 10:8) | 6 years, judged IsraelKJV "six years", Judges 12:7 | The son of a harlot, driven out by his brothers and then called back to lead Gilead against Ammon. He vowed a burnt offering of whatever came out of his house first, and his only daughter came out to meet him."Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot" (Judges 11:1; also Judges 11:31, Judges 11:34) |
| 9 | IbzanJudges 12:8-10Not given ("of Bethlehem"; the text does not say which Bethlehem) | none given | 7 years, judged IsraelKJV "seven years", Judges 12:9 | He had 30 sons and 30 daughters, married all 60 outside his clan, and was buried at Bethlehem."Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel" (Judges 12:8; also Judges 12:9) |
| 10 | ElonJudges 12:11-12Zebulun (Judges 12:11) | none given | 10 years, judged IsraelKJV "ten years", Judges 12:11 | Two verses: he judged ten years and was buried in Aijalon in Zebulun."was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun" (Judges 12:12) |
| 11 | AbdonJudges 12:13-15Ephraim (a Pirathonite, buried "in the land of Ephraim") (Judges 12:15) | none given | 8 years, judged IsraelKJV "eight years", Judges 12:14 | He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons ("nephews" in the KJV) who rode 70 donkey colts."Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite" (Judges 12:13; also Judges 12:14) |
| 12 | SamsonJudges 13-16Dan (Judges 13:2) | the Philistines40 years (KJV "forty years", Judges 13:1) | 20 years, judged IsraelKJV "twenty years", Judges 16:31 | A Nazarite from birth, he killed a lion bare-handed and a thousand men with a jawbone. Delilah learned the secret of his hair; blinded and bound, he pulled down the house where the Philistines were sacrificing to Dagon, on them and on himself."the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5; also Judges 15:20, Judges 16:30) |
| 13 | Eli1 Samuel 1-4Levi (a priest; God chose his father's house "out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest") (1 Samuel 2:28) | none given | 40 years, judged IsraelKJV "forty years", 1 Samuel 4:18 | The priest at Shiloh, under whom the boy Samuel served. He died at 98 when he heard the Philistines had taken the ark of God."Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:9; also 1 Samuel 4:15, 1 Samuel 4:18) |
| 14 | Samuel1 Samuel 1-25Ephraim by home (mount Ephraim); 1 Chronicles 6:33 lists him among the Levites, a Kohathite (1 Samuel 1:1) | none given | "all the days of his life" 1 Samuel 7:15; no number given | The last judge, and a prophet. He judged Israel all his life on a yearly circuit; when the people asked for a king he anointed Saul. No number of years is given."Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life" (1 Samuel 7:15; also 1 Samuel 7:16, 1 Samuel 8:5, 1 Samuel 10:1) |
The Bible never gives the number 12 itself. The count comes from the leaders the Book of Judges tells of one after another, each tied to the last by "after him" (Judges 3:31, 10:3, 12:8, 12:11, 12:13) or by the death of the one before (Judges 4:1).
Our count of the phrase "judged Israel", with "judged the children of Israel" at 1 Samuel 7:6, finds it 19 times in 18 verses of the King James Version (19 in the World English Bible). All but one are said of 11 people: Othniel, Deborah, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli and Samuel; the other, 2 Kings 23:22, looks back to "the days of the judges that judged Israel". It is never said of Ehud, Shamgar or Gideon, three of the 12. The text calls them deliverers instead: "the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud" (Judges 3:15), Shamgar "also delivered Israel" (Judges 3:31), and Gideon is told "thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites" (Judges 6:14).
What is the cycle of the judges?
The cycle of the judges is a five-step round the Book of Judges tells six times: Israel does evil, God hands them to an oppressor, they cry to the LORD, he raises up a deliverer, and the land has rest until the judge dies (Judges 2:11-19). Chapter 2 states the pattern in advance: "Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them" (Judges 2:16), and "when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers" (Judges 2:19).
- Sin. "Did evil in the sight of the LORD", three times with "again", appears 7 times in Judges, KJV: in the summary of the cycle and at the start of each of the six rounds (Judges 2:11, Judges 3:7, Judges 3:12, Judges 4:1, Judges 6:1, Judges 10:6, Judges 13:1). The WEB's "did that which was evil in Yahweh's sight" stands in the same 7 verses.
- Oppression. "He sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim" (Judges 3:8): six oppressors in the table below.
- Cry. "Cried unto the LORD" appears 6 times in Judges, KJV (6 for the WEB's "cried to Yahweh").
- Deliverer. "The LORD raised up a deliverer" (Judges 3:9, 3:15). "The Spirit of the LORD" appears 7 times in Judges, KJV, every time on a judge: Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and four times Samson (7 in the WEB, as "Yahweh's Spirit").
- Rest. "The land had rest" appears 3 times in Judges, KJV, and 4 in the WEB, which uses the same words at Judges 8:28 where the KJV has "the country was in quietness".
| Oppressor | Years | Deliverer | Rest or rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chushan-rishathaim, king of MesopotamiaJudges 3:8 | 8 | Othniel | 40Judges 3:11 |
| Eglon, king of MoabJudges 3:14 | 18 | Ehud | 80Judges 3:30 |
| Jabin, king of Canaan, and his captain SiseraJudges 4:3 | 20 | Deborah | 40Judges 5:31 |
| MidianJudges 6:1 | 7 | Gideon | 40Judges 8:28 |
| Ammon (with the Philistines in the west)Judges 10:8 | 18 | Jephthah | 6Judges 12:7 |
| the PhilistinesJudges 13:1 | 40 | Samson | 20Judges 16:31 |
The rounds stop after Samson. Chapters 17 to 21 have no judge, and their refrain is "In those days there was no king in Israel": 4 times, at Judges 17:6, Judges 18:1, Judges 19:1 and Judges 21:25 (the same 4 verses in the WEB). Judges 19:1 words it "in those days, when there was no king in Israel". Twice it goes on "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6), and the second time is the last verse of the book (Judges 21:25).
Who were the major and minor judges?
The six major judges are Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson, and the six minor judges are Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon. The labels are a later convention, not words the Bible uses: Wikipedia's article on the Hebrew Bible judges says the six are "regarded as the major judges" on the basis of the length of the narrative about them, and its article on the Book of Judges calls the other six "brief glosses". The same kind of length label sorts the major and minor prophets.
Our verse count bears the split out. The six minor judges get 14 verses of Judges between them in the KJV. Gideon's story runs 97 verses (Judges 6:1-8:32) and Samson's 96 (Judges 13-16). Each range below runs from the verse that opens the judge's episode to the judge's death or the rest that closes it; the WEB gives the same counts.
How long did the judges rule?
Added end to end, the years the Book of Judges gives come to 410: 111 years under oppressors and 299 of rest or rule (the 299 includes Abimelech's 3). Eli's 40 years (1 Samuel 4:18) bring it to 450, the figure in Acts 13:20 in the KJV: "he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." The World English Bible words the verses differently and ties the 450 years to the land: "When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred fifty years." (Acts 13:19), then "After these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet." (Acts 13:20).
The periods cannot all have run one after another. 1 Kings 6:1 puts the start of Solomon's temple "in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt", 480 years. Lay the Bible's own figures end to end: 40 years in the wilderness (Acts 13:18), 450 for the judges and Eli, 40 for Saul (Acts 13:21) and 40 for David (1 Kings 2:11). That is 570, 90 more than 480, before Joshua's years, Samuel's, or Solomon's first three are counted. Jephthah himself puts Israel's hold on the land by the Arnon at "three hundred years" (Judges 11:26); the figures in Judges up to his call add to 319.
The text shows two overlaps itself. Samson "judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years" (Judges 15:20), so his 20 years sit inside the Philistines' 40 (Judges 13:1). And Judges 10:7 sells Israel to "the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon" at once, with Ammon's 18 years falling on the tribes "on the other side Jordan" (Judges 10:8). Jephthah was made head over Gilead (Judges 11:11), east of the Jordan, so two judges could have led different tribes at the same time; the text does not say whether any did. This page gives no dates BC: the Bible counts from events like the Exodus and a king's reign, and any BC date for the judges comes from outside it. The Book of Ruth is set in this period, "in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1).
Which tribe did each judge come from?
Seven of the 12 judges can be placed in a tribe from the text, and each is a different one: Judah (Othniel), Benjamin (Ehud), Manasseh (Gideon), Issachar (Tola), Zebulun (Elon), Ephraim (Abdon) and Dan (Samson). Five are named outright: Ehud "a Benjamite" (Judges 3:15), Gideon's family "in Manasseh" (Judges 6:15), Tola "a man of Issachar" (Judges 10:1), Elon "a Zebulonite" (Judges 12:11) and Samson's father "of the family of the Danites" (Judges 13:2). Two more, Jair and Jephthah, are called Gileadites, from the land east of the Jordan, with no tribe named. Shamgar, Deborah and Ibzan have no tribe given at all: Deborah lived "between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim" (Judges 4:5), and Ibzan was "of Bethlehem" (Judges 12:8).
The other two come by inference: Othniel was "Caleb's younger brother" (Judges 1:13), and Caleb was "of the tribe of Judah" (Numbers 13:6); Abdon was buried "in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim" (Judges 12:15). Outside the twelve, Barak came from Kedesh-naphtali (Judges 4:6), Eli was a priest, of the house God chose "out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest" (1 Samuel 2:28), and Samuel's family lived in mount Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1), though 1 Chronicles 6:33 lists him among the Levites, a Kohathite ("Shemuel" in the KJV). The KJV calls his father Elkanah "an Ephrathite", the WEB "an Ephraimite". See all twelve tribes on the twelve tribes of Israel.
Who was the only woman judge?
Deborah was the only woman judge: "Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time" (Judges 4:4, KJV). The text shows her settling cases: "the children of Israel came up to her for judgment" under her palm tree (Judges 4:5). Barak would not go to war without her ("If thou wilt go with me, then I will go", Judges 4:8), and she told him the LORD would "sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" (Judges 4:9). That woman was Jael, who killed Sisera with a tent nail (Judges 4:21). In her song Deborah calls herself "a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7). More of the women the Bible names are on the women of the Bible.
Who were the last judges, Eli and Samuel?
Eli and Samuel were the last two judges, and their stories are in 1 Samuel, not Judges. Eli was the priest at Shiloh; he "had judged Israel forty years" and died at 98, falling backward when he heard the ark of God was taken (1 Samuel 4:15-18). Samuel "judged Israel all the days of his life", going on a yearly circuit to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh (1 Samuel 7:15-16); the text gives no number of years. When he was old he made his sons Joel and Abiah judges, but they "took bribes" (1 Samuel 8:1-3), and the people asked for "a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel anointed Saul, the first of the kings of Israel and Judah.
The word "judged" appears 63 times in the KJV (67 in the WEB), more in Judges (13) than in any other book. "Judges" appears only 3 times in the Book of Judges itself, KJV, all in chapter 2. Hebrews 11:32 names four of the judges, and Barak, among the people of faith: "Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel".
Questions about the judges of Israel
How many judges were in the Bible?
The Book of Judges tells of 12: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson. 1 Samuel adds Eli, who "had judged Israel forty years" (1 Samuel 4:18), and Samuel, who "judged Israel all the days of his life" (1 Samuel 7:15), for 14 in all. The Bible never states the number itself; the 12 is a count of the leaders the book tells of in turn. Barak fought beside Deborah and Abimelech ruled for 3 years, but neither is said to have judged Israel.
Who was the first judge of Israel?
Othniel, the son of Kenaz and Caleb's younger brother. After eight years under the king of Mesopotamia, "the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel" (Judges 3:9), and "he judged Israel" (Judges 3:10). The land then had rest 40 years.
Who was the only female judge in the Bible?
Deborah. "Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time" (Judges 4:4, KJV), and "the children of Israel came up to her for judgment" (Judges 4:5). She called Barak to fight Sisera and told him the LORD would "sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" (Judges 4:9). After the victory the land had rest 40 years.
Who was the last judge of Israel?
Samuel. Samson is the last judge in the Book of Judges, and Eli and Samuel follow in 1 Samuel. When Samuel was old, the people asked him to "make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5), and he anointed Saul (1 Samuel 10:1). His sons Joel and Abiah were "judges in Beer-sheba" (1 Samuel 8:2), but they "took bribes" (1 Samuel 8:3), and this page does not count them among the judges of Israel.
How long did the judges rule?
Added end to end, the years in the Book of Judges come to 410 (111 under oppressors, 299 of rest or rule), and 450 with Eli's 40. Acts 13:20 in the KJV says God "gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years". Some periods overlapped: Samson "judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years" (Judges 15:20), inside the Philistines' 40.
Was Abimelech a judge?
No. Abimelech, Gideon's son by a concubine in Shechem, was made king by the men of Shechem (Judges 9:6) after he killed 70 of his brothers "upon one stone" (Judges 9:5). He "reigned three years over Israel" (Judges 9:22) and at Thebez a woman cast a piece of a millstone on his head (Judges 9:53). The text never says he judged or delivered Israel, though his name appears 40 times in Judges (KJV), more than any judge's.
Sources
- The King James Version (1769) and the World English Bible, both public domain: every verse quoted, every number of years, and every count on this page, checked and counted by scripts/lists/judges-of-israel.mjs from the text at github.com/seven1m/open-bibles (read and counted 2026-10-25).
- Wikipedia, "Hebrew Bible judges": the major and minor labels and the length of narrative behind them (read 2026-10-25).
- Wikipedia, "Book of Judges": the six minor judges as "brief glosses" (read 2026-10-25).
Read about the books: Judges, Ruth and 1 Samuel. Word counts: judge, Gideon, Samson and Deborah. More counts are on the Bible by the numbers.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-25.