** Renan, however, believes that the judges “formed an almost continuous line, and that there merely lacks a descent from father to son to make of them an actual dynasty.”  The chronology of the Book of Judges appears to cover more than four centuries, from Othniel to Samson, but this computation cannot be relied on, as “forty years” represents an indefinite space of time.  We must probably limit this early period of Hebrew history to about a century and a half, from cir. 1200 to 1050 B.C.

The first of these episodes deals merely with a part, and that the least important, of the tribes settled in Central Canaan.* The destruction of the Amorite kingdoms of Heshbon and Bashan had been as profitable to the kinsmen of the Israelites, Ammon and Moab, as it had been to the Israelites themselves.

* The episode of Othniel and Cushan-rishathaim, placed at the beginning of the history of this period (Judges iii. 8- 11), is, by general consent, regarded as resting on a worthless tradition.

The Moabites had followed in the wake of the Hebrews through all the surrounding regions of the Dead Sea; they had pushed on from the banks of the Arnon to those of the Jabbok, and at the time of the Judges were no longer content with harassing merely Reuben and Gad.

[Illustration:  272.jpg MOABITE WARRIOR]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from the original in the Louvre.

They were a fine race of warlike, well-armed Beda-wins.  Jericho had fallen into their hands, and their King Eglon had successfully scoured the entire hill-country of Ephraim,* so that those who wished to escape being pillaged had to safeguard themselves by the payment of an annual tribute.

* The text seems to infer (Judges iii. 13-15) that, after having taken the Oily of Palm Trees, i.e.  Jericho (Deut. xxxiv. 3; 2 Ghron. xxviii. 15), Eglon had made it his residence, which makes the story incomprehensible from a geographical point of view.  But all difficulties would disappear if we agreed to admit that in ver. 15 the name of the capital of Eglon has dropped out.

Ehud the Left-handed concealed under his garments a keen dagger, and joined himself to the Benjamite deputies who were to carry their dues to the Moabite sovereign.  The money having been paid, the deputies turned homewards, but when they reached the cromlech of Gilgal,* and were safe beyond the reach of the enemy, Ehud retraced his steps, and presenting himself before the palace of Eglon in the attitude of a prophet, announced that he had a secret errand to the king, who thereupon commanded silence, and ordered his servants to leave him with the divine messenger in his summer parlour.

     * The cromlech at Gilgal was composed of twelve stones,
     which, we are told, were erected by Joshua as a remembrance
     of the crossing of the Jordan (Josh. iv. 19-24).