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Philistine Pentapolis
[Bible]The Philistine Pentapolis is the collective name for the five cities that the Philistines established on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Canaan: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. During the period of the judges and the early monarchy, these cities were the centers of the Philistine power that opposed Israel.
Jehovah-shalom
[Bible]Jehovah-shalom, meaning "The LORD is peace," is the name the judge Gideon gave to the altar he built at Ophrah. The name appears in Judges 6:24.
1 Samuel
[Bible]First Samuel is one of the historical books of the Old Testament. It records the transition from the period of the judges to the establishment of the monarchy in Israel, centering on three figures: Samuel, Saul, and David.
Kishon River
[Bible]The Kishon River flows through the Jezreel Valley and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Mount Carmel. In the Bible it appears as the place where the judge Deborah and Barak defeated the army of Sisera, and where Elijah put the prophets of Baal to death.
Sisera
[People]Sisera was the commander of the army of Jabin, the Canaanite king who oppressed Israel during the period of the judges. In Judges 4–5 he is defeated by the Israelite forces led by Deborah and Barak, and while fleeing he is killed by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.
Spring of Harod
[Bible]The Spring of Harod is the spring beside which the judge Gideon encamped with his army before fighting the Midianites (Judges 7:1). There he sent home those who were afraid and selected three hundred men by the way they drank water.
Jabesh-gilead
[Bible]Jabesh-gilead was an Israelite town in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. It appears in the account of a punishment at the close of the period of the judges, in the siege by the Ammonite king Nahash and Saul's rescue of the town, and in the account of Saul's burial.
Zebah (King of Midian)
[People]Zebah was one of the two kings of Midian who invaded Israel during the period of the judges. Pursued by Gideon along with Zalmunna, he was captured and executed (Judges 8; Psalm 83:11).
Jephthah's Daughter
[People]Jephthah's daughter was the only child of the judge Jephthah, whose story appears in Judges 11. She was given up because of a vow her father made before going to war. Scripture does not record her name.
Jephthah's Vow
[Bible]Jephthah's vow was the promise the judge Jephthah made before his battle with the Ammonites: if he returned victorious, he would offer as a burnt offering whoever came out to meet him. The vow led to the offering of his only daughter (Judges 11).
Barak
[People]Barak was an Israelite military leader in the period of the judges who, at the summons of the prophetess Deborah, defeated Sisera, the commander of the army of the Canaanite king Jabin. He appears in Judges 4–5 and is named among the people of faith in Hebrews 11.
Manoah
[People]Manoah is a man of the tribe of Dan in the Old Testament Book of Judges and the father of the judge Samson. He and his wife received from the angel of the Lord the announcement of their son's birth.
Rock of Rimmon
[Bible]The Rock of Rimmon was a rocky area toward the wilderness where six hundred Benjamites who survived the war with the other tribes of Israel during the period of the judges took refuge and remained for four months (Judges 20:47).
Puah (Father of Tola)
[People]Puah is a man of the tribe of Issachar mentioned in Judges 10:1, the son of Dodo and the father of the judge Tola. Scripture records only his name and lineage, and only once.
Gideon
[People]Gideon is a judge of Israel whose story is told in Judges 6–8. Also called Jerubbaal, he is best known for defeating Midian with three hundred men.
Dodo
[People]Dodo was a man of the tribe of Issachar, the father of Puah and the grandfather of the judge Tola. He is mentioned by name only once in the Bible, in Judges 10:1.
Ruth
[People]Ruth is a Moabite woman and the central figure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth. She followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem, married Boaz, and became the great-grandmother of King David.
Hophni and Phinehas
[People]Hophni and Phinehas were the two sons of Eli who served as priests at Shiloh at the close of the period of the judges. They sinned in several ways, including treating the sacrifices with contempt, and both died when the Ark of the Covenant was captured in battle against the Philistines.
Gilead
[Bible]Gilead is an Old Testament place name for the highland region east of the Jordan River. It was known for livestock raising and spices, and Scripture names it as the home of the judge Jephthah and the prophet Elijah.
Cushan-rishathaim
[People]Cushan-rishathaim is a king of Mesopotamia who appears in Judges 3. Early in the period of the judges, he ruled over Israel for eight years and was defeated by Othniel, the first judge.