Reassessing Repentance In Judges -- By: JoAnna Hoyt

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 169:674 (Apr 2012)
Article: Reassessing Repentance In Judges
Author: JoAnna Hoyt


Reassessing Repentance In Judges

JoAnna Hoyt

JoAnna Hoyt resides in Dallas, Texas.

Traditionally Judges is viewed as depicting cycles of sin, judgment, repentance, and deliverance. Israel’s “cry” to the Lord in Judges is commonly understood as a cry of repentance, and God’s deliverance is His response to their repentance. However, a second look at the text shows that repentance is not the cornerstone of the book that many believe it to be.

To determine the theology of repentance in Judges the issues are complex and far exceed a simple word study on the type of “cry” (זָעַק) Israel gave. While lexical studies are important to the issue, the way the story is crafted also contributes to the meaning the author was communicating. Passages outside Judges, such as 1 Samuel 12:9-11, add complexity to the issue, for they are understood by many as supporting the view that Israel did indeed repent in each cycle.

Lexical Components

The Turning (Or Returning) Of Israel

Twice Israel is said to have “turned” (שׁוב) to foreign gods. The first occurrence is in the introduction (Judg. 2:19), and the second is at the end of the Gideon narrative (8:33). Both occurrences use the qal stem of שׁוב, which generally denotes physical movement, such as turning, turning around, or returning. It can indicate the act of doing something again or becoming something again. When used with people, the verb indicates that they will again arrive at their initial point of departure, and it focuses on the return to a specific point.1

The idea of Israel’s “turning” in Judges is traditionally associated with repentance,2 though both occurrences in Judges (2:19 and 8:33) indicate turning to false gods. This turning is seen as an indication that Israel had at one time turned away from the false gods; otherwise they could not have returned to them.

Interestingly the Israelites are never said to have turned to God.3 The Book of Judges never answers the question of why the Israelites turned away from the foreign gods in the first place, to what degree they turned away from the foreign gods, or even if they turned away. This raises the question of whether they truly turned away from the foreign gods. Were the Israelites truly repent...

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