Commentary on the Book of Judges by Professor J.J. Lias

John James Lias [1834-1923], The Book of JudgesAccording to WikiSource John James Lias [1834-1923] was Chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral and Hulsean Lecturer in Divinity and Lady Margaret Preacher at the University of Cambridge. This is the full text of his commentary on the Book of Judges. This title is in the public domain.

John James Lias [1834-1923], The Book of Judges, J.J.S. Perowne, gen.ed., The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1884. Hbk. pp.220. [Click to download complete book in PDF]


  • Preface
  1. Introduction
    1. Contents, Authorship and Date, Genuineness, Canonicity, of the Book of Judges
    2. The Political, Moral, and Religious condition of Israel under the Judges
    3. The Personal character of the Judges
    4. The Song of Deborah
    5. The Chronology of the Period
    6. Analysis
  2. Texts and Notes
  3. Appendix
  4. Index


I. Contents. The book of Judges consists of three parts. The first part (ch. i. 1, iii. 7) forms an Introduction, obviously designed to connect the book with the previous narrative in Joshua. We have first a description of the condition of the Israelites immediately after Joshua’s death, and their relations with the Phoenician peoples whom Joshua had left only half subdued (ch. i. i-ii. 10). Then (ch. ii. ii-iii. 7) the writer proceeds to give a brief summary of his history chiefly from a moral and religious point of view, pointing out the cause of national misfortunes, namely the disobedience of the people to the national law, and their apostasy from the national religion. The second part (ch. iii. 8-xvi. 31) contains the history of the Judges. In the third part (ch. xvii. to end) the historian adds two episodes of a more private and personal character… [Continue reading]