Judges 3:7-11
New Catholic Bible
The Period of the Judges
Othniel’s Conquest.[a] 7 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord, their God, and serving the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord blazed out against Israel, so he sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Aram-naharaim.[b] The Israelites were subjected to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. 9 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord sent the Israelites a liberator. It was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, and he delivered them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord[c] came upon him, and he became a judge of Israel. He went to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, the king of Aram-naharaim, into his hands. His hand overpowered Cushan-rishathaim. 11 The land was at peace for forty years, and then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 3:7 The story of Othniel is typical of the way in which judges or “charismatic” leaders appeared on the scene: they were raised up by God in a difficult situation.
- Judges 3:8 Naharaim: meaning two rivers and are the upper Tigris and the upper Euphrates (southern Syria).
- Judges 3:10 The Spirit of the Lord: from the very beginning of scripture, God’s Spirit in nature (Gen 1:2) and in individuals is given to do his will for the good of his people. Here Othniel is God’s channel, as are other judges, Gideon (Jdg 6:34) and Jephthah (Jdg 11:29), and later King David (1 Sam 16:13). Jesus, too, is “filled with the Holy Spirit,” (Lk 4:1), as is Elizabeth (Lk 1:41).
