Judges 13-21: A New Translation with Commentary

The second volume of Jack M. Sasson's authoritative commentary on the book of Judges

The second half of Judges is set when "there was no king in Israel; anyone could do whatever felt right." It narrates the tale of Samson, the would-be liberator of Israel who comes to a violent end; the conquest of the land of Laish; and a vicious rape that, when followed by a shocking dismemberment, ignites a war among the tribes. In the second installment of his authoritative two-volume commentary, Jack M. Sasson invites his readers to ponder the many levels of meaning in the Hebrew text through a careful survey of its contents, evolution, and reception.

By situating the text alongside its earliest translations into Greek, Aramaic, and Latin, Sasson offers compelling observations on the characters, action, pacing, and style of the narrative, focusing on the characterization of Samson as a resourceful avenger of Philistine cruelties and as an instrument of God intended to humiliate false divinities. Sasson draws widely on comparative literature from Egypt, Greece, and Mesopotamia to enrich our understanding of how biblical writers adapted older regional sagas; and he derives insights from Hellenistic and rabbinic sources to re-create how Judges was understood by its earliest readers. Comprehensive and engagingly written, Judges 13-21 is an invitation to readers to rediscover these ancient stories and, in so doing, gain a greater appreciation for the art of Hebrew storytelling.

Author: Jack M. Sasson
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 08/27/2025
Pages: 480
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 6.30w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780300278132

About the Author
Jack M. Sasson is the Mary Jane Werthan Professor Emeritus of Judaic and Biblical Studies at Vanderbilt University and the William Rand Kenan Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He lives in Durham, NC.