Judge Shamgar: 3:31 The chapter closes with a very brief notice about a judge named Shamgar. It does not begin or end with the usual phrases; neither are any of the other stereotypic elements such as geographical or genealogical details in the core of the story. In fact, it is not a story. The summarizing phrase seems like no more than an afterthought or a comment added to bring the story into conformity with those of the other judges. Moreover, Shamgar is not even a Hebrew name, and Anath is the name of a Canaanite goddess. Finally, the author ignores Shamgar when he moves to the story of Deborah, connecting it directly with Ehud’s story (Judg. 4:1).

There are three reaso…