who wrote the book of judges

The Book of Judges does not name its author, so its authorship is officially unknown.

Traditional view

Many Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the Book of Judges to the prophet Samuel.

They argue this because:

• Ancient Jewish sources (like the Talmud, Baba Bathra 14b–15a) list Samuel as the writer or compiler of Judges.

• The book repeatedly says, “In those days there was no king in Israel,” which sounds like it was written from a time after a king existed, fitting Samuel’s lifetime at the dawn of the monarchy.

In this view, Samuel either wrote or compiled earlier materials into the form of the book we have now.

Modern scholarly view

Most modern scholars are more cautious and say we cannot know the precise author.

Common ideas include:

• Judges is part of the broader “Deuteronomistic history” (Deuteronomy–Kings), likely edited together by one or more historians centuries after the events it describes.

• Some propose early editions were written in the time of King Josiah (late 7th century BCE), then updated during or after the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE).

• This would mean multiple hands—editors and compilers—rather than a single named author.

So, who wrote Judges?

Putting it simply:

• The Bible itself does not say who wrote Judges.

• Traditional answer: Samuel is the likely author or main compiler.

• Scholarly answer: The author is unknown , and the book was probably shaped by later editors within the Deuteronomistic history.

If you’re writing or posting about this, a balanced line would be:

The Book of Judges has no named author; Jewish tradition credits Samuel, but many scholars see it as an anonymous work shaped by later editors.

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