(Continued from page 522)

The second consideration is that the book of Judges overlaps I Samuel by a period of approximately forty-five to fifty years. Judges 13:1 begins a forty year period of oppression by the Philistines beginning with the birth of Samson at approximately 1095 B.C. First Samuel begins with the birth of Samuel, but I Samuel 7:13 records the termination of the forty years of oppression which began in Judges 13 and so, if we date the birth of Samuel at about 1100 B.C. and begin Judges 13 in about 1095 B.C. with the birth of Samson and the beginning of the Philistine oppression, then the 40-year oppression comes to an end in I Samuel 7, at about the same time that Samson died in Judges 16.  While Samuel was using Bethel as a central location for the small circuit of his prophetic office and function as priest and judge, at the same time Samson was living near the Mediterranean seacoast and was involved in a personal vendetta against the Philistines, which the Sovereign God was using as a form of judgment against them.

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References:

1. King James Authorised Bible, 1769
   
2. New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, 1977
   
3. James L. Kelso, Archaeology and Our Old Testament Contemporaries, p. 53 [Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994]
   
4. W.A. Criswell, Believer's Study Bible [computer file], electronic ed. , Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1991 by the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies.
   
5. Thomas Nelson, Inc., King James Version Study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1988  by Liberty University.
   
6. James I. Packer, Merrill C. Tenney and William White, Jr., editors, Nelson's   illustrated manners and customs of the Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos  Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.
   
7. Jerome H. Smith, editor, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) c1992 by Jerome H. Smith.
   
8. Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.
   
9. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.
   
10. W. F. Albright, "The Role of the Canaanites in the History of Civilization," in The Bible and the Ancient Near East.
    
11. Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Robert Young, MacDonald Pub.  Company, McLean, Virginia 22102
    
12. Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa, Talk thru the Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1983.