The central characters in this book are the Judges.. These men and women adminstered justice and settled disputes, but they also ruled the people for God and were mighty deliverers. Judges 2:16 reads: "Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of . . . raiders."
Among the most noteworthy judges were Deborah, who leads the defeat of Canaan; Gideon, who delivered the people from the Midianites; and Samson, who is famous for his hair, but saved the people from the oppressive Philistines.
The storyline of Judges takes place mainly within the boundaries of Israel. Among the major oppressor nations encountered in Judges are Moab, southeast of Israel, across the Dead Sea; Midian, due south of Israel and east of the Red Sea; and Philistia, a very close neighbor of Israel to the west.
