Shamgar

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the biblical figure. For the current-day Israeli judge, see Meir Shamgar.
Shamgar
Medieval depiction of Shamgar
NationalityUnclear; possibly Israelite, Canaanite, or both
PredecessorEhud?
SuccessorDeborah?

Shamgar, son of Anath (Hebrew: שַׁמְגַּר‎ Šamgar), is the name of one or possibly two individuals named in the Book of Judges. The name occurs twice:

  1. at the first mention, Shamgar is identified as a man who repelled
    Judges 3:31);[1]
  2. the other mention is within the
    Judges 5:6).[2]

Unlike the descriptions of Biblical Judges, the first reference to Shamgar has no introduction, conclusion, or reference to the length of reign,[3] and it is not said that he judged Israel.[4] The subsequent text[5] follows on directly from the previous narrative.[6] In several ancient manuscripts this reference to Shamgar occurs after the accounts of Samson rather than immediately after the account of Ehud, in a way that is more narratively consistent; some scholars believe that this latter position is more likely to be the passage's original location.[6][3]

Judges in the Hebrew Bible
שופטים‎
Italics indicate individuals not explicitly described as judges
Book of Exodus
Book of Joshua
Book of Judges
First Book of Samuel

The act of this Shamgar is similar to that of

The Three, a distinct group of warriors associated with King David.[7] Scholars are not certain as to whether the same individual was originally meant, and that the passage in the book of Judges was later moved to its present location, or whether each of the two figures were different heroes.[7] Scholars also believe that the name of the individual may originally have been Shammah, and became corrupted under the influence of the Shamgar in the Song of Deborah.[6] The term usually translated as oxgoad is a biblical hapax legomenon,[3] the translation into English being made on the basis of the Septuagint
's translation into Greek.

The other mention of Shamgar, that in the Song of Deborah, connects Shamgar with a low period of Israelite society.

Hurrian origin and may well be Šimig-ari.[8]

The Bible also indicates that he was the "son" of

Anath (the name of a Canaanite deity). In recent years, arrowheads bearing the names ben-anat and Aramaic bar anat, dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC, have been discovered.[9] This has led several recent scholars to theorize that the expression "son of Anath" probably designates a warrior title.[10]

See also

References and citations

  1. ^ Judges 3:31
  2. ^ Judges 5:6
  3. ^ a b c Peake's Commentary on the Bible
  4. ^ https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/shamgar
  5. ^ Judges 4
  6. ^
    George A. Barton (1901–1906). "Shamgar". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia
    . New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8028-2454-7
    .
  8. ISBN 978-1-5064-8049-7
    .
  9. ISBN 978-1-58983-557-3
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-5064-8049-7
    .

External links

  • Media related to Shamgar at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by
Judge of Israel
 		Succeeded by
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