This article is about the biblical figure. For the current-day Israeli judge, see Meir Shamgar.
Shamgar
Medieval depiction of Shamgar
Nationality
Unclear; possibly Israelite, Canaanite, or both
Predecessor
Ehud?
Successor
Deborah?
Shamgar, son of Anath (Hebrew: שַׁמְגַּרŠamgar), is the name of one or possibly two individuals named in the Book of Judges. The name occurs twice:
at the first mention, Shamgar is identified as a man who repelled Philistine incursions into Israelite regions, and slaughtered 600 of the invaders with an ox goad (Judges 3:31);[1]
the other mention is within the Song of Deborah, where Shamgar is described as having been one of the prior rulers, in whose days roads were abandoned, with travelers taking winding paths, and village life collapsing (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
Moses
Book of Joshua
Joshua
Book of Judges
Othniel
Ehud
Shamgar
Deborah
Gideon
Abimelech
Tola
Jair
Jephthah
Ibzan
Elon
Abdon
Samson
First Book of Samuel
Eli
Samuel
v
t
e
The act of this Shamgar is similar to that of Shammah, son of Agee, mentioned in the appendix of the Books of Samuel as being one 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.
The Jewish Encyclopedia suspects him of having been a foreign oppressor of the Israelites, rather than an Israelite ruler.[6] From the form of the name, it is suspected that Shamgar may actually have been a Hittite, a similar name occurring with Sangara, a Hittite king of Carchemish; more recent scholars hold that the name is of 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]
^ abcd This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Emil G. Hirsch, George A. Barton (1901–1906). "Shamgar". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
^ abRichard R. Losch (13 May 2008). All the People in the Bible: An A-Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-8028-2454-7.
^Smith, Mark S.; Bloch-Smith, Elizabeth M. (2021). Judges 1: A Commentary on Judges 1:1 Ð 10:5. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-5064-8049-7.
^Lubetski, Meir; Lubetski, Edith (2012). New Inscriptions and Seals Relating to the Biblical World. Society of Biblical Lit. pp. 6–8. ISBN 978-1-58983-557-3.
^Smith, Mark S.; Bloch-Smith, Elizabeth M. (2021). Judges 1: A Commentary on Judges 1:1 Ð 10:5. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-5064-8049-7.
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:...
Meir Shamgar (Hebrew: מאיר שמגר; August 13, 1925 – October 18, 2019) was the chief justice of the Israeli Supreme Court from 1983 to 1995. Meir Shamgar (Sterenberg...
The Shamgar commission was the official Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in late...
Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson. Ehud, described in the text between Othniel and Shamgar, is usually...
sources, including Dr. Manfred Lehman and Dr. Chaim Simons, quoting the Shamgar Commission report.[better source needed] The date 25 February 1994 coincided...
the Shabak director, Carmi Gillon, resigned preemptively. Later, the Shamgar Commission pointed to serious flaws in the personal security unit. Another...
Debora, Débora, Dvora, Debra Occupation(s) Prophetess of God, Fourth Judge of Israel Predecessor Shamgar Successor Gideon Spouse Lapidoth (possibly)...
Madox Brown of Ehud assassinating the Moabite king Eglon Occupation Second Judge of Israel Predecessor Othniel Successor Deborah (or possibly Shamgar)...
unto Joshua instead of his own two stubborn sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Shamgar Exodus 2:22 Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica 1 Chronicles 15:7 Exodus...
Leibowitz; head of the Shin Bet security branch Dror Yitzhaki before the Shamgar Commission established after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin; and Bank...
Book of Exodus Moses Book of Joshua Joshua Book of Judges Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson First...
Deputy President. Subsequently, with the retirement of the President Meir Shamgar on 13 August 1995, Barak was appointed the President of the Supreme Court...
Book of Exodus Moses Book of Joshua Joshua Book of Judges Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson First...
Book of Exodus Moses Book of Joshua Joshua Book of Judges Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson First...
as well as by the independent judicial Shamgar commission. Partially based on the Kempler video, the Shamgar commission concluded that Amir was guilty...
thrower who competed in the 1960, 1964, and 1968 Summer Olympics. Meir Shamgar (1925 in Danzig – 2019 in Jerusalem) was President of the Israeli Supreme...
assassination was reported as a clear-cut matter in Israeli media, and the Shamgar national inquiry commission and the court all drew the same conclusion...
Book of Exodus Moses Book of Joshua Joshua Book of Judges Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson First...
a lentil patch. It is also possible Shammah is mentioned in Judges as Shamgar, who defeated 600 men of the Philistines with an ox goad. This may have...
1997 by singer/guitarist Shamgar, formerly of Ascension and Mordax. The project was first called Dommer (1999–2000), before Shamgar finally settled on Slechtvalk...
Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. Meir Shamgar (LLB), 7th Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Israel. Emmerson Mnangagwa...
Book of Exodus Moses Book of Joshua Joshua Book of Judges Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson First...
President by the Selection Committee. In 1984, at the initiative of Meir Shamgar, who had been appointed a judge a year earlier, the Judges Law was amended...
Books. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved February 17, 2011. Handelman, Don; Shamgar-Handelman, Lea (1990). "Shaping Time: The Choice of the National Emblem...
chapter records the activities of the first three judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar, belonging to a section comprising Judges 3:1 to 5:31. This chapter was...