Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

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Three brief accounts follow Jephthah's death. Ibzan of Bethlehem judges Israel for seven years. He has thirty sons and thirty daughters, arranging marriages outside his clan for both. When he dies, he is buried in Bethlehem.

Elon, from Zebulun, judges for ten years and is buried at Aijalon in his tribe's territory. Abdon, from Pirathon, follows him for eight years. His forty sons and thirty grandsons ride seventy donkeys. He is buried at Pirathon in Ephraim.

The notices give each man his own name, years, and burial place. They also show that a leader's household could have considerable reach. Yet numbers of children and donkeys do not tell us everything about the quality of a man's leadership. The writer records these details without pronouncing each family arrangement good.

Each period of leadership ends with a death and a burial. Israel's life continues beyond any one judge. These men occupy a place in its history, but none can provide the lasting rule and care that belong to God.