2. The measure of mediocrity (12:8-15)

The lists of “minor judges” undergird the emphases of the sections in which they appear. Shamgar (3:31), standing between two triumphant judges, is an effectual deliverer. The second list (10:1-5) features Tola, who “saves Israel,” after the anarchic reign of Abimelech. This third list, between Jephthah and Samson, reflects the negative tone of 10:6-16:31. None is said to “rise up” to “save Israel.” The low numbers given for their rules total less than half that attributed to Tola and Jair (fifty-five years), just as Jephthah and Samson experienced abbreviated careers.