Tola Rises to Save and Judge Israel

Tola is identified as a man of Issachar living in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

Judges 9 ended by naming God's repayment of Abimelech and Shechem for their wickedness. Tola's notice begins after that account but does not call Abimelech a judge. Jair's separate term follows; the renewed idolatry and oppression are not reported until 10:6-9.

Tola's brief notice records saving service and sustained judging after Abimelech.

Understanding the Big Idea

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, grandson of Dodo, rises to save Israel. He is identified with Issachar and lives in Shamir in Ephraim's hill country. He judges Israel for twenty-three years, then dies and is buried in Shamir. The brief notice affirms his saving role without telling how that rescue happened.

To mark a new deliverer after Abimelech and summarize Tola's location, twenty-three years of judging, death, and burial without narrating a battle.

Tola's saving role is real but only briefly described and finite. The gospel centers on Christ's death for sins and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), a saving work that this notice neither explains nor directly predicts.

1. Who rises after Abimelech, and for what stated purpose?
2. What family and location details identify Tola?
3. How long does he judge Israel?
4. What information about his rescue is not given?
5. Does the notice state that Israel had rest?