Chapter 5 Study Guide: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, people, and events from Joshua, Judges, and Ruth in Chapter 5.

Deuteronomic history

Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings, written during the Babylonian Exile, with Deuteronomy as introduction.

Herem (the ban)

The practice of destroying everything in a conquered town.

Rahab

Canaanite prostitute who hid Israelite spies and was saved with her household when Jericho fell.

Canticle of Deborah

One of the oldest Bible writings; a song of victory over Sisera.

Jerubbaal

Gideon’s nickname, meaning “Let Baal contend against him,” given after he tore down a Baal altar.

Nazirite

A person consecrated to God, with vows including no alcohol and no haircut.

Gleaning

Gathering grain left behind by reapers.

Shalom

Deep peace of God associated with life in the Promised Land.

Ephod

A cultic object made by Gideon that later became an idol.

Gilgal

Site of the 12 memorial stones set up after the Jordan crossing.

Joshua

Faithful, obedient leader who renewed the Covenant at Shechem before he died.

Deborah

Prophet and judge of Naphtali.

Barak

Military commander in the account of victory over Sisera.

Sisera

Canaanite general who had 900 iron chariots.

Jael

Woman who killed the sleeping Sisera with a tent peg.

Gideon

Manassehite judge called while threshing wheat in a winepress; his army was reduced to 300.

Samson

Judge from Dan who took Nazirite vows and fought the Philistines.

Delilah

Woman who betrayed Samson, leading to his capture.

Naomi

Ruth’s mother-in-law, who returned to Bethlehem after losing her husband and sons.

Ruth

Moabite who stayed loyal to Naomi, gleaned in Boaz’s field, and became David’s Gentile great-grandmother.

Boaz

Kinsman of Naomi’s deceased husband who praised Ruth’s loyalty and married her after resolving the closer kinsman’s claim.

Achan

Man who took loot from Jericho; after Israel’s defeat at Ai, he was executed by stoning.

Fourfold cycle

The recurring pattern in Judges consisting of Sin → Disaster → Repentance → Deliverance.

Cities of refuge

Places that provided sanctuary for people who had killed someone accidentally.

Book of Jashar

The non-biblical source cited for the account where Joshua asked the sun to stand still.

Who was Rahab

a Canaanite woman who hid Israelite spies in Jericho and helped them escape. She is later described as an ancestor of Jesus.

Gideon

a judge of Israel who led a small army to victory over the Midianites with God's guidance. He is known for his test involving a fleece and for destroying the altar of Baal.

Samson

a judge of Israel known for his supernatural strength, derived from his uncut hair. He is famous for his conflicts with the Philistines and his story of betrayal by Delilah.

Ruth

a Moabite woman who became the great-grandmother of King David. She is known for her loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi and for gleaning in the fields of Boaz.

Fourfold cycle

Sin - Disaster - Repentance - Deliverance