11:32
Having dealt with a number of examples in some detail, mostly Abraham and Moses, he now goes on to quickly list a number of others taken from throughout the Old Testament, and incidents in general. First he lists four of the “judges” (Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah). Gideon and Samson are well known to us, and have their flaws as well as their successes, this being especially true of Samson. The other two are less well known, and I had to look them up to remind myself what they had done. We read about Barak in Judges 4. He does win victories, but is acting under the encouragement and direction of Deborah. We read of Jephthah in Judges 10-12. He was one of the judges who came after one of the periods of Israel doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. He only reigned for six years, but gets quite a lot of attention (about two and a half chapters). Then he names David, followed by Samuel “and the prophets”. Samuel is probably named after David because he is listed with the prophets.
11:33
This verse lists some of their achievements. This involved conquering kingdoms. Several of them led Israel to victory over various enemies. They administered justice, which was at least as important as winning victories. They “gained what was promised”. People like David and Gideon received what was promised to them by God. Shutting the mouths almost certainly refers to Daniel.
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