It will be observed that we have put down all the periods concerned, whether they be

periods of servitude or of rest.

Turning now to the N.T. we find that the Apostle Paul has something to say about this

period, and we therefore turn to Acts 13: 16-22, in order to check our total.

Ignoring, for the moment, the years in the wilderness and the reign of Saul, we

observe that Paul's statement regarding the period of the Judges differs from our own

conclusion by 81 years, a difference too great to be covered by the suggestion that the

Apostle is using round numbers when he says "About the space of 450 years".

There are other checks, however, that we must take into account. Jephthah, who lived

at the very period under discussion, tells us (Judges 11: 26) that the disputed territory had

been held by Israel for 300 years, dating from the end of the 40 years' wandering.

Solomon also speaks very definitely about the number of years that intervened between

the Exodus from Egypt and the year in which he began to build the Temple of the Lord.

He speaks of this year as "the 480th year after the children of Israel were come out of the

land of Egypt", and the fourth year of his reign (I Kings 6: 1). If we compare Solomon's

period with that given by Paul in Acts 13:, we find a difference of 93 years, which,

again, in conjunction with the period covered by Solomon's account.

Let us now look back over the list of items given in the chronology of the Book of

Judges, on page 207. We observe that there are five periods of servitude, varying in

length from 7 years to 40. Adding these periods together we have the following: