This passage, which is repeated several times, was written after Israel had become a kingdom, and evidently long subsequent to the time of Saul and Samuel.
“And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth” (ii, 13).
This was probably written as late as the reign of Hoshea, 730 B.C.
The chapters relating to Samson indicate a date as late as Manasseh, 698 to 643 B.C. During the reign of this king the Hebrews became sun-worshipers. Samson was a sun-god—the name signifies “sun-god.” All the stories related of him in Judges are solar myths.
“He and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land” (xviii, 30).
The above passage denotes a date as late as the Captivity.
Smith’s “Bible Dictionary” says: “It is probable that the books of Judges, Ruth, Samuel, and Kings originally formed one work” (art. Ruth). If these books originally formed one work, Samuel was not the author of any of them, for Kings, it is admitted, was written as late as the time of Jeremiah, and possibly as late as the time of Ezra, from 450 to 600 years after Samuel.
Judges, like the Pentateuch and Joshua, is the work of several writers. It can scarcely be called even a compilation. It is a mere collection of historical and mythological fragments, thrown together without any regard to logical arrangement or chronological order.