[1] According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel,[2][3] but modern scholars view it as part of the Deuteronomistic History, which spans in the books of Deuteronomy to 2 Kings, attributed to nationalistic and devotedly Yahwistic writers during the time of the reformer Judean king Josiah in 7th century BCE.

[7] Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B;

[13] In this narrative, for the first time Israel's appeal to Yahweh was met with a stern rebuke rather than immediate deliverence, and the whole cycle addresses the issue of infidelity and religious deterioration.

Numbers 13; Joshua 2), God offered the 'always humble and hesitant hero' Gideon a positive sign before the battle: through the dream of the enemy which had divinatory significance (cf.

For the final operation, Gideon called up the tribe of Ephraim, whose army captured and beheaded the Midianite commanders Oreb and Zeeb (verses 24–25).