Self-Interest or Communal Interest: An Ideology of Leadership in the Gideon, Abimelech and Jephthah Narratives (Judg 6-1

This research provides a new reading of the Gideon, Abimelech and Jephthah narratives, and uncovers the ideology behind them. They aim to present the two parameters by which the Israelite leaders are examined, their loyalty to God and their altruistic character: A leader who prefers his own interest is doomed to fail.