As the final Judge in the Book of Judges, which figure is traditionally named?

• A. Gideon
• B. Ehud
• C. Deborah
• D. Samuel

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is who is traditionally seen as the last judge of Israel, bridging the period of the Judges to the rise of the monarchy. Samuel is considered the final judge because, after the era of the mid‑to‑late Judges, he steps into a leadership role described as judge, prophet, and priest. He guides Israel, records God’s guidance, and importantly anoints Israel’s first two kings, establishing a transition from tribal leadership to a centralized monarchy. This role places him as the last figure to function in the judge capacity in the broader narrative that leads into 1 Samuel, even though the book of Judges ends with the story of Samson. The other figures—Ehud, Deborah, Gideon—are earlier judges who deliver Israel from oppression, while Samuel’s leadership marks the close of that era and the start of the next.