And he judged Israel twenty-three years: Tola’s achievements as a leader are briefly summarized here. For he judged Israel, see verse 3.10. Twenty-three years is a relatively long period of time, one year more than Jair’s period of leadership (verse 10.3).

Then he died, and was buried at Shamir: Like other heroes, Tola was buried in his hometown. For he died, and was buried, see verse 8.32. This is a standard formula for describing the end of a judge’s life.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .