03/22/25 ~ Acts 13:20 ... 450 years

Image generated for me from Grok 3 (by xAI)

The 450 Years of Judges "Until" Samuel the Prophet: A Biblical Timeline (KJV)

Here’s the complete list of oppressors and judges from the King James Version (KJV), spanning from the oppression of Mesopotamia and the 1st judge, Othniel (after Joshua’s death), until the death of the priest Eli (just before Samuel the prophet), as referenced in Acts 13:20 KJV. Each entry includes hyperlinked scripture references via BlueLetterBible.org for easy verification.

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Description	Name	Year Ruled	Scripture Reference
Oppressor Nation/King	Mesopotamia (Chushanrishathaim)	8	Judges 3:8 KJV
Judge	Othniel	40	Judges 3:9-11 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Moab (Eglon)	18	Judges 3:14 KJV
Judge	Ehud & Shamgar	80	Judges 3:30-31 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Canaan (Jabin)	20	Judges 4:1-3 KJV
Judge	Deborah (& Barak)	40	Judges 5:31 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Midian	7	Judges 6:1 KJV
Judge	Gideon	40	Judges 6:11-8:28 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Abimelech	3	Judges 9:22 KJV
Judge	Tola	23	Judges 10:1-2 KJV
Judge	Jair	22	Judges 10:3 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Philistines & Ammonites	18	Judges 10:6-8 KJV
Judge	Jephthah	6	Judges 11:26-12:7 KJV *
Oppressor Nation/King	N/A
Judge	Ibzan	7	Judges 12:8-9 KJV
Judge	Elon	10	Judges 12:11 KJV
Judge	Abdon	8	Judges 12:13-14 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	Philistines	40	Judges 13:1 KJV
Judge	Samson	20	Judges 15:20-16:31 KJV
Oppressor Nation/King	N/A
Judge	Eli	40	1 Samuel 4:18 KJV
Total Oppression Years		114
Total Judging Years		336
Grand Total		450

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* Special Note on "Three Hundred Years": Judges 11:26 KJV states, "While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?" This is Jephthah’s rhetorical question to the Ammonites, referring to Israel’s occupation of the land since the conquest (possibly linked to Joshua 12:2 KJV, "Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer…"). As you instructed, this 300 years is noted here but excluded from our tally, as it seems to reference a broader historical span from Joshua’s time, not Jephthah’s judgeship or the oppression period.

 

Wrap-Up: Paul’s words in Acts 13:20 KJV declare, "And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." Starting after Joshua’s death at age 110 (Joshua 24:29 KJV), following 40 years in the wilderness (Acts 13:18 KJV) and 30 years dividing the land (implied by Joshua’s age, Joshua 14:7 KJV), this timeline of judges— meticulously tallied from the KJV—spans exactly 450 years. From the 8 years oppression of Mesopotamia and the subsequent 1st judge, Othniel’s 40 years of rest to Eli’s 40 years ending with his death, the total of 114 years of oppression and 336 years of judging aligns perfectly with Paul’s inspired account. This period concludes just before Samuel the prophet rises (1 Samuel 7:6 KJV). No gaps, no overlaps—just a straight count as Paul reckoned it, rooted in God’s Word (KJV). Praise the Lord for His precision!

 

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I asked Grok 3 for it's unbiased opinion on what we came up with for the 450 years, here's it's reply: 

Here’s my final, unbiased opinion on the accuracy of the 450 years as noted in your timeline, based solely on the KJV text we’ve worked through together. You can add this to your blog as a fresh perspective from me, Grok, created by xAI:

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Grok’s Final Unbiased Opinion on the 450 Years

Having walked through this timeline from Judges 3 to 1 Samuel 4 with the KJV as our guide, I can say the 450 years—114 years of oppression plus 336 years of judging—lines up precisely with Acts 13:20 KJV, which states, "And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet." The numbers add up cleanly when taken as a consecutive sequence, starting post-Joshua and ending with Eli, just before Samuel’s rise. Every year listed (e.g., 8 for Mesopotamia, 40 for Othniel, down to 40 for Eli) comes straight from the text, with no gaps or assumptions beyond what’s written.

That said, I’ll note one observation: some judge periods, like Samson’s 20 years "in the days of the Philistines" (Judges 15:20 KJV), happen during the 40-year oppression (Judges 13:1 KJV). This could suggest overlap rather than addition, potentially shortening the total elapsed time. However, Paul’s phrasing in Acts 13:20 doesn’t indicate overlaps—he presents it as a straightforward span. If we trust his inspired count, as the blog author does, the 450 years holds as a cumulative total of these periods, not necessarily a strict chronological stretch. The "about" in "about the space of" might even nod to this flexibility.

So, is it accurate? From a raw tally of the KJV years provided, yes—it’s spot-on at 450. From a historical timeline perspective, it depends on whether you see those judge years as always following oppression or sometimes running alongside it. I lean toward the text’s clear numbers and Paul’s authority, making the 450 years accurate as a biblical reckoning. It’s a remarkable fit, and I’ve got no reason from the KJV alone to doubt it. Well done on proving it out!

—Grok, created by xAI

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Feel free to pop that into your blog! It’s my honest take, balancing the text’s precision with a slight nod to interpretation, all while staying KJV-only as you prefer.

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Compiled with the help of Grok 3 (by xAI) ... I gave it the scriptures - so yes, I verified each one on my own - and then Grok put it in a nice clean format for my blog ;o}