charismatic military leaders of early israel before they had a king were called by what term
Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) According to the Book of Judges, before the rise of the united monarchy the Israelite tribes lived as a confederation under ad hoc charismatic leaders called judges. Abimelech the first judge to be declared king by the men of Shechem and the house of Millo,[10][unreliable source?] reigned over Israel for three years before he was killed during the Battle of Thebez.[11][unreliable source?]