The title characters of the biblical book of Judges are not so much jurists but chieftains and military leaders, who serially unite some or all of the Israelite tribes to fight against various foreign oppressors. Between judges, there are often interregna during which Israel’s fortunes deteriorate. Some, like Gideon and Deborah, are the subjects of long narratives; others, like Tola ben Puah, merit only two verses. What is unique about Tola, Ami Hordes observes, is that these verses state that he “saved Israel” but do not say from whom.
Hordes makes the case, based on an ambiguous word, that Tola was a cousin of his predecessor as judge, Abimelech—who in turn was the son and successor of Gideon. With this in mind, Hordes employs a careful reading of the text of Judges to present a novel understanding of this obscure character:
Lack of leadership continuity plagued the nation for hundreds of years following Joshua’s death [at the beginning of Judges]. Judges came and went, but the people never knew when or whether another would follow. Gideon’s formidable, if not perfect, leadership qualities, coupled with Divinely-inspired military success, produced 40 years of quiet—and led the populace to offer him a dynasty, perhaps in part in hopes of ending the cycle of uncertainty. After initially dismissing the idea, Gideon gave more than mixed messages about endorsing it. . . .
“After Abimelech [son of Gideon], Tola . . . arose to deliver Israel.” Again, no subjugator appears here; Tola apparently stepped up to save the people before another foe emerged. From what did he save them then? Perhaps from their anxiety regarding leadership. This may be implied by the only meaningful actions he takes in the story: by simply (1) standing up (vayakom) and (2) leading [literally, “judging”]—thereby filling the governance vacuum—he rescued them.
Read more on Lehrhaus: https://thelehrhaus.com/scholarship/tola-ben-puah/