What does Judges 3:10 mean?

Israel has fallen into captivity under a foreign king because of their sinfulness and unfaithfulness to God (Judges 3:7–8). Finally, after eight years of slavery, the people cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord has raised up a "deliverer" (Judges 3:9) to save Israel from this foreign king. The role of these figures is described using the Hebrew root word shaphat, implying vindication and judgment, as well as governance. The English term "judge" is a loose fit for this concept, but works well enough.

Readers may wonder how a single person could save a nation in slavery. The answer is in this verse: The Spirit of the Lord was on Othniel. God could have simply engineered events and circumstances to free Israel without working through an individual. He chose, instead, to exercise His power and might and will through a mere human being by way of the Holy Spirit.

God the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity, along with God the Father and God the Son. Every person who comes to faith in Christ receives the Holy Spirit from God (John 14:16–17). In that way, God exercises His power through people in the church in this age. In the Old Testament, God is said to do this only in exceptional circumstances. God's word in Israel through the Judges is one such situation.

Empowered by God in this way, the warrior-judge Othniel goes to war with Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. The Lord gives Othniel and Israel the victory. The people are released from their slavery and suffering.