Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. (Judges 3:8)
That is, permitted them to be defeated and to be made a subject people who retained their territories only by paying tribute.
From this point begins the actual narrative of the book of Judges. Thus far the book has, by means of two prefaces (chs. 1:1 to 2:5 and 2:6 to 3:7), laid the historical background and stated the principle, that the sins of the people led to oppression, but that God provided a deliverance through a “judge” to grant a further opportunity for Israel to accept her high destiny. The narrative of the judge Othniel, like that of the other judges, is given to illustrate this truth.
Chushan-rishathaim.
Historical records contain no information about the invasion of Canaan by a Mesopotamian king by this name. The title means “Chushan of double wickedness.” The latter part of the name was probably added by the Israelites to show their aversion for him. The invasion came from the northeast, from ’Aram Naharayim, as it is given in the Hebrew. The word means “Aram of the two rivers.” This was the common designation for the region between the upper Euphrates and the Khābûr rivers. The word Mesopotamia later came to signify all the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Inasmuch as ’Aram Naharayim was at that time ruled by kings of Mitanni, it is probable that Chushan-rishathaim was a Mitanni king.