In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
However, the verse also summarizes the whole period of the judges surveyed in this book. It forms a fitting concluding statement that explains why life in Israel was as it was during this era. For this reason many Bible students regard this verse as the key verse in the book. [Note: See Frederick E. Greenspahn, "An Egyptian Parallel to Judges 17:6 and 21:25," Journal of Biblical Literature 101:1 (1982):129-35.] 