Final answer:
The leaders of Israel before the time of kings were called Judges. They led the Hebrews through a period of decentralized tribal leadership, before the monarchy was established with King Saul. option a is answer
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to the appointment of kings, the leaders of Israel were called Judges. These leaders are described in the biblical book of Judges, where the Hebrews lived as twelve tribes and were led by various charismatic leaders, each known as a Judge.
This period of leadership by Judges came before the Hebrews organized themselves into a kingdom with a monarchy in response to the oppression from the Philistines, one of the Sea Peoples groups. The first king, Saul, came to power around 1030 BCE. He was followed by the effective leadership of King David, who defeated the Philistines and established a centralized kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital. Option a is answer