Judges1
New American Standard
1Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
2The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have handed the land over to him.”
3Then Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me into the territory allotted me, and let’s fight the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him.
4Judah went up, and the Lord handed over to them the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.
5They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9Afterward, the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, and in the Negev, and in the lowland.
10So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath-sepher).
12And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as a wife.”
13Now Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife.
14Then it happened that when she came to him, she incited him to ask her father for a field. Then later, she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
15She said to him, “Give me a blessing: since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
16Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
17Then Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah.
18And Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
19Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots.
20Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.
21But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
22Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.
23The house of Joseph had men spy out Bethel (the name of the city previously was Luz).
24And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will treat you kindly.”
25So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free.
26Then the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in this land.
28And it came about, when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they did not drive them out completely.
29And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
30Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.
31Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or of Rehob.
32So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
33Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.
34Then the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley;
35yet the Amorites persisted in living on Mount Heres, in Aijalon and Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor.
36The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Judges 1.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Proceedings of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. (1–8). Hebron and other cities taken. (9–20). The proceedings of other tribes. (21–36).
vv1-8
The Israelites were convinced that the war against the Canaanites was to be continued; but they were in doubt as to the manner in which it was to be carried on after the death of Joshua. In these respects they inquired of the Lord. God appoints service according to the strength he has given. From those who are most able, most work is expected. Judah was first in dignity, and must be first in duty. Judah's service will not avail unless God give success; but God will not give the success, unless Judah applies to the service. Judah was the most considerable of all the tribes, and Simeon the least; yet Judah begs Simeon's friendship, and prays for aid from him. It becomes Israelites to help one another against Canaanites; and all Christians, even those of different tribes, should strengthen one another. Those who thus help one another in love, have reason to hope that God will graciously help both. Adoni-bezek was taken prisoner. This prince had been a severe tyrant. The Israelites, doubtless under the Divine direction, made him suffer what he had done to others; and his own conscience confessed that he was justly treated as he had treated others. Thus the righteous God sometimes, in his providence, makes the punishment answer the sin.
vv9-20
The Canaanites had iron chariots; but Israel had God on their side, whose chariots are thousands of angels, Ps 68:17. Yet they suffered their fears to prevail against their faith. About Caleb we read in Jos 15:16–19. The Kenites had settled in the land. Israel let them fix where they pleased, being a quiet, contented people. They that molested none, were molested by none. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
vv21-36
The people of Israel were very careless of their duty and interest. Owing to slothfulness and cowardice, they would not be at the pains to complete their conquests. It was also owing to their covetousness: they were willing to let the Canaanites live among them, that they might make advantage of them. They had not the dread and detestation of idolatry they ought to have had. The same unbelief that kept their fathers forty years out of Canaan, kept them now out of the full possession of it. Distrust of the power and promise of God deprived them of advantages, and brought them into troubles. Thus many a believer who begins well is hindered. His graces languish, his lusts revive, Satan plies him with suitable temptations, the world recovers its hold; he brings guilt into his conscience, anguish into his heart, discredit on his character, and reproach on the gospel. Though he may have sharp rebukes, and be so recovered that he does not perish, yet he will have deeply to lament his folly through his remaining days; and upon his dying bed to mourn over the opportunities of glorifying God and serving the church he has lost. We can have no fellowship with the enemies of God within us or around us, but to our hurt; therefore our only wisdom is to maintain unceasing war against them.
Key Words
אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
מָוֶת: death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin
יְהוֹשׁוּעַ: Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מִי: who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
עָלָה: to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
תְּחִלָּה: a commencement; rel. original (adverb, -ly)
כְּנַעַנִי: a Kenaanite or inhabitant of Kenaan; by implication, a pedlar (the Canaanites standing for their neighbors the Ishmaelites, who conducted mercantile caravans)
לָחַם: to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction)
Cross References
Judges 1Parallels Caleb's acquisition of Hebron, Debir, and the narrative of Achsah's springs.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Explains why Judah and Benjamin could not fully dispossess the Jebusites from Jerusalem.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Moses' invitation to the Kenite family to journey with Israel to Canaan.
Supported by JFB
The ordained method of inquiring of the Lord via Urim and Thummim.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Another instance of Israel asking who goes first, with Judah chosen.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Explains why Judah asks Simeon; Simeon's inheritance was within Judah's territory.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Fulfillment of Israel's early vow to utterly destroy Zephath, naming it Hormah.
Supported by JFB
Documents Moses' promise and the giving of Hebron to Caleb.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallels Manasseh's failure to drive out Canaanites from Beth-shean, Megiddo, and their towns.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jacob's prophecy conferring leadership and pre-eminence upon the tribe of Judah.
Supported by JFB
Names the three giant sons of Anak whom Caleb drove out from Hebron.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies Othniel as Caleb's younger brother and Israel's first judge.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Mentions the dreaded iron chariots of the Canaanites in the valleys.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels Ephraim's failure to drive out the Canaanites dwelling in Gezer.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Lex Talionis law corresponding to Adoni-bezek's confession of divine requital.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Contrasts sparing Rahab (who stayed in Israel) with sparing this Bethel informant.
Supported by Matthew Poole