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Judges

Judgeschapter 1

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A.Judah goes up first; Adoni-bezek's thumbs and toesvv. 1-10

1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?” 2 “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.” 3 Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them. 4 When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. 8 Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. 9 Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills. 10 Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

B.Othniel wins Achsah, and Achsah asks for watervv. 11-21

11 From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” 13 So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. 14 One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” 15 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. 16 Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people. 17 Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called Hormah. 18 And Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory. 19 The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron. 20 Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak. 21 The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.

C.The long roll of Canaanites not driven outvv. 22-36

22 The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23 They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz), 24 and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 25 So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. 27 At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely. 29 Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer. 30 Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers. 31 Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. 32 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. 33 Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers. 34 The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor. 36 And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim to Sela and beyond.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition
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Chapter summary

After Joshua's death Israel asks who shall go up first, and Jehovah answers, Judah shall go up.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾

After Joshua's death Israel asks who shall go up first, and Jehovah answers, Judah shall go up. The chapter opens in strength (Bezek taken, Adoni-bezek repaid in the coin he had used on seventy kings, Hebron and Debir won, Caleb's daughter Achsah asking for the upper and nether springs) and then curdles into a litany of failure. Judah could not drive out the valley dwellers because of their chariots of iron; Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem; Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali each left Canaanites in the land, putting them to taskwork instead. The Amorites pressed Dan into the hill country.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Samuel — Judges overview

  • A. 1–10 Judah goes up first; Adoni-bezek's thumbs and toes
  • B. 11–21 Othniel wins Achsah, and Achsah asks for water
  • C. 22–36 The long roll of Canaanites not driven out
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
  • Joshua 157 verses
    • Joshua 15:2Their southern border started at the bay on the southern tip of the Salt Sea,
    • Joshua 15:13According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)
    • Joshua 15:15From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
    • Joshua 15:16And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”
    • Joshua 15:18One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
    • Joshua 15:45Ekron, with its towns and villages;
    • Read Joshua 15: 1 more there →
  • Judges 17 verses
    • Judges 1:2“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
    • Judges 1:3Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them.
    • Judges 1:10Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
    • Judges 1:17Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called Hormah.
    • Judges 1:19The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
    • Judges 1:21The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
    • Read Judges 1: 1 more there →
  • Joshua 196 verses
    • Joshua 19:1The second lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Simeon:
    • Joshua 19:15It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.
    • Joshua 19:24The fifth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Asher:
    • Joshua 19:32The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali:
    • Joshua 19:42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
    • Joshua 19:47(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
    • Read Joshua 19 →
  • Joshua 113 verses
    • Joshua 11:6Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.”
    • Joshua 11:21At that time Joshua proceeded to eliminate the Anakim from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction, along with their cities.
    • Joshua 11:22No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
    • Read Joshua 11 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
  • Joshua 103 verses
    • Joshua 10:12On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
    • Joshua 10:36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
    • Joshua 10:38Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it.
    • Read Joshua 10 →
  • Judges 202 verses
    • Judges 20:18The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
    • Judges 20:28and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
    • Read Judges 20 →
  • 1 Samuel 152 verses
    • 1 Samuel 15:6And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
    • 1 Samuel 15:33But Samuel declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
    • Read 1 Samuel 15 →
  • Judges 32 verses
    • Judges 3:3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
    • Judges 3:9But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
    • Read Judges 3 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.