Judges 1:9
in Judges 1Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the lowland.
KJV
And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.
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This verse in Judges 1
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThe Canaanites, that dwelt to the mountain - The territories of the tribe of Judah lay in the most southern part of the promised land, which was very mountainous, though towards the west it had many fine plains. In some of these the Canaanites had dwelt; and the expedition marked here was for the purpose of finally expelling them. But probably this is a recapitulation of what is related Jos 10:36; Jos 11:21; Jos 15:13.
This site's exposition
afterward the children of Judah
on Judges 1:9-15
Verses 10 to 15 repeat Joshua 15:14 to 19 almost word for word, so the same events stand in two books, once as the record of Judah's inheritance and once as the opening of Judah's war. The man who takes Debir is Othniel, who becomes the first judge of Israel at 3:9 with the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him at 3:10, so the book's first deliverer is introduced winning a wife. Achsah is the only person in the chapter who asks for anything, and what she asks for is water, since a field in the south country without springs cannot be worked. Both old names are kept, Hebron called Kirjath-arba and Debir called Kirjath-sepher, which is how these records mark towns that were standing long before Israel came.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They had iron chariots, and therefore it was thought not safe to attack them: but had not Israel God on their side, whose chariots are thousands of angels ( Ps. lxviii. 17 ), before whom these iron chariots would be but as stubble to the fire? Had not God expressly promised by the oracle (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And afterwards the children of Judah,.... After the taking of Bezek, and the king of it, having him to Jerusalem, where he died: they went down; from Jerusalem; which was on high ground: to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley; into which several parts the lot of the tribe of Judah was divided; in each of which they had cities, and some, as it seems, yet unsubdued, and in the hands of the Canaanites; of these several parts, and the cities in them, see Jos 15:21.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַחַ֗ר | veachar | and after | H310 → | 715 times |
| יָֽרְדוּ֙ | yaredu | they went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יְהוּדָ֔ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם | lehilachem | to fight | H3898 → | 177 times |
| בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י | bakenaani | against the Canaanite[s] | H3669 → | 73 times |
| יוֹשֵׁ֣ב | yoshev | [who] dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הָהָ֔ר | hahar | of the hill country | H2022 → | 546 times |
| וְהַנֶּ֖גֶב | vehanegev | and the Negev | H5045 → | 112 times |
| וְהַשְּׁפֵלָֽה׃ | vehashefelah | and the Shephelah | H8219 → |
וְאַחַ֗רand after
veacharH310 →715 times
יָֽרְדוּ֙they went down
yareduH3381 →381 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] descendants of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יְהוּדָ֔הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
לְהִלָּחֵ֖םto fight
lehilachemH3898 →177 times
בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑יagainst the Canaanite[s]
bakenaaniH3669 →73 times
יוֹשֵׁ֣ב[who] dwelt
yoshevH3427 →1079 times
הָהָ֔רof the hill country
haharH2022 →546 times
וְהַנֶּ֖גֶבand the Negev
vehanegevH5045 →112 times
וְהַשְּׁפֵלָֽה׃and the Shephelah
vehashefelahH8219 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Joshua 10:36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
it leads to
- Judges 1:10
Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
- Joshua 15:13
According 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 14:13–14
Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
- Numbers 13:22
They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
- Judges 1:10
Through
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,…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 9:2
The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them, and you have heard it said, “Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?”
- Deuteronomy 1:28
Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw…
- Joshua 15:13–14
According 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.)
- Numbers 13:22–23
They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 9:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.