Lux Domini

Judges 1

Chapter context

What is happening in Judges 1?

apostasydeliverancedisorderleadership

Judges 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as the incomplete conquest and theological prologue. Judges recounts the troubled era of charismatic deliverers, recurring apostasy, local rescues, and the national unraveling summed up by the line that everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Read this chapter with the wider themes of apostasy, deliverance, and disorder in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?   2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.   3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.   4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.   5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.   6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.   7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.   8 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.   9 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.   10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.   11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:   12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.   13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.   14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?   15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.   16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.   17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.   18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.   19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.   20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.   21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.   22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.   23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)   24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.   25 And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.   26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.   27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.   28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.   29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.   30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.   31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:   32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.   33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.   34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:   35 But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.   36 And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.  

Study helps

Glossary

Joshua Tribe v. 1

Jehovah is his help, or Jehovah the Saviour. The son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, the successor of Moses as the leader of Israel. He is called Jehoshua in Num. 13:16 (A. V. ), and Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8 .

Simeon Person v. 3, 17

Hearing. (1. ) The second son of Jacob by Leah ( Gen. 29:33 ). He was associated with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites (34:25, 26).

Bezek Place v. 4-5

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Ibziq.

Perizzites People v. 4-5

Villagers; dwellers in the open country, the Canaanitish nation inhabiting the fertile regions south and south-west of Carmel.

Jerusalem Place v. 7-8, 21

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.

City People v. 8, 16-17, 23-26

The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).

Negeb Place v. 9, 15-16

Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Beer Sheva.

Shephelah Place v. 9

Biblical region. Modern identification: Shephelah.

Ahiman Person v. 10

Brother of a gift = liberal. (1. ) One of the three giant Anakim brothers whom Caleb and the spies saw in Mount Hebron ( Num. 13:22 ) when they went in to explore the land. They were afterwards driven out and slain.

Hebron Place v. 10, 20

A community; alliance. (1. ) A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. Modern identification: Tel Rumeida.

Talmai Person v. 10

Abounding in furrows. (1. ) One of the Anakim of Hebron, who were slain by the men of Judah under Caleb ( Num. 13:22 ; Josh. 15:14 ; Judg. 1:10 ).

Debir Place v. 11-12

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.

Caleb Tribe v. 12, 14-15, 20

A dog. (1. ) One of the three sons of Hezron of the tribe of Judah. He is also called Chelubai ( 1 Chr. 2:9 ). His descendants are enumerated (18-20, 42-49). (2. ) A “son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah” ( 1 Chr. 2:50 ).

Kenaz Person v. 13

Hunter. (1. ) One of the sons of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. He became the chief of an Edomitish tribe ( Gen. 36:11 , 15, 42). (2. ) Caleb’s younger brother, and father of Othniel.

Othniel Person v. 13

Lion of God, the first of the judges. His wife Achsah was the daughter of Caleb ( Josh. 15:16 , 17; Judg. 1:13 ). He gained her hand as a reward for his bravery in leading a successful expedition against Debir (q. v. ).

Gulloth-mayim Place v. 15

Biblical spring. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.

Lower Gulloth Place v. 15

Biblical spring. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.

Upper Gulloth Place v. 15

Biblical spring. Modern identification: Khirbet Rabud.

Arad Place v. 16

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Arad.

City of Palms Place v. 16

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Sultan.

Jericho Place v. 16

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Sultan.

Hormah Place v. 17

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Masos.

Zephath Place v. 17

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Masos.

Ashkelon Place v. 18

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.

Ekron Place v. 18

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Miqne.

Gaza Place v. 18

Called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name. Modern identification: Tell Harube.

Anak Person v. 20

Long-necked, the son of Arba, father of the Anakim ( Josh. 15:13 ; 21:11 , Heb. Anok ).

Benjamin Person v. 21

Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.

Bethel Place v. 22-23

House of God. (1. ) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz ( Gen. 28:19 ). Modern identification: Beitin.

Luz Place v. 23

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Beitin.

Luz Place v. 26

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Luweizeh.

Beth-shan Place v. 27

House of security or rest, a city which belonged to Manasseh ( 1 Chr. 7:29 ), on the west of Jordan. The bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened to its walls. Modern identification: Tel Bet Shean.

Dor Place v. 27

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Dor.

Ibleam Place v. 27

People-waster, a city assigned to Manasseh ( Josh. 17:11 ), from which the Israelites, however, could not expel the Canaanites ( Judg. 1:27 ). It is also called Bileam ( 1 Chr. 6:70 ). Modern identification: Khirbet Belameh.

Megiddo Place v. 27

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Megiddo.

Taanach Place v. 27

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Ta’anakh.

Gezer Place v. 29

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Gezer.

Kitron Place v. 30

Knotty, a city of Zebulun ( Judg. 1:30 ), called also Kattath ( Josh. 19:15 ); supposed to be “Cana of Galilee. ”. Modern identification: Khirbet Qutteina.

Nahalal Place v. 30

Pasture, a city in Zebulun on the border of Issachar ( Josh. 19:15 ), the same as Nahalol ( Judg. 1:30 ). It was given to the Levites. Modern identification: Horbat Sefan.

Zebulun Person v. 30

Dwelling, the sixth and youngest son of Jacob and Leah ( Gen. 30:20 ). Little is known of his personal history. He had three sons (46:14).

Acco Place v. 31

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Akko.

Achzib Place v. 31

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Achziv.

Ahlab Place v. 31

Fatness, a town of Asher lying within the unconquered Phoenician border ( Judg. 1:31 ), north-west of the Sea of Galilee; commonly identified with Giscala, now el-Jish. Modern identification: Khirbet al Mahalib.

Aphik Place v. 31

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Afek.

Helbah Place v. 31

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet al Mahalib.

Rehob Place v. 31

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Bir el Gharbi.

Sidon Place v. 31

A fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the “first-born” of Canaan, the grandson of Noah ( Gen. 10:15 , 19). Modern identification: Sandikli archaeological site in Sidon.

Beth-anath Place v. 33

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Safad el Battikh.

Beth-shemesh Place v. 33

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Rosh.

Naphtali Person v. 33

My wrestling, the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid ( Gen. 30:8 ). When Jacob went down into Egypt, Naphtali had four sons ( Gen. 46:24 ). Little is known of him as an individual.

Amorites People v. 34-36

Highlanders, or hillmen, the name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan ( Gen. 14:7 ), called Amurra or Amurri in the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions.

Aijalon Place v. 35

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Yalo.

Mount Heres Place v. 35

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel Bet Shemesh.

Shaalbim Place v. 35

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Salbit.

Akrabbim Place v. 36

Biblical mountain pass. Modern identification: Ma’ale Akrabbim.

Sela Place v. 36

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Sela.