Judges1

After Joshua's death, the tribe of Judah, with the Lord's guidance, led the initial conquest against the Canaanites, achieving significant victories including the defeat of Adonibezek and the capture of Jerusalem. However, despite these early successes, many Israelite tribes, and even Judah in some areas, failed to completely dispossess the indigenous inhabitants. This resulted in the Canaanites dwelling among them, often becoming tributaries, marking a departure from the full conquest commanded.

Listen to this chapter

Judah and Simeon Receive the Commission

¶ 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?

And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

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.

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.

And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

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.

Judah’s Campaigns in the South

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.

¶ 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.

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.

And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:

And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

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.

And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

Benjamin and Joseph Failures

¶ 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.

And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.

And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

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.

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.

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.

Widespread Tribal Compromise

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.

And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.

Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

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:

But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

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.

And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:

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.

And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

Study Notes for Judges 1

Verse 1

This verse marks the transition from the unified leadership of Joshua to the decentralized tribal initiatives, indicating that Israel still sought divine guidance (likely via the high priest/Urim and Thummim) before military action.

Verse 2

Judah, the tribe from which the Messiah would eventually come (Gen. 49:10), is chosen by God to lead the first wave of conquest, demonstrating their preeminence among the tribes.

Verse 3

Judah sought a strategic alliance with Simeon. Simeon’s territory was located entirely within Judah’s allotment (Josh. 19:1), making mutual assistance necessary for them both to secure their inheritance.

Verse 6

Mutilating the hands and feet was a common ancient practice intended to permanently cripple a defeated enemy, rendering them useless as warriors or runners.

Verse 7

Adonibezek recognizes the principle of divine justice (lex talionis) at work. This foreign king implicitly acknowledges that Israel’s God controls history and justly repays cruelty.

Verse 8

This capture likely refers to the lower city of Jerusalem; the Jebusite fortress (the City of David, cf. v. 21) remained unconquered until the time of King David (2 Sam. 5:6-7).

Verse 12

This account is a virtual repetition of Joshua 15:16-19. It highlights Othniel’s prowess; he later becomes the first Judge of Israel (Judges 3:9-11), establishing his early leadership credentials.

Verse 15

Achsah’s request for springs of water demonstrates wisdom and initiative. She understood that even a promised land was useless without essential resources to sustain life and agriculture.

Verse 16

The Kenites, descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, were non-Israelite allies who maintained fidelity to Israel and settled peacefully in the southern wilderness, illustrating a positive integration.

Verse 19

This is a pivotal theological statement. Although 'the LORD was with Judah,' their failure to conquer the valley is attributed to the enemy’s superior technology (iron chariots), implying a lack of faith in God’s ability to overcome material obstacles.

Verse 21

The failure of Benjamin to expel the Jebusites from Jerusalem is the first explicit failure listed, immediately following Judah's success, setting a negative tone for the rest of the chapter.

Verse 22

The 'house of Joseph' refers to the combined strength of Ephraim and Manasseh. They initially showed more vigor than Benjamin, though their success was still incomplete (v. 29).

Verse 26

The spared man established a city named Luz in the land of the Hittites. This suggests that while Israel spared some individuals, they likely relocated, potentially spreading Canaanite influence elsewhere.

Verse 27

This verse begins the long list of tribes who failed to secure their allotted territories. The phrase 'the Canaanites would dwell in that land' shows the resilience and successful resistance of the native inhabitants.

Verse 28

Putting the Canaanites to tribute was a compromise that violated God's covenant command to drive them out completely (Deut. 7:2). This pragmatic solution led directly to future spiritual contamination.

Verse 32

Asher’s failure was total; they ended up dwelling 'among the Canaanites' rather than possessing the land, demonstrating the danger of compromise leading to cultural assimilation.

Verse 34

Dan’s failure was particularly severe: instead of conquering the inhabitants, the Amorites successfully forced the Danites into the mountains, reversing the intended conquest and leading later to Dan’s relocation (Judges 18).

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Judges1

Judah and Simeon Receive the Commission

Judah’s Campaigns in the South

Benjamin and Joseph Failures

Widespread Tribal Compromise

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options