Judges 1

Judah's Conquest and the Capture of Jerusalem

¹After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked of the LORD, saying, “Who should go up for us first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”

²The LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.”

³Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your lot.” So Simeon went with him.

⁴Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They struck ten thousand men in Bezek.

⁵They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and they fought against him. They struck the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

⁶But Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.

⁷Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, having their thumbs and their big toes cut off, scavenged under my table. As I have done, so God has done to me.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem, took it, struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

⁹After that, the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, and in the South, and in the lowland.

¹⁰Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. (The name of Hebron before that was Kiriath Arba.) They struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

¹¹From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir before that was Kiriath Sepher.)

¹²Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.”

¹³Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it, so he gave him Achsah his daughter as his wife.

¹⁴When she came, she got him to ask her father for a field. She got off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, “What would you like?”

¹⁵She said to him, “Give me a blessing; because you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

¹⁶The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

¹⁷Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah.

¹⁸Also Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.

¹⁹The LORD was with Judah, and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

²⁰They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said, and he drove the three sons of Anak out of there.

²¹The children of Benjamin didn’t drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The House of Joseph and Incomplete Conquests

²²The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.

²³The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city before that was Luz.)

²⁴The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”

²⁵He showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go.

²⁶The man went into the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.

²⁷Manasseh didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

²⁸When Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.

²⁹Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

³⁰Zebulun didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites lived among them, and became subject to forced labor.

³¹Asher didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Sidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob;

³²but the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they didn’t drive them out.

³³Naphtali didn’t drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and of Beth Anath became subject to forced labor.

³⁴The Amorites forced the children of Dan into the hill country, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;

³⁵but 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 subject to forced labor.

³⁶The border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

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Following Joshua's death, the Israelites begin the conquest of their tribal inheritances, with Judah leading the campaign as divinely appointed. The chapter chronicles initial successes under God's blessing, including victories at Bezek and Jerusalem, alongside Caleb's conquest of Hebron and his daughter Achsah's shrewd negotiation for water rights. However, the narrative reveals a troubling pattern as various tribes fail to completely drive out the Canaanites, instead allowing them to remain as inhabitants or forced laborers, setting the stage for future compromise and conflict.

Context

This chapter transitions from Joshua's unified conquest to the individual tribal campaigns, establishing the pattern of incomplete obedience that will dominate the book of Judges.

Key Themes

Outline

1-8
Judah's Initial Victories God designates Judah to lead the conquest, resulting in decisive victories at Bezek and Jerusalem.
9-15
Caleb's Inheritance and Family Judah conquers Hebron and Debir, with Caleb rewarding Othniel and granting his daughter Achsah additional land.
16-20
Continued Successes in the South The Kenites settle with Judah, and further victories are won despite some limitations with iron chariots.
21-36
Incomplete Conquests by Other Tribes Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, and other tribes fail to fully drive out the Canaanites from their territories.

Judah's Conquest and the Capture of Jerusalem

1:1–1:21

narrative narration triumphant

After Joshua's death, Judah leads the conquest of Canaanite territories, capturing Jerusalem and other cities while fulfilling God's promise to give them the land.

person_contrast

Joshua's posthumous influence emerges through Israel's immediate consultation with Yahweh, contrasting his living leadership with their newfound dependence on divine oracle for military direction.

The House of Joseph and Incomplete Conquests

1:22–1:36

narrative narration solemn

The house of Joseph conquers Bethel, but the tribes of Israel fail to completely drive out the Canaanites from their territories as commanded. This incomplete obedience sets the stage for future spiritual compromise and conflict.

person_contrast

Joseph's house receives divine blessing for conquering Bethel yet immediately follows the pattern of incomplete obedience that defines this chapter's tragic trajectory.

Insight Character Study

Joshua's posthumous influence emerges through Israel's immediate consultation with Yahweh, contrasting his living leadership with their newfound dependence on divine oracle for military direction.

Insight Character Study

Joseph's house receives divine blessing for conquering Bethel yet immediately follows the pattern of incomplete obedience that defines this chapter's tragic trajectory.

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Judges 1:1 1 reference

Lexicals 1

Judges 20:18 Lexical

The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to…

Judges 1

Judah's Conquest and the Capture of Jerusalem

The House of Joseph and Incomplete Conquests

Judah's Conquest and the Capture of Jerusalem

The House of Joseph and Incomplete Conquests

Insights

Cross-References

Judges 1:1 1 reference

Judges 1:5 2 references

Judges 1:8 4 references

Judges 1:9 3 references

Judges 1:10 2 references

Judges 1:11 2 references

Judges 1:12 3 references

Judges 1:13 5 references

Judges 1:14 1 reference

Judges 1:15 1 reference

Judges 1:17 1 reference

Judges 1:18 5 references

Judges 1:19 2 references

Judges 1:20 2 references

Judges 1:27 5 references

Judges 1:28 2 references

Judges 1:29 2 references

Judges 1:30 3 references

Judges 1:31 2 references

Judges 1:32 2 references

Judges 1:33 4 references

Judges 1:35 1 reference

Judges 1:36 1 reference

Interlinear

Historical Context