INTRODUCTORY (JUDGES 1:1 TO JUDGES 3:4) Division 1, Judges 1:1 to Judges 2:5. This section of the book contains a brief recapitulation of the early conquest of Palestine, told from a somewhat different point of view from that of Joshua 7-21, and supplying much that is there not mentioned. From thes... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER THE DEATH OF JOSHUA] This joins the beginning of Judges to the end of Joshua; but in what follows the author refers to events which must have preceded the partition of Joshua 13 f., and the campaigns of Joshua 10:11. ASKED THE LORD] Consulted the oracle of the Lord': cp. Judges 18:5; Judges 20... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAND] the S. part of Palestine.... [ Continue Reading ]
Simeon] The towns of Simeon (Joshua 19:1) are also attributed to Judah (Joshua 15:26; Joshua 15:42). Later, Simeon ceases to exist as an independent tribe. MY LOT] Each tribe has had a part of Canaan allotted to it, whose conquest it is to attempt. Judah is chosen to make the first inroad.... [ Continue Reading ]
PERIZZITES] see on Genesis 13:7. CANAANITES] in its special sense of 'lowlanders': cp. Genesis 13:7; Genesis 34:30. BEZEK] lying on the road from Gilgal to South Palestine.... [ Continue Reading ]
ADONI-BEZEK] (perhaps the same as Adoni-zedek of Joshua 10:1) is king of Jerusalem, which city also lies in the path of Judah and Simeon to Judah's 'lot.'... [ Continue Reading ]
CUT OFF] to make them unfit for warfare.... [ Continue Reading ]
KINGS] chiefs or sheikhs of a city or even village. THEY] his own people.... [ Continue Reading ]
JERUSALEM] The city was not held, but remained in the possession of the Jebusites till the time of David (2 Samuel 5:6). Not till then would Judah really dominate Southern Palestine (cp. Judges 1:21, and chapter Judges 19:12). 9-15. Conquests of Othniel in the south.... [ Continue Reading ]
The mountain denotes the central ridge, stretching from N. of Jerusalem to Hebron; the south, the wild country S. of Hebron, called in Hebrew the _Negeb_, and the valley (RV 'lowland') the maritime plain to the W.... [ Continue Reading ]
HEBRON] see on Genesis 13:18. KIRJATHARBA] 'city of four' (quarters). In Joshua 14:15; Joshua 15:13, however, Arba is regarded as a personal name; he is 'the father of Anak,' or 'a great man among the Anakims' (a primitive gigantic race, of which Sheshai, etc., are names of divisions or clans).... [ Continue Reading ]
DEBIR] in the Negeb. KIRJATH-SEPHER] 'Book-city' HE] should be Caleb (see Joshua 15:13), to whom (Joshua 14:6) Moses had promised this territory.... [ Continue Reading ]
Othniel is also the hero of the deliverance from Chushan-rishathaim (Judges 3:9.).... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSING] a present (cp. Genesis 33:11) or solemn token of paternal affection. THOU HAST GIVEN ME] RV, better, 'thou hast set me in.' A SOUTH LAND] RV 'the land of the South'; for the most part a waterless region, where springs would be precious. Upper and nether springs are proper names. 16-21. Fu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KENITE] Hobab (cp. Judges 4:11, elsewhere called Jethro: cp. also Exodus 2:18). The Kenites are joined (in Genesis 15:19) with the Keniazites, Caleb's tribe (Kenaz, Judges 1:13), a Bedouin people in firm league with Israel: see Judges 4:17 and 1 Samuel 15:6. They do not, like Judah, attack the C... [ Continue Reading ]
ZEPHATH] not known. HORMAH] 'utter destruction.' To 'destroy utterly' is to put under a ban, or exterminate: cp. Joshua 6:17 mg;('devoted,' i.e. to destruction).... [ Continue Reading ]
These, with Gath and Ashdod, are the five Philistine cities. The LXX reads 'did not take,' which accords with subsequent references to the Philistines.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHARIOTS OF IRON] Always an object of dread to the light-armed Israelites (cp. Judges 4:3), but useless in the hill-country, where the Israelites were more firmly established. COULD NOT] The Lord being with Judah, they should have been able to drive them out. Probably their faith failed at sight of... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Joshua 15:63. 22-26. Capture of Bethel.... [ Continue Reading ]
HOUSE OF JOSEPH] i.e. Ephraim and Manasseh, the leading division of the nation. Later writers use Ephraim as a synonym for the ten northern tribes (e.g. Hosea 11:8; Isaiah 28:3).... [ Continue Reading ]
DESCRY] RV 'spy out.' BETH-EL] 9 ½ m. N. of Jerusalem. See Genesis 28:19; Genesis 35:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
HITTITES] see on Genesis 10:15. LUZ] Evidently a different city from that mentioned in Judges 1:23. 27-36. Limits to the conquests of Manasseh, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
These towns are all in the plain of Esdraelon (see on Judges 4), by their hold upon which the Canaanites drove a wedge between the Israelites of Northern and Central Palestine. BETH-SHEAN is at the E. of the plain, TAANACH and MEGIDDO (recently excavated and revealing a wealth of Canaanite remains)... [ Continue Reading ]
TRIBUTE] RV 'taskwork.' So Israel had been treated in Egypt.... [ Continue Reading ]
GEZER] On the edge of the maritime plain; later on, taken by Egypt and given to Solomon (1 Kings 9:15). Here also extensive remains have been found, demonstrating the pagan worship carried on by its inhabitants.... [ Continue Reading ]
KITRON.. NAHALOL] unknown.... [ Continue Reading ]
ACCHO (Akka), ZIDON (Saida), and ACHZIB (Ez-Zib, N. of Akka) are all on the coast: the other towns are unknown.... [ Continue Reading ]
BETH-SHEMESH ('house of the sun'), not the wellknown Beth-shemesh in Judah: cp. Joshua 19:38. BETH-ANATH (house of the goddess Anath) is perhaps a town 6 m. N. of Kadesh-naphtali.... [ Continue Reading ]
Dan fails in securing a foothold: later, the Danites make an expedition northwards (Judges 18) and Ephraim gains an entrance into the territory from which they are driven (Judges 1:35). AMORITES] see on Genesis 10:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
MOUNT HERES] 'the mountain of the sun.' AIJALON] 12 m. W. of Jerusalem; the scene of Joshua's great victory (Joshua 10:12). SHAALBIM] possibly 3 m. to the N.... [ Continue Reading ]
COAST] RV 'border.' The ASCENT OF (RV) AKRABBIM (scorpions) is said in Joshua 15:3 to be on the border of Judah and Edom. AMORITES is probably a misreading for 'Edomites.' The spot lies on a line between Hebron and Petra, the Edomite capital. As it stands, this v. has no connexion with its context.... [ Continue Reading ]