Judges 1:25

_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._ The spies ... said ... Show us ... the entrance into the city - i:e., the avenues to the city, and the weakest part of the walls. WE WILL SHOW THEE MERCY. The Israelites might employ these means of getting possession of a place which was divinely appropriated to them: they might promise life and rewards to this man, though he and all the Canaanites were doomed to destruction (Joshua 2:12); but we may assume that the promise was suspended on his embracing the true religion, or quitting the country, as he did. If they had seen him to be firmly opposed to either of these alternatives, they would not have constrained him, by promises any more than by threats, to betray his countrymen. But if they found him dispo

21-36 The people of Israel were very careless of their duty and interest. Owing to slothfulness and cowardice, they would not be at the pains to complete their conquests. It was also owing to their covetousness: they were willing to let the Canaanites live among them, that they might make advantage of them. They had not the dread and detestation of idolatry they ought to have had. The same unbelief that kept their fathers forty years out of Canaan, kept them now out of the full possession of it. Distrust of the power and promise of God deprived them of advantages, and brought them into troubles. Thus many a believer who begins well is hindered. His graces languish, his lusts revive, Satan plies him with suitable temptations, the world recovers its hold; he brings guilt into his conscience, anguish into his heart, discredit on his character, and reproach on the gospel. Though he may have...

EXPOSITION JUDGES 1:21 This verse is identical with Joshua 15:63, except that there we read "the children of Judah" instead of "the children of Benjamin," as in this verse. The boundary line between Judah and Jerusalem passed through JEBUS or JEBUSI, as Jerusalem was anciently called (see Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:28; Judges 19:10, Judges 19:11;...

AND WHEN HE SHOWED THEM THE ENTRANCE, INTO THE CITY,.... Pointing to it with his fingers, as the same writers observe: THEY SMOTE THE CITY WITH THE EDGE OF THE SWORD; they gave notice of what intelligence they had got to the body of the army, who came up, entered the city, took it, and put the inhabitants of it to the sword, as they were ordered to do with all the Canaanites: BUT THEY LET GO THE MAN AND ALL HIS FAMILY; who had returned to it, encouraged by the promise made him, and for the sake of saving of his family; which though not expressed, he might have asked the favour of sparing them, which might be promised, as was in the case of Rahab; provided he would either renounce Heathenism, and embrace the true religion, or depart to another country, the latter of which he chose....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE INTRODUCTION: ISRAEL'S FAILURE AND THE RESULTS 1. Israel's Failure in mingling with the Canaanites CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The question and the answer (Judges 1:1)_ 2. Adoni-Bezek (Judges 1:5) 3. Jerusalem (Judges 1:8) 4. Judah's victory and failure (Judges 1:9) 5. The children of Benjamin and their failure (Judges 1:21) 6. The failures of others (Judges 1:22) The book begins with an inquiry of the Lord.

JUDGES 1:1 TO JUDGES 2:5. THE CONQUESTS AND SETTLEMENTS OF THE ISRAELITES IN WESTERN PALESTINE. From this introduction, which is one of the most valuable parts of early Hebrew history, we learn that the various tribes invaded the land either singly or in small groups; that they had failures as well as successes; that in many instances they did not destroy the older population, but settled peacefully among them; and that, in particular, the larger cities of Canaan, as well as the fertile valleys and the Maritime Plain, remained in the possession of the Canaanites. The conquests of Judah were separated from those of Joseph by a belt of walled cities with Jerusalem in its centre. Another line of strongholds, extending from Bethshan near the Jordan to Dor on the sea coast, shut up Ephraim and Manasseh in the central highland

_The fortunes of the house of Joseph_ The account of the capture of Beth-el (Judges 1:22) has all the marks of antiquity, like the early fragments preserved in Judges 1:1. After the invasion of the South comes the invasion of Central Palestine, and, as this ancient version of the history shews, the two were independent of one another. The narrative knows nothing of such a leader as Joshua, though tradition connected him with the house of Joseph (Joshua 19:50 JE, Joshua 24:1 [Shechem], Joshua 24:30 E;...

DISCOURSE: 2474 AN ASCRIPTION OF PRAISE TO JEHOVAH Judges 1:24. _Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen_. BY many this Doxology is considered as addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ: but though it is certain that by all the heavenly choir our most adorable Saviour is worshipped as one with the Father, without any distinction whatsoever, and that he is to be honoured in all respects by _us_ precisely as the Father, yet we must be cautious never to strain any portion of Scripture for the purpose of honouring him; for, if we do, we give advantage to those who deny his proper Divinity, to represent all our worship of him as unauthorized and erroneous. The more fully we are assured o

_Conquest of Other Tribes Judges 1:22-36_ 22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the Lord was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Beth-el (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, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy. 25 And when he showed 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 Beth-shean 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 inha

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 these vv. it is clear that Palestine was not conquered in one great invasion; and the whole of the book shows Israel to be only in very precarious possession of the land. The narrative in Joshua emphasises the influence over the whole collection of tribes wielded by the Ephraimite hero, Joshua himself;...