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?


Now = And. Commencing with the same word as the preceding books; thus connecting them all together. The book of Joshua = the inheritance possessed: Judges = the inheritance despised. Records the failure of the People, and the faithfulness of Jehovah. The Epilogue (Judges 21:25 ) gives the key to the whole book. See note on Judges 17:6 .
Joshua. Compare Joshua 24:29 .
children = sons.
asked = enquired: i.e. by Urim and Thummim, as in Judges 18:5 ; Judges 20:18 . See note on Exodus 28:30 . Numbers 26:55 .
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
Who . . . ? All had been commanded. Deuteronomy 20:17 . Joshua 10:40 .

2.

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

behold. Figure of speech Asterismos ( App-6 ). Some codices. with three early printed editions, read "and behold".

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 Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

Adoni-bezek = Lord of Bezek. Bezek was seventeen miles south of Shechem. Compare 1 Samuel 11:8 . Compare Joshua 15:13-19 .

6.

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

Cut off. As he had done to others. See Judges 1:7 .

7.

And Adoni-bezek 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.

gathered. i.e. [the pieces].
as = according as.
God Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

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.

Jerusalem. The first occurrence is in Joshua 10:1 , in connection with Adoni-zedek's fear of its being "utterly destroyed" like Ai. Here, in Judges 1:8 , we have a picture of its future history in miniature. See App-63 . The Tel-el- Amarna tablets contain a long correspondence with Egypt about 1400 B.C.
taken it. The citadel not taken till 2 Samuel 5:6-9 , by David.

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.

mountain = hill country.
south. Hebrew. Negeb.
valley = lowlands

10.

And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

now. Note the Figure of speech Parenthesis ( App-6 ), and compare with Judges 1:17 .
Hebron. Compare Numbers 13:22 .Joshua 14:13 .
Kirjath-arba. Compare Genesis 23:2 .Joshua 14:15 ; Joshua 20:7 .
Sheshai. These are sons of Anak. Compare Judges 1:20 .

11.

And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:

Debir . . . Kirjath-sepher. See note on Joshua 11:21 and Jdg 15:49 .

12.

And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, 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.

Othniel Mentioned only here; and Judges 3:9-11 .Joshua 15:17 ; and 1 Chronicles 4:13 .

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?

to him. Supply Fig, Ellipsis with "home".
a = the.
What Wilt thou? or, What aileth thee? Joshua 15:18 , Joshua 15:19 .

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.

Kenite. A non-Israelite race (Genesis 15:19 . Numbers 24:21 , &c. 1 Samuel 27:10 ; 1 Samuel 30:29 ). See Saul's correspondence with them (1 Samuel 15:6 ). One branch in the north (Judges 4:11 ).
palm trees: i.e. Jeremiah 3:13 .Deuteronomy 34:3 .
the People: i.e. Israel.

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.

destroyed = devoted.
Hormah = utter destruction.

18.

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

took Gaza, &c. These were wholly or partially retaken by the enemy, Compare Judges 14:19 ; Jdg 16:1 . 1 Samuel 5:10 . Perhaps this accounts for the Septuagint reading, "Judah too did not inherit".
coast = border.

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.

he drave out = he possessed. (Omit italics.)
mountain = hill country.
valley = lowlands.
chariots of iron. Compare Judges 4:3 .

20.

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

as = accordingas. Compare Numbers 14:24 .Joshua 14:13 ; Joshua 15:13 .
three sons of Anak. See their names in Judges 1:10 and App-23 and App-25 .

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.

did not drive out. Compare Joshua 15:63 ; Jos 18:28 . 2 Samuel 5:6-10 .

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.)

Luz. Compare Genesis 28:19 , and see Joshua 16:1 , Joshua 16:2 . Luz and Beth-el not two cities. 34
spies = sentries.

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.

Hittites. A nation north of Syria, mentioned on Egyptian inscriptions from 1500 B.C.

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 inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

Neither . . . nor. Note the Figure of speech Paradiastole ( App-6 ) in verses: Judges 1:29-33 . Emphasizing the unfaithfulness and disobedience, the cause of all subsequent trouble.
drive out = possess.

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.

dwelt: i.e. in friendly relations. Psalms 133:1 . 2 Kings 4:13 . See note on 1 Kings 9:16 , 1 Kings 9:17 .

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.

dwelt among = dwelt in the inside, as in the heart or bowels of the Canaanites; verses: Judges 1:27-30 are very different.

33.

Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath 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.

hand. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , by which the hand is put for the power exerted by it,

36.

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

coast = border or boundary. Judges 2 gives a summary of events from Judges 3:1 , Judges 3:16 , Judges 3:31 . The period it covers is therefore 1434-1100, i.e. 334 years.