Judges 1 Study Notes: The Tribes Fail to Clear the Land
After Joshua dies, Judah leads the fight for Canaan, defeating Adoni-bezek and taking Hebron, which goes to Caleb, while Othniel captures Debir and wins Acsah. Then tribe after tribe, from Benjamin at Jerusalem to Dan pushed into the hills, leaves the Canaanites in place or puts them to forced labor.
General
Acsah’s land lay in the Negev, the dry south. What did she ask her father Caleb to give her as well (Judges 1:15)?
Answer: Springs of water
Acsah urged her husband to ask for a field, then came to her father herself and asked for a blessing. Since the land Caleb had given her was in the Negev, the dry southern region, she asked for springs of water too, and Caleb gave her springs at two levels, upper and lower (1:14-15). Joshua 15:18-19 records the same request and gift in matching words. Moses had described the land God was giving as a good land, rich in brooks and springs (Deuteronomy 8:7). Caleb’s generous gift to his daughter is a small picture of blessing and plenty in the land, set just before the chapter turns to Israel’s failures.
- Judges 1:14-15 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Acsah asks her father for a blessing of water to go with her southern land, and he gives it.
- Joshua 15:18-19 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Joshua’s book records Acsah’s request and Caleb’s gift in the same words.
- Deuteronomy 8:7 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills;”Moses had described the land God was giving as a good land with flowing springs.
Theological
What did Acsah request from Caleb to accompany her Negev land (Judges 1:14-15)?
Answer: Springs of water
Having received land in the arid Negev, Acsah asked Caleb for a blessing, namely springs of water, and Caleb granted her both an upper and a lower source (1:14-15). The episode is shared verbatim with Joshua 15:18-19. It portrays the land as the good, well-watered inheritance Moses had promised (Deuteronomy 8:7) and shows a faithful father freely enriching his daughter’s portion, a bright note before the chapter’s catalogue of incomplete conquest.
- Judges 1:14-15 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Acsah asks her father for a blessing of water to go with her southern land, and he gives it.
- Joshua 15:18-19 (BSB)“One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?” “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.”Joshua’s book records Acsah’s request and Caleb’s gift in the same words.
- Deuteronomy 8:7 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills;”Moses had described the land God was giving as a good land with flowing springs.
General
Judah captured the Canaanite king Adoni-bezek and maimed him. How did Adoni-bezek himself explain what had happened to him (Judges 1:7)?
Answer: God had paid him back for his own deeds
Adoni-bezek was a Canaanite king whom Judah defeated at Bezek (1:4-5). After his capture he was maimed in hands and feet (1:6), and he recalled that he had done the very same thing to seventy kings, who had then scavenged for food under his table. He drew the conclusion himself: God had repaid him for what he had done (1:7). Even this pagan king saw God’s justice in his downfall. Scripture often describes God’s justice this way, bringing a person’s own deeds back on his head (Obadiah 15; Psalm 7:15-16), and the New Testament states the same principle: God is not mocked, and people reap what they sow (Galatians 6:7).
- Judges 1:7 (BSB)“Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.”The captured king admits that what happened to him matched what he had done to seventy kings.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”The prophet states the principle that what a nation has done will be done to it.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The psalm describes a wrongdoer’s violence coming back on his own head.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”The New Testament affirms that God is not mocked and a person reaps what he sows.
Theological
How does the captured Adoni-bezek interpret his own fate in Judges 1:7?
Answer: God had paid him back for his own deeds
Defeated at Bezek and captured (1:4-6), Adoni-bezek reads his maiming as divine retribution in kind: he had treated seventy kings exactly so, and now God had repaid him (1:7). The confession comes from a Canaanite king, not from Israel, and it acknowledges God’s just rule over the nations. The principle of fitting recompense runs through Scripture: the deeds of the nations return on their own heads (Obadiah 15), the violent man’s mischief recoils on himself (Psalm 7:15-16), and God is not mocked, for a man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).
- Judges 1:7 (BSB)“Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.”The captured king admits that what happened to him matched what he had done to seventy kings.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”The prophet states the principle that what a nation has done will be done to it.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The psalm describes a wrongdoer’s violence coming back on his own head.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”The New Testament affirms that God is not mocked and a person reaps what he sows.
General
For Ephraim and Zebulun, Judges 1 says the Canaanites stayed in their midst. How is the situation of Asher and Naphtali described differently (Judges 1:32-33)?
Answer: Those tribes lived among the Canaanites instead
For Ephraim and Zebulun, the narrator says the Canaanites went on living among them (1:29-30). For Asher and Naphtali the wording turns around: those tribes lived among the Canaanites, since they had not expelled them (1:32-33). The reversed wording pictures Israel settling in among the Canaanites rather than the Canaanites remaining among Israel. Moses had warned that peoples left in the land would become like barbs and thorns that harass Israel (Numbers 33:55), and Psalm 106:34-35 sums up what happened: Israel failed to wipe out the nations as commanded and instead mixed with them and picked up their customs.
- Judges 1:32-33 (BSB)“So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.”Asher and Naphtali are described as living among the Canaanites.
- Numbers 33:55 (BSB)“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.”Moses warned that peoples left in the land would become like barbs and thorns that harass Israel.
- Psalm 106:34-35 (BSB)“They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.”The psalm sums up the result: Israel did not destroy the peoples but blended with them and took up their customs.
Theological
How does the narrator’s wording about Asher and Naphtali (Judges 1:32-33) differ from his wording about Ephraim and Zebulun?
Answer: Those tribes lived among the Canaanites instead
With Ephraim and Zebulun the Canaanites dwell among Israel (1:29-30); with Asher and Naphtali the formula is reversed, and Israel dwells among the Canaanites (1:32-33). The inversion portrays a deepening failure: Israel now settles among the peoples of the land rather than the reverse. It realizes Moses’ warning that peoples left in the land would become barbs and thorns (Numbers 33:55), and the psalmist’s later verdict that Israel spared the nations and took on their ways (Psalm 106:34-35).
- Judges 1:32-33 (BSB)“So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.”Asher and Naphtali are described as living among the Canaanites.
- Numbers 33:55 (BSB)“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.”Moses warned that peoples left in the land would become like barbs and thorns that harass Israel.
- Psalm 106:34-35 (BSB)“They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.”The psalm sums up the result: Israel did not destroy the peoples but blended with them and took up their customs.
General
When Joseph’s descendants scouted Bethel, what did their spies promise a man who emerged from Bethel (Judges 1:24)?
Answer: Kind treatment for showing the way in
The spies offered the man kindness if he would show them the way in (1:24). He did, the city fell, and he and his whole family were spared (1:25). The episode recalls Rahab at Jericho, whom Israel’s spies also promised kindness (Joshua 2:12-14), but the endings differ. Rahab made her home among the Israelites (Joshua 6:25), while this man moved away to Hittite territory and built a new city named Luz, the old name of Bethel (1:26). The victory itself came with the LORD’s help (1:22).
- Judges 1:24-26 (BSB)“and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.”The spies promise kindness to a man of the city, spare him and his family, and he founds a new Luz.
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””At Jericho, Israel’s spies likewise promised kindness to Rahab in exchange for her help.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Unlike the man from Bethel, Rahab and her family came to live among the Israelites.
Theological
What do Joseph’s spies promise the man from Bethel (Judges 1:24)?
Answer: Kind treatment for showing the way in
The spies promise to deal kindly with the man in return for showing them the city’s entrance (1:24); they keep their word, sparing him and his family (1:25). The scene echoes the spies’ oath to Rahab (Joshua 2:12-14), but with a telling difference: Rahab was incorporated into Israel (Joshua 6:25), whereas this man departs to Hittite land and rebuilds Luz there (1:26), carrying the old Canaanite city’s name with him. The capture of Bethel itself is credited to the LORD’s presence with Joseph’s house (1:22).
- Judges 1:24-26 (BSB)“and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.”The spies promise kindness to a man of the city, spare him and his family, and he founds a new Luz.
- Joshua 2:12-14 (BSB)“Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.” “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.””At Jericho, Israel’s spies likewise promised kindness to Rahab in exchange for her help.
- Joshua 6:25 (BSB)“And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.”Unlike the man from Bethel, Rahab and her family came to live among the Israelites.
General
When Israel grew stronger, what did they do with the Canaanites who remained in Manasseh’s towns (Judges 1:28)?
Answer: Put them to forced labor instead of expelling them
Manasseh did not remove the Canaanites from several towns, because the Canaanites insisted on staying (1:27). Later, when Israel had the strength to do more, they made the Canaanites forced laborers but never fully expelled them (1:28). Joshua 17:12-13 records the same failure. God had commanded that the peoples of Canaan were not to be spared or bound by treaty, so that they could not teach Israel their detestable worship (Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:16-18). Making them laborers left in Israel’s midst the very peoples God had warned against, and the next chapter announces that their gods would become a snare (2:3).
- Judges 1:27-28 (BSB)“At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.”Manasseh leaves the Canaanites in several towns and later puts them to forced labor instead of driving them out.
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (BSB)“However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”God had commanded Israel not to spare the peoples of Canaan, so they could not teach Israel their detestable practices.
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (BSB)“and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”Israel was to make no treaty with the peoples of the land and show them no mercy.
- Joshua 17:12-13 (BSB)“But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.”Joshua’s book records the same failure in Manasseh’s towns.
Theological
What policy does Judges 1:28 say Israel adopted toward the remaining Canaanites once it grew stronger?
Answer: Put them to forced labor instead of expelling them
Manasseh failed to take several towns since the Canaanites were resolved to stay (1:27); when Israel later gained strength, it subjugated them as forced labor rather than completing their removal (1:28), as Joshua 17:12-13 also records. This fell short of God’s command, which forbade sparing the peoples of Canaan or making treaties with them, precisely so they could not draw Israel into their abominations (Deuteronomy 7:2; 20:16-18). Chapter 2 announces the consequence: these peoples and their gods would become a snare (2:3).
- Judges 1:27-28 (BSB)“At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.”Manasseh leaves the Canaanites in several towns and later puts them to forced labor instead of driving them out.
- Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (BSB)“However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”God had commanded Israel not to spare the peoples of Canaan, so they could not teach Israel their detestable practices.
- Deuteronomy 7:2 (BSB)“and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”Israel was to make no treaty with the peoples of the land and show them no mercy.
- Joshua 17:12-13 (BSB)“But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.”Joshua’s book records the same failure in Manasseh’s towns.
General
What happened to the tribe of Dan according to Judges 1:34?
Answer: The Amorites hemmed them into the hills
Dan’s experience is the low point of the list. Instead of Dan driving out the Amorites, the Amorites pushed Dan back into the highlands and kept them out of the plain (1:34). Only when Joseph’s tribes grew strong were these Amorites put to forced labor (1:35). Dan’s failure to secure its inheritance resurfaces later in the book: the Danites are still searching for territory to settle in Judges 18:1, and Joshua 19:47 notes that Dan, having lost its territory, attacked and took Leshem.
- Judges 1:34-35 (BSB)“The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.”The Amorites confine Dan to the hill country; later Joseph’s tribes subdue these Amorites.
- Judges 18:1 (BSB)“In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.”Much later, the Danites are still looking for territory because they had not yet received an inheritance.
- Joshua 19:47 (BSB)“(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)”Joshua’s book notes that Dan lost its territory and then captured Leshem and settled there.
Theological
How does Judges 1:34 describe Dan’s position relative to the Amorites?
Answer: The Amorites hemmed them into the hills
The list ends with a reversal of conquest: rather than Dan dispossessing the Amorites, the Amorites confine Dan to the highlands and bar it from the plain (1:34), and only Joseph’s later strength reduces them to forced labor (1:35). This unresolved inheritance sets up the Danite migration of chapter 18, where Dan is still seeking territory (18:1), an outcome Joshua 19:47 also notes.
- Judges 1:34-35 (BSB)“The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.”The Amorites confine Dan to the hill country; later Joseph’s tribes subdue these Amorites.
- Judges 18:1 (BSB)“In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.”Much later, the Danites are still looking for territory because they had not yet received an inheritance.
- Joshua 19:47 (BSB)“(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)”Joshua’s book notes that Dan lost its territory and then captured Leshem and settled there.
General
Why was the city of Hebron given to Caleb (Judges 1:20)?
Answer: Moses had promised that Caleb would have it
Hebron was handed to Caleb, as Moses had said it would be (1:20). That promise went back to the wilderness: when most of Israel refused to trust the LORD, Caleb followed Him wholeheartedly, and God said Caleb would enter and inherit the ground he had walked on (Numbers 14:24; Deuteronomy 1:36). Joshua honored that word by giving him Hebron (Joshua 14:13-14). Caleb then expelled the families descended from Anak’s three sons, the people whose size had once frightened Israel’s spies. In a chapter full of tribes failing to expel the peoples, Caleb’s success stands out as the reward of long faithfulness to God’s promise.
- Judges 1:20 (BSB)“Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.”Hebron is given to Caleb as Moses had said, and Caleb drives out the Anakites.
- Numbers 14:24 (BSB)“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.”In the wilderness the LORD promised Caleb the land he had entered because he followed Him wholeheartedly.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (BSB)“except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.””Moses repeats that Caleb and his descendants would receive the land on which he had set foot.
- Joshua 14:13-14 (BSB)“Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.”Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb as his inheritance because he wholly followed the LORD.
Theological
On what basis does Judges 1:20 say Hebron was assigned to Caleb?
Answer: Moses had promised that Caleb would have it
The narrator grounds the grant in Moses’ word (1:20), which itself rested on the LORD’s oath in the wilderness: because Caleb followed Him fully, he and his descendants would possess the ground he had trodden (Numbers 14:24; Deuteronomy 1:36). Joshua executed that promise (Joshua 14:13-14), and Caleb dispossessed the Anakim, the very people whose presence had once paralyzed Israel’s faith. Against the backdrop of the chapter’s repeated failures, Caleb is a picture of persevering faith rewarded by God’s faithfulness to His word.
- Judges 1:20 (BSB)“Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.”Hebron is given to Caleb as Moses had said, and Caleb drives out the Anakites.
- Numbers 14:24 (BSB)“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.”In the wilderness the LORD promised Caleb the land he had entered because he followed Him wholeheartedly.
- Deuteronomy 1:36 (BSB)“except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.””Moses repeats that Caleb and his descendants would receive the land on which he had set foot.
- Joshua 14:13-14 (BSB)“Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.”Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb as his inheritance because he wholly followed the LORD.
General
True or False: According to Judges 1, once Judah had attacked and burned Jerusalem, no Jebusites remained living in the city.
Answer: False
This is false. Judah attacked Jerusalem, captured it, struck down its people, and burned it (1:8). Yet 1:21 adds that the Benjamites, whose allotted land included Jerusalem (Joshua 18:28), did not expel the Jebusites, the Canaanite people of the city, so Jebusites went on living there alongside Benjamin. Joshua 15:63 records that Judah too was unable to remove them. The chapter does not explain how the two statements fit together; it simply shows a city that was struck but never cleared of its people. Jebusites still held Jerusalem generations later, when David took the stronghold of Zion (2 Samuel 5:6-7).
- Judges 1:8 (BSB)“Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.”Judah attacks Jerusalem, captures it, and burns it.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Benjamin does not expel the Jebusites, who go on living in Jerusalem.
- Joshua 15:63 (BSB)“But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.”Joshua’s book records that Judah could not drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem either.
- Joshua 18:28 (BSB)“Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.”Jerusalem, also called Jebus, was listed among the cities of Benjamin’s inheritance.
- 2 Samuel 5:6-7 (BSB)“Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).”Jebusites still held Jerusalem in David’s day, when he captured the fortress of Zion.
Theological
True or False: Judges 1 presents Judah’s assault on Jerusalem as having removed the Jebusites from the city.
Answer: False
This is false. Judah captured and burned Jerusalem (1:8), but the city lay within Benjamin’s allotment (Joshua 18:28), and 1:21 states that the Benjamites did not dislodge the Jebusites, who continued to live there among them. Joshua 15:63 reports the same inability on Judah’s part. The narrator does not reconcile the two notices; he records an attack that did not result in possession. The Jebusite presence persisted until David took the stronghold of Zion (2 Samuel 5:6-7), so Jerusalem stands in chapter 1 as one more place where the peoples of the land remained.
- Judges 1:8 (BSB)“Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.”Judah attacks Jerusalem, captures it, and burns it.
- Judges 1:21 (BSB)“The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.”Benjamin does not expel the Jebusites, who go on living in Jerusalem.
- Joshua 15:63 (BSB)“But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.”Joshua’s book records that Judah could not drive out the Jebusites of Jerusalem either.
- Joshua 18:28 (BSB)“Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.”Jerusalem, also called Jebus, was listed among the cities of Benjamin’s inheritance.
- 2 Samuel 5:6-7 (BSB)“Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).”Jebusites still held Jerusalem in David’s day, when he captured the fortress of Zion.
General
Judges 1:19 says Judah had the LORD’s presence and seized the highlands. What reason does the verse give that the people of the plains were not driven out?
Answer: They had iron chariots
The verse reports two facts. The LORD was present with Judah, and Judah gained the highlands; Judah could not dislodge the people living in the plains, and the reason the verse gives is that those people had iron chariots (1:19). The verse adds nothing further. Chariots appear in earlier passages too: God had told Israel not to be afraid of an enemy’s horses and chariots, because the LORD would be with them (Deuteronomy 20:1), and Joshua had told Joseph’s tribes that they could expel the Canaanites even though those Canaanites had iron chariots (Joshua 17:18). The plains of Judah are the first place in the chapter where peoples of the land remain, and the list grows tribe by tribe.
- Judges 1:19 (BSB)“The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.”The LORD is with Judah in the hill country, but the people of the plains are not driven out.
- Deuteronomy 20:1 (BSB)“When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.”God had told Israel not to fear an enemy’s horses and chariots, because He would be with them.
- Joshua 17:18 (BSB)“because the hill country will be yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and although they are strong, you can drive them out.””Joshua had told the house of Joseph that they could drive out Canaanites even though they had iron chariots.
Theological
What explanation does Judges 1:19 give for Judah’s inability to dispossess the people of the lowlands?
Answer: They had iron chariots
Judges 1:19 records both the LORD’s presence with Judah, who took the highlands, and Judah’s inability to dispossess the people of the plains, for which it names one reason: the enemy’s iron chariots. The verse states the matter and moves on. Chariots are addressed in earlier passages as well: the law told Israel not to fear horses and chariots, since the LORD would be with them (Deuteronomy 20:1), and Joshua told Joseph’s tribes that iron chariots would not keep them from driving the Canaanites out (Joshua 17:18). The verse marks the first place where the peoples of the land remain, a pattern of incomplete conquest that grows through the rest of the chapter.
- Judges 1:19 (BSB)“The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.”The LORD is with Judah in the hill country, but the people of the plains are not driven out.
- Deuteronomy 20:1 (BSB)“When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.”God had told Israel not to fear an enemy’s horses and chariots, because He would be with them.
- Joshua 17:18 (BSB)“because the hill country will be yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and although they are strong, you can drive them out.””Joshua had told the house of Joseph that they could drive out Canaanites even though they had iron chariots.
General
After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the LORD which tribe should lead the first battle with the Canaanites. Which tribe did He name (Judges 1:1-2)?
Answer: Judah
Israel’s first act after Joshua’s death was to ask the LORD for direction about who should lead the fight (1:1). The LORD named Judah and attached a promise: He had already handed the land over to them (1:2). The victory was His gift before a single battle was fought. Seeking the LORD before going to war was what the law had laid down for Israel’s leaders (Numbers 27:21), and it fits the summary in the book of Joshua that the land was the LORD’s gift to Israel and that none of His good promises failed (Joshua 21:43-45). Near the end of the book, when Israel asks the same question before fighting Benjamin, the answer is again Judah (20:18).
- Judges 1:1-2 (BSB)“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?” “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.””After Joshua’s death, Israel asks the LORD which tribe should lead, and He names Judah with a promise.
- Numbers 27:21 (BSB)“He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.””The law had Israel’s leaders seek the LORD’s counsel through the priest before going out to battle.
- Judges 20:18 (BSB)“The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.”Later in the book Israel again asks who should go first, and the LORD again names Judah.
- Joshua 21:43-45 (BSB)“Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”Joshua’s book had already affirmed that the land was the LORD’s gift to Israel and that none of His promises failed.
Theological
In Judges 1:1-2, which tribe does the LORD designate to lead the campaign against the Canaanites after Joshua’s death?
Answer: Judah
The book opens with Israel inquiring of the LORD (1:1), and His answer pairs a designation with a declaration: Judah will go up, and the land has already been given into its hand (1:2). The outcome is grounded in the LORD’s prior gift rather than in Judah’s strength. Inquiry before battle was the ordained pattern for Israel’s leadership (Numbers 27:21), and the promise echoes the summary in the book of Joshua that the LORD had given the land and that not one of His promises had failed (Joshua 21:43-45). Near the book’s end comes a darker version of the same question, when Israel asks who should go first against Benjamin and Judah is again named (20:18).
- Judges 1:1-2 (BSB)“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?” “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.””After Joshua’s death, Israel asks the LORD which tribe should lead, and He names Judah with a promise.
- Numbers 27:21 (BSB)“He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.””The law had Israel’s leaders seek the LORD’s counsel through the priest before going out to battle.
- Judges 20:18 (BSB)“The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.”Later in the book Israel again asks who should go first, and the LORD again names Judah.
- Joshua 21:43-45 (BSB)“Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”Joshua’s book had already affirmed that the land was the LORD’s gift to Israel and that none of His promises failed.
General
According to Judges 1:16, which group traveled with Judah and settled among the people near Arad in the south?
Answer: Kinsmen of Moses by marriage
The Kenites were the family of Moses’ in-laws (1:16). In the wilderness Moses had invited his relative Hobab to come along with Israel, promising him a share in the blessings the LORD would give His people (Numbers 10:29-32). Here, those relatives travel up with Judah and settle among the people near Arad. These non-Israelites who had helped Israel shared in life in the land. They appear again in the book (4:11), and later Saul spared the Kenites because they had shown kindness to Israel after it left Egypt (1 Samuel 15:6).
- Judges 1:16 (BSB)“Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.”The Kenites, descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, go with Judah and settle among the people.
- Numbers 10:29-32 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” “I will not go,” Hobab replied. “Instead, I am going back to my own land and my own people.” “Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.””Moses had urged Hobab to come with Israel and share in the good things the LORD would give.
- 1 Samuel 15:6 (BSB)“And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.”Saul later spares the Kenites because they had shown kindness to Israel after the exodus.
Theological
Which non-Israelite group does Judges 1:16 say accompanied Judah and settled near Arad?
Answer: Kinsmen of Moses by marriage
The Kenites, kin of Moses by marriage, go up with Judah and settle among the people near Arad (1:16). Moses had invited Hobab to journey with Israel and promised to share with him the good the LORD would give (Numbers 10:29-32); this notice shows Kenites sharing life in the land. Their earlier kindness to Israel is later remembered when Saul warns them away from Amalek (1 Samuel 15:6).
- Judges 1:16 (BSB)“Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.”The Kenites, descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, go with Judah and settle among the people.
- Numbers 10:29-32 (BSB)“Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” “I will not go,” Hobab replied. “Instead, I am going back to my own land and my own people.” “Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.””Moses had urged Hobab to come with Israel and share in the good things the LORD would give.
- 1 Samuel 15:6 (BSB)“And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.”Saul later spares the Kenites because they had shown kindness to Israel after the exodus.
General
Caleb promised his daughter Acsah as a wife to whoever captured Kiriath-sepher. Who captured it (Judges 1:12-13)?
Answer: Othniel, Kenaz’s son
Othniel took the city and married Acsah, and the verse identifies his father Kenaz as Caleb’s younger brother (1:13). The same account appears almost word for word in Joshua 15:16-17, which calls Kenaz simply Caleb’s brother. Othniel matters for what comes next: he is the first judge the LORD raises up to rescue Israel (3:9). A judge in this book is a leader and deliverer whom God raises up, not mainly a courtroom official. By introducing Othniel here as a man who acted boldly while many tribes were failing, the book prepares readers for his role in chapter 3.
- Judges 1:12-13 (BSB)“And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Caleb offers Acsah to the man who captures the city, and Othniel takes it.
- Joshua 15:16-17 (BSB)“And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Joshua’s book tells the same episode in nearly identical words.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”The same Othniel later becomes the first deliverer the LORD raises up for Israel.
Theological
Who captures Kiriath-sepher and so wins Acsah, Caleb’s daughter, as his wife (Judges 1:12-13)?
Answer: Othniel, Kenaz’s son
Othniel, whose father Kenaz was Caleb’s younger brother, takes the city and receives Acsah (1:13), an episode told in nearly the same words in Joshua 15:16-17. The notice is not incidental: Othniel becomes the first deliverer the LORD raises up in the book (3:9), and this early glimpse of his courage amid the tribes’ failures prepares for his role as the first judge in chapter 3.
- Judges 1:12-13 (BSB)“And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Caleb offers Acsah to the man who captures the city, and Othniel takes it.
- Joshua 15:16-17 (BSB)“And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.”Joshua’s book tells the same episode in nearly identical words.
- Judges 3:9 (BSB)“But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.”The same Othniel later becomes the first deliverer the LORD raises up for Israel.