Judges 1
1
Judah Leads
1And # 1:1 See first footnote on Josh. 1:1. after Joshua died, the twelve tribal leaders # 1:1 Or “the Israelites.” Not the entire nation but the twelve representatives of the twelve tribes came before the high priest to present their request before God. consulted Yahweh for a prophetic sign # 1:1 Although the Hebrew verb sha’al means, in its basic sense, “ask” or “inquire,” one subset meaning is to “inquire of,” “consult deity,” or “ask for an oracle [a prophetic sign or message].” It’s not explicitly stated, but it is likely Israel came before Yahweh at Shiloh (see Josh. 18:1). They presented themselves there to consult the Urim and Thummim worn on the breastplate of Phineas the high priest. Urim means “lights” and Thummim means “perfections.” See Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21. The Israelites showed their commitment to following Yahweh’s plan by seeking a prophetic indication of which tribe should go first in the attack. It is always wise to seek the Lord before we step out into a new chapter of our lives. See Prov. 3:5–6. and asked, “Which tribe do you choose to be the first to lead the attack against the Canaanites?”
2Yahweh answered them, # 1:2 Our God answers prayer. We can expect the Lord to speak to his leaders and to his people today. Twelve times in Judges Yahweh spoke to the Israelites. See 6:16, 23, 25; 7:2, 4–5, 7, 9; 10:11; 20:18, 23, 28. “Let Judah take the lead. # 1:2 Judah means “praise.” Praise will lead the way before us. See 2 Chron. 20:21. 3I have delivered the land into their hands.”
Judah then enlisted support from their brother-tribe Simeon, # 1:3 One (Judah) can chase a thousand, but two (Judah and Simeon) can chase ten thousand (see Deut. 32:30). In the next verse they did just that! Simeon’s cities were within the territory of Judah (see Josh. 15:26–32, 42; 19:1–9). Both Judah and Simeon had the same mother (Leah) and saw themselves as true brothers. Simeon means “one who hears.” When worship and the prophetic flow together, we will win our battles. saying, “Follow us into our territory and fight with us against the Canaanites; then we will do the same for you.” So the Simeonites agreed and joined them.
4When Judah advanced, Yahweh gave them victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. # 1:4 Bezek means “lightning.” Bezek is identified by some with Khirbet Bezqa, a site near Gezer, or possibly Khirbet Ibzik, about fifteen miles northeast of Shechem. 5-6They encountered King Adoni-Bezek # 1:5–6 Adoni-Bezek means “the lord of lightning.” fleeing with his army on the battlefield. They pursued him, captured him, and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. Then they cut off Adoni-Bezek’s thumbs and big toes. # 1:5–6 They cut off the king’s thumbs so he would never be able to hold a sword or scepter again. They cut off his big toes so that he would never be able to flee. He reaped what he had sown (see v. 7; cf. Gal. 6:7). 7Adoni-Bezek confessed, “I once had seventy # 1:7 The number seventy is the biblical number of the nations (Gen. 10 mentions seventy nations). In contrast, Jesus sent out seventy to bring the kingdom feast to the hungry among the nations. As they were sent out in Christ’s name, Jesus saw Satan fall from heaven like “lightning” (Luke 10:17–19). This was the ultimate victory over Adoni-Bezek, the lord of lightning. Adoni-Bezek is a picture of Satan. kings picking up scraps under my table with their thumbs and big toes cut off. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them!” They took him captive to Jerusalem, where he died. # 1:7 Although Jesus died in Jerusalem, by virtue of his resurrection, he lives today (see Rom. 6:10). But Satan was defeated in Jerusalem and stripped of his ability to conquer us all because of the cross of Jesus Christ. (See Col. 2:14–15; cf. John 3:18.)
Judah’s Victories
8The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They killed the inhabitants of the city # 1:8 Or “they put the city to the mouth of the sword.” The words of our mouth are like the edge of a sword to defeat our enemies. See Heb. 4:12. and set it on fire. # 1:8 Although they conquered Jerusalem, they did not fully occupy it until the time of King David, when he established Jerusalem as the nation’s capital. 9Afterward, the men of Judah continued their advance and attacked the Canaanites living in the hill country, the southern desert region, and the western lowlands. 10Under Caleb’s leadership, # 1:10 See Josh. 15:14. they fought against the Canaanites living in Hebron, formerly known as Kiriath Arba, and killed the three Canaanite families descended from Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. # 1:10 These three descended from the giant Anak (see Num. 13:22, 33), and their names represent the three “giants” we must topple to advance into our inheritance. Sheshai is taken from a word that means “white-washed.” He points to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees that were like “tombs painted over with white paint” (Matt. 23:27), consumed with how they appeared to others. Ahiman means “brother of a gift” or “like a gift.” He represents pride over giftedness. We all have spiritual gifts, but they are gifts of grace, not trophies. And Talmai comes from a word that means “scholar.” True scholarship will always acknowledge how little humans know and how great God truly is. According to the parallel passage in Joshua, it was the descendants of these three sons of Anak that were conquered (see Josh. 15:13–14). 11From there, they attacked the city of Debir, formerly known as Kiriath Sepher. # 1:11 Kiriath Sepher means “city of books,” and Debir means “the word.” God is still looking for people who will “conquer” the book (Bible), view it as the Word of God, and make it their own. 12Caleb announced, “I will give my daughter Achsah # 1:12 Achsah means “anklet [that which beautifies the feet].” A believer who brings the good news to others is said to have “beautiful feet.” See Song. 7:1; Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15. in marriage to the man # 1:12 Caleb knew it would take a special man to conquer a city with giants and thereby be a worthy husband for his daughter. Caleb knew that it would require a man endued with God’s power and favor to take the city of Debir. who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.”
Othniel
13Caleb’s nephew Othniel # 1:13 Othniel was the first champion-deliverer (judge). He lived in the shadow of his famous uncle, Caleb. No dragon slayer did more for his princess. Othniel prefigures our Lord Jesus, the Living Word who took the “city of books” for his bride. Othniel means “lion of God” or “strength of God.” He lived up to his name! Scholars believe Othniel was about fifty-three years old at this time. Arguably, Othniel could be considered the “ideal judge,” who married an Israelite, mobilized all the people, and was Spirit-endowed to lead to victory. (Rick Wadholm Jr., A Theology of the Spirit in the Former Prophets: A Pentecostal Perspective [Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2018] 121–124, 210.) the Kenizzite captured Kiriath Sepher; and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage.
14One day, Othniel nagged her to ask her father for a field as a wedding gift, so she went to him. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What can I do for you?”
15“Please, give me a blessing,” she replied. “I know you’ve already given me some arid desert land, but please give me a field with springs of water.” So Caleb blessed her with a field that had both upper and lower springs. # 1:15 Or possibly the name of a specific field: “He gave her [a field called] Upper and Lower Gulloth-Mayim.”
Judah Advances
16The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, joined the people of Judah, and went with them from Jericho, the City of Date Palms, to the Judean wilderness. The Kenites had settled there among the Amalekites at Arad. # 1:16 Or “among the people at Arad.”
17Judah and their brother-tribe Simeon advanced to the city of Zephath and wiped out the Canaanites living there. That’s why they now call the city Hormah. # 1:17 This is an example of a Hebraic pun, or play on words. The words for “Hormah” and for the phrase “wiped out” are similar. Hormah means “totally destroyed” or “under the ban.” 18The men of Judah captured Gaza, # 1:18 Gaza means “strong” or “stronghold.” Gaza is located on the Mediterranean, and scholars consider it to be the oldest city of the Philistines. It is mentioned eighteen times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament (see Acts 8:26). Ashkelon, # 1:18 Ashkelon means “weight.” The town is possibly named for the weights of the scales used for measuring products. It is a coastal city located about thirty miles south of modern Tel Aviv. Ekron, # 1:18 Ekron means “torn up by the roots.” It is mentioned over twenty times in the Old Testament. and the territories surrounding each of these cities.
Israel Fails to Conquer the Land
19Yahweh’s presence and power were with the men of Judah and they were able to conquer the hill country, but because the people of the lowlands had war chariots, # 1:19 Or “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.” they failed to drive them out. 20Because Caleb conquered the three giants, the sons of Anak, # 1:20 Since Anak can mean “long-necked,” it is presumed that the “sons of Anak” were men of great height. he was given the city of Hebron.
21The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day, the Jebusites live among the Benjamites in Jerusalem. # 1:21 The inability of Israel to dispossess their enemies in vv. 19–29 (see Josh. 15:63) becomes a picture for us today of not dealing with every issue (enemy) within our hearts that prevents us from possessing our full inheritance in Christ. We will repeat the same patterns of defeat if we are not thorough in eliminating every evil from our lives. See Col. 3:5–11.
22-23Yahweh’s presence and power were with Joseph’s descendants, so they advanced toward Bethel and sent men ahead to spy out the city that was formerly known as Luz. 24The spies confronted a man coming out of Bethel and they said to him, “Show us the way to enter the city and we will treat you well.” # 1:24 Or literally “we will do chesed [covenant loyalty] to you.” 25So he showed the spies a secret entrance into the city, and they killed everyone living in Bethel with the sword # 1:25 Or literally “with the mouth” (i.e., “edge”) of the sword. See Heb. 4:12. except that man and his family. 26Later the man and his family moved to the land of the Hittites # 1:26 The region from northern Syria into Asia Minor was known in the days of Joshua and Judges as the kingdom of Hatti, or “the land of the Hittites.” The Talmud describes this region as the place where Phoenicians produced blue dye that the Israelites used for the blue fringes (tassels) of their garments. (See Num. 15:38; Sotah [Talmud] 46b.) According to Egyptian inscriptions dated to 1500 BC, the Hittites were expelled from the land of Canaan. and built a town. The new town has kept the name Luz to this day.
27The Canaanites were determined to stay in their land, so the men of Manasseh did not conquer the cities of Beth Shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their surrounding villages. # 1:27 Or “and their daughter towns.” 28And whenever Israel gained the upper hand, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor; # 1:28 Eventually, Solomon conscripted the Canaanites to build the temple (see 1 Kings 9:20–22; 2 Chron. 8:7–8). but they did not completely drive them out.
29The tribe of Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, so the Canaanites continue to live there among them.
30The tribe of Zebulun failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron # 1:30 Traditionally identified in Jewish writings as Sepphoris, about four miles north of Nazareth. or Nahalol, so the Canaanites continue to live there among them.
31The tribe of Asher failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob, 32so the people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.
33Likewise, the tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath, # 1:33 Shemesh means “sun” and Anath means “the war goddess.” They were Canaanite deities. It is likely that temples to these pagan gods were located in their respective cities. so they live among the Canaanites residing in the land. However, they forced the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath to serve them.
34The tribe of Dan was least successful. The Amorites forced them back into the hills # 1:34 Although our enemies may push God’s people into retreat for a season, in Christ, our ultimate victory over our foes is secure. and they could no longer live in the valley. 35The Amorites persisted in living on Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. But when the descendants of Joseph grew stronger, they overpowered the Amorites and ruled over them. 36The boundary of the Amorites ran from Scorpion Pass # 1:36 Or “Akrabbim,” possibly modern Neqb es-Safa, which descends from Beersheba to the Wadi Murra. Scorpion Pass lies about twenty miles south of the Dead Sea. to Sela and continued northward from there.
Currently Selected:
Judges 1: TPT
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation