Judges 1:22

22 The house of Joseph went up to attack Bethel. God was with them.

Judges 1:22 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:22

And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel,
&c.] Which lay upon the borders of the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, ( Joshua 16:1 Joshua 16:2 ) ; and though it seems to have been taken when Ai was, ( Joshua 8:17 ) ; yet it appears that it was now in the possession of the Canaanites; wherefore the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh being desirous of enlarging their borders after the example of Judah, went against this place in order to take it:

and the Lord [was] with them;
the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, directing, assisting, and succeeding them in their attempt.

Judges 1:22 In-Context

20 They gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had directed. Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak.
21 But the people of Benjamin couldn't get rid of the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. Benjaminites and Jebusites live side by side in Jerusalem to this day.
22 The house of Joseph went up to attack Bethel. God was with them.
23 Joseph sent out spies to look the place over. Bethel used to be known as Luz.
24 The spies saw a man leaving the city and said to him, "Show us a way into the city and we'll treat you well."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.