Judges 1:8

8 Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They attacked with their swords and burned the city.

Judges 1:8 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:8

Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and
had taken it
Which accounted for their carrying Adonibezek thither. This they had done in the times of Joshua; for when the king of that place was taken and slain by Joshua, it seems that he and Israel went and fought against the city, and took that in which the tribe of Judah had a principal concern; so Kimchi and Ben Gersom interpret it; but Jarchi and Abarbinel are of opinion, that now from Bezek they went up to Jerusalem, and fought against it, and took it; and so others think, because only the children of Judah are mentioned, and not all Israel, who fought together in Joshua's time; nor is there any mention made of its being taken in his time, and yet it seems plain that it was inhabited in part by the children of Judah, ( Joshua 15:63 ) ; some therefore have thought that it was twice taken; that after Joshua had taken it, he and the children of Israel being employed in making conquests in other parts of the land, the Jebusites repossessed it, from whence they were now again in part driven, not wholly; and Josephus says ^F11, the lower part was taken, and all the inhabitants killed, but the upper part was hard to be taken, because of the strength of the walls, and the nature of the place:

and smitten it with the edge of the sword;
the "inhabitants of it", so far as they got possession of it:

and set the city on fire;
some part of it only, for in some part of it dwelt the children of Judah, and in another part the Jebusites.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 2.)

Judges 1:8 In-Context

6 but Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him, and when they caught him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes had been cut off used to eat scraps that fell from my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." The men of Judah took Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They attacked with their swords and burned the city.

9 Later, they went down to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, in the dry country to the south, and in the western hills.

10 The men of Judah went to fight against the Canaanites in the city of Hebron (which used to be called Kiriath Arba). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.