Judges 1:22

22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord 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 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. Then he expelled from there the three sons of Anak.

21 But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.

23 So the house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly Luz.)

24 And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy."