Jueces 1:22-32

22 También los de la casa de José subieron á Beth-el; y fué Jehová con ellos.

23 Y los de la casa de José pusieron espías en Beth-el, la cual ciudad antes se llamaba Luz.

24 Y los que espiaban vieron un hombre que salía de la ciudad, y dijéronle: Muéstranos ahora la entrada de la ciudad, y haremos contigo misericordia.

25 Y él les mostró la entrada á la ciudad, é hiriéronla á filo de espada; mas dejaron á aquel hombre con toda su familia.

26 Y fuese el hombre á la tierra de los Hetheos, y edificó una ciudad, á la cual llamó Luz: y este es su nombre hasta hoy.

27 Tampoco Manasés echó á los de Beth-sean, ni á los de sus aldeas, ni á los de Taanach y sus aldeas, ni á los de Dor y sus aldeas, ni á los habitantes de Ibleam y sus aldeas, ni á los que habitaban en Megiddo y en sus aldeas: mas el Cananeo quiso habitar en esta tierra.

28 Empero cuando Israel tomó fuerzas hizo al Cananeo tributario, mas no lo echó.

29 Tampoco Ephraim echó al Cananeo que habitaba en Gezer; antes habitó el Cananeo en medio de ellos en Gezer.

30 Tampoco Zabulón echó á los que habitaban en Chîtron y á los que habitaban en Naalol; mas el Cananeo habitó en medio de él, y le fueron tributarios.

31 Tampoco Aser echó á los que habitaban en Achô, y á los que habitaban en Sidón, y en Ahlab, y en Achzib, y en Helba, y en Aphec, y en Rehod:

32 Antes moró Aser entre los Cananeos que habitaban en la tierra; pues no los echó.

Jueces 1:22-32 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES

The title of this book in the Hebrew copies is Sepher Shophetim, the Book of Judges; but the Syriac and Arabic interpreters call it,

``the Book of the Judges of the Children of Israel;''

and the Septuagint only Judges; so called, not because it was written by them, though some think it was compiled out of annals and diaries kept by them; but it seems to be the work of one person only: the true reason of its name is, because it treats of the judges of Israel, gives an account of their lives and actions, and especially such as concerned their office; which office was different from that of kings, and seems only to have been occasional, and chiefly lay in delivering the people out of the hands of their enemies, when oppressed, distressed, or carried captive by them; in protecting them in the enjoyment of their country, rights, and liberties; in leading out their armies against their enemies when needful; and in settling differences, judging law suits, and administering justice. The government of the nation, during their time, was a theocracy. It is not certain who was the penman of this book; some ascribe it to King Hezekiah, others to Ezra; but the Jewish writers {a} are generally of opinion that it was written by Samuel, which is most likely, who was the last of the judges; and it seems plainly to be written before the times of David, us appears from a speech of Joab, 2Sa 11:21; and from some passages in Ps 68:8,9 Ps 97:5, which seem to refer or allude to Jud 5:4,5; and from Jerusalem being called Jebus, which shows it to be inhabited by the Jebusites in the time of the writer of this book, whereas it was taken out of their hands by David; besides, Samuel himself refers to the annals of this book; 1Sa 12:9-11; and from whose testimonies, as well as from others in the New Testament, there is no doubt to be made of its being genuine and authentic, and written by divine inspiration; as is evident from the use the Apostle Paul, and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, have made of it, Ac 13:20, Heb 11:32; it is useful as an history, and without which the history of the people of Israel would not be complete; it containing an account of all their judges, excepting the two last, Eli and Samuel, of whom an account is given in the following books, and of some facts incidental to those times, related in an appendix at the end of it, concerning the idol of Micah, and the war of Benjamin; and furnishes out many useful moral observations concerning God's displeasure at sin in his own people Israel, and his corrections for it; and about his providential care of them in raising up for them deliverers in their time of need, as well as points at various virtues and excellencies in great and good men, worthy of imitation. It contains, according to Piscator, Dr. Lightfoot, and others, an history of two hundred ninety and nine years.

\\INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 1\\

The children of Israel, after Joshua's death, inquiring of the Lord which tribes should first go up against the remaining Canaanites, Judah is ordered to go up, who with Simeon did, Jud 1:1-3; and had success against the Canaanites under Adonibezek, whom they brought to Jerusalem Jud 1:4-8; and against the Canaanites in Hebron, Debir, Zephath, Hormah, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, Jud 1:9-20; the Benjamites had not such good success as Judah against the Jebusites in Jerusalem, Jud 1:21; nor as the house of Joseph had against Bethel, Jud 1:22-26; nor could the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali, drive out the Canaanites from several places which belonged unto them, though many of them became their tributaries, Jud 1:27-33; and as for the Amorites, they were too powerful for the tribe of Dan, though some of them became tributaries to the house of Joseph, Jud 1:34-36.

{a} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 2.