Judges 1:22

22 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 Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said; and he drove out from it the three sons of Anak.

21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jeb'usites who dwelt in Jerusalem; so the Jeb'usites have dwelt with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel; and the LORD was with them.

23 And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.)

24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, "Pray, show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you."