Judges 1:27-36

Failure of the Other Tribes

27 At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-shean^[a][b] and its villages,^[c] or Taanach^[d] and its villages, or the residents of Dor^[e] and its villages, or the residents of Ibleam^[f][g]and its villages, or the residents of Megiddo^[h] and its villages. But the Canaanites refused to leave^[i] this land.^[j]

28 When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.^[k]

29 At that time Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among them in Gezer.^[l][m]

30 Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron or the residents of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced labor.

31 Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco^[n] or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.

33 Naphtali did not drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh or the residents of Beth-anath. They lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served as their forced labor.

34 The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley.

35 The Amorites refused to leave Har-heres, Aijalon,^[o] and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand, the Amorites^[p] were made to serve as forced labor.

36 The territory of the Amorites extended from the ascent of Akrabbim,^[q] that is from Sela^[r] upward.

Judges 1:27-36 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.

Footnotes

• [a] LXX reads Beth-shean, which is a Scythian city
• [b] Jos 17:11,16; 1 Sm 31:10,12; 2 Sm 21:12
• [c] LXX reads its villages nor the fields around it
• [d] Jdg 5:19; Jos 17:11; 21:25
• [e] Jos 11:2; 12:23; 17:11; 1 Kg 4:11
• [f] LXX reads Balaam
• [g] Jos 17:11; 2 Kg 9:27
• [h] Jdg 5:19; 1 Kg 9:15; 2 Kg 23:29-30
• [i] LXX reads Canaanites began to live in
• [j] Jdg 1:35; Jos 17:12; Hs 5:11
• [k] Jos 17:12-13
• [l] LXX reads Gezer, and became forced labor
• [m] Jos 16:10
• [n] LXX reads Acco, and they became for him forced labor and the residents of Dor
• [o] Jos 10:12; 1 Sm 14:31; 1 Ch 8:13; 2 Ch 28:18
• [p] LXX reads Joseph became strong on the Amorites, they
• [q] Nm 34:4; Jos 15:3
• [r] 2 Kg 14:7; Isa 16:1