Judges 1:18

18 The Lord helped the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they did not capture ^[a] Gaza, Ashkelon, or Ekron, with their surrounding territories. These people living along the coast had iron chariots, and so the people of Judah were not able to drive them out.

Judges 1:18 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:18

Also Judah took Gaza, with the coast thereof
Which by lot fell to that tribe, ( Joshua 15:47 ) ; it was not till now subdued:

and Ashkelon with the coast thereof;
which, according to our countryman Sandys ^F17, was ten miles from Gaza:

and Ekron with the coast thereof;
this also is the lot that fell to Judah, but was afterwards given to the tribe of Dan, ( Joshua 15:45 ) ( 19:43 ) ; for whom Judah now fought and took it; but in a short time all these places were retaken, and possessed by the Philistines, and were three of their five principalities which they ever after retained, see ( Judges 3:3 ) ( 1 Samuel 6:16 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 Travels, p. 118. Ed. 5.

Judges 1:18 In-Context

16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went on with the people of Judah from Jericho, the city of palm trees, into the barren country south of Arad in Judah. There they settled among the Amalekites.

17 The people of Judah went with the people of Simeon, and together they defeated the Canaanites who lived in the city of Zephath. They put a curse on the city, destroyed it, and named it Hormah.

18 The Lord helped the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they did not capture Gaza, Ashkelon, or Ekron, with their surrounding territories. These people living along the coast had iron chariots, and so the people of Judah were not able to drive them out.

20 As Moses had commanded, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove out of the city the three clans descended from Anak.

Footnotes

• [a]. [One ancient translation] But they did not capture; [Hebrew] And they captured.