Judges 1:19

19 fuitque Dominus cum Iuda et montana possedit nec potuit delere habitatores vallis quia falcatis curribus abundabant

Judges 1:19 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:19

And the Lord was with Judah
Encouraging, strengthening, succeeding, and giving the tribe victory over the Canaanites; the Targum is,

``the Word of the Lord was for the help of the house of Judah:''

and he drove out [the inhabitants of] the mountains;
the mountainous part of Judea, such as was about Jerusalem, and where Hebron stood, and other cities, see ( Joshua 15:48 ) which though fortified both by nature and man, yet God being with them, they were easily subdued:

but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley;
God forsaking them, because they were afraid of them, for a reason after mentioned, or through slothfulness, and being weary of fighting, or because they fell into some sins, which occasioned the divine displeasure; so the Targum,

``after they had sinned, they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley:''

because they had chariots of iron;
but this was no reason why they could not drive them out, if God was with them, who could as easily have delivered these into their hands, as the inhabitants of the mountains; but is the reason why they were afraid to fight with them, and to attempt to drive them out, and which they themselves gave why they did not.

Judges 1:19 In-Context

17 abiit autem Iudas cum Symeone fratre suo et percusserunt simul Chananeum qui habitabat in Sephath et interfecerunt eum vocatumque est nomen urbis Horma id est anathema

18 cepitque Iudas Gazam cum finibus suis et Ascalonem atque Accaron cum terminis suis

19 fuitque Dominus cum Iuda et montana possedit nec potuit delere habitatores vallis quia falcatis curribus abundabant

20 dederuntque Chaleb Hebron sicut dixerat Moses qui delevit ex ea tres filios Enach

21 Iebuseum autem habitatorem Hierusalem non deleverunt filii Beniamin habitavitque Iebuseus cum filiis Beniamin in Hierusalem usque in praesentem diem