History · Chapter 1 of 21

Judges 1

After Joshua's death, Israel asks the Lord who should lead the fight against the Canaanites, and He names Judah. Judah and Simeon win victories, capturing towns and defeating Adonibezek. Caleb offers his daughter Achsah to whoever takes Kirjathsepher, and Othniel wins her. But the chapter turns increasingly to failure, listing tribe after tribe that did not drive out the Canaanites from their land.

What happens in Judges 1

With Joshua gone, the Israelites inquire of the Lord about who should go up first against the Canaanites. He appoints Judah, who enlists Simeon. They defeat the Canaanites and Perizzites, capture Adonibezek, and take various cities. The account includes Caleb's promise of his daughter Achsah to the one who conquers Kirjathsepher, won by Othniel, and Achsah's bold request for springs of water. Judah takes hill country towns, though the writer notes they could not drive out the valley dwellers with iron chariots.

Then the chapter shifts to a sobering catalog of incompleteness. Benjamin does not dislodge the Jebusites from Jerusalem. Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan each fail, in various ways, to drive out the Canaanites, instead living among them or merely subjecting them to forced labor. The momentum of obedience fades into compromise.

Judges 1 in context

Judges opens where Joshua ended, but the tone darkens. The book chronicles Israel's spiral into disobedience during the era between Joshua and the monarchy. This first chapter sets the stage by showing the conquest left unfinished.

The repeated phrase that a tribe did not drive out the inhabitants signals the root of the coming troubles, for the tolerated Canaanites become the snares that Joshua had warned against, leading to idolatry and oppression.

Main themes of Judges 1

Judges 1 (KJV)

1Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? 2And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. 3And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. 4And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 5And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. 8Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 10And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 11And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher: 12And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 13And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? 15And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. 16And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. 19And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. 21And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. 22And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them. 23And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) 24And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. 25And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. 26And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day. 27Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. 28And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. 29Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. 31Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: 32But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. 33Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. 34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: 35But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. 36And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

Verses to carry from Judges 1

“And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.”Judges 1:2

“And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.”Judges 1:15

“And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”Judges 1:19

Reflection

The tribes started strong but grew weary and settled for coexistence with what they were meant to remove. Where am I tiring in obedience, tolerating something rather than dealing with it fully? Like Achsah I can boldly ask God for more of His blessing, and trust Christ, the Lion of Judah, to finish what I cannot.

A prayer from Judges 1