= Judges 1 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[Joshua_24|Previous]] | [[Judges_2|Next]] ] == Judges 1 1 Now 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?" 2 And the Lord said, "Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand." 3 And 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 you into your lot. So Simeon went with him." 4 And 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. 5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7 And 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. 8 Now 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. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher: 12 And Caleb said, He that smites Kirjathsepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife. 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. 14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field. When she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What do you want?" 15 And she said to him, "Give me a blessing, for you hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs." 16 And 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 is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they killed the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. 19 And the Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said, and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. 21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites continued to dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel; and the Lord was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph sent to publicly denounce Bethel (now the name of the city before was Luz.) 24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, please, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. 25 And when he showed 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. 26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which remains it's name even unto this day. 27 Neither 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 (continue to) dwell in that land. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. 29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. 31 Neither 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: 32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. 33 Neither 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. 34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: 35 But 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. 36 And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward. == Notes == Cross Reference == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 1 Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites? To the territories for which lots were cast1By Yehoshua, Elazar, and the tribal chieftains (Yehoshua, 14:1,2). Chapters 14–19 (there) list in detail the territories alloted to the various tribes when the lots were cast. but are as yet unconquered. ==== Verse 2 Let Yehudah go up. Let the tribe of Yehudah go up first2The tribesmen of Yehudah were first in many instances; they entered the water first at the splitting of the sea, their banner was the first to proceed when the Yisroelites journeyed in the wilderness, they went up first in the Book of Shoftim. Indeed, at the coming redemption, their tribesman Dovid will reign as the first of his countrymen. (Yalkut, 37:a. See Yalkut to Beshalach, 234) to conquer their alloted territory. ==== Verse 3 To his brother Shimon. To the tribe of Shimon. Go up with me and assist me in conquering my alloted portion. Some interpret "Let Yehudah go up" as a reference to Asniel,3Asniel ben Kenaz, the first of the Shoftim to lead Yisroel after the death of Yehoshua. (Below, 3:9–11) also known as Ya'avetz;4Ya’avetz is listed among the tribesmen of Yehudah, and described as “revered over his brethren.” (Divrei Hayamim 1, 4:9) for it is remarked, in tractate Temurah,5 "What was his name? His name was Yehudah, brother of Shimon."6This was his true name. His surnames were Asniel and Ya’avetz. Asniel is a contraction of ‘anah El’, ‘Adonoy answered’ [Divrei Hayamim 1, 4:10, relates that Adonoy answered his prayer]. Ya’avetz is a contraction of ‘ya’atz v’herebetz’, ‘he counseled and disseminated [Torah]’. (Temurah, 16:a) He7Not the tribe of Yehudah, but the individual Yehudah, otherwise known as Asniel or Ya’avetz. told his brother Shimon8The individual Shimon, brother of Yehudah / Asniel. Accordingly, the inquiry “Who shall go up first?” [v.1] did not concern the tribe which would engage in battle first, but the individual who would lead the people into battle. Adonoy answered [v.2] that Yehudah, also known as Asniel or Ya’avetz, would lead. to accompany him. ==== Verse 4 At Bezek. The name of a place.9‘Bezek’ may also be translated as ‘shard’, meaning a broken piece of pottery. Here, however, the reference is to a place named ‘Bezek’. (Yoma, 22:b) ==== Verse 7 Seventy kings. From here we learn of the eminence and affluence of the Canaanite potentates, for Adoni-bezek was not worthy of being listed among the Canaanite monarchs10Yehoshua 12: 7–24 lists the thirty one Canaanite kings. Adoni bezek is not among them. by the title "king", yet this is written of him.11Yalkut, 37:a. They brought him to Yerushalayim. They proceeded from there to do battle at Yerushalayim. ==== Verse 8 They set [literally 'sent'] fire. They sent the fire12By igniting it. This follows the literal meaning of שׇלְחוּ, ‘thy sent’. (Metzudas Tzion) Afterward, the B’nei Yehudah went down to wage war with the Canaanites dwelling in the hills, the Negev, and the lowlands. throughout it. ==== Verse 13 Coleiv's …brother. Maternally.13Coleiv is referred to as “the Kenizite” (Yehoshua, 14:6), rather than ‘son of Kenaz’. This indicates that he was not Kenaz’ biological son, but his stepson. (Sotah, 11:b, 12:a). ==== Verse 14 She cajoled him. She advised him, as in "he took counsel";14Rather than ‘she tempted him’, as in Devarim, 13:7. one counsels a person, and directs his thinking to an alternative. This is my opinion. She lowered herself. "She lowered herself"15This is a quotation from Targum Yonasan. as if falling at her father's feet. ==== Verse 15 Arid land. A man barren of anything gainful, as he contains nothing but Torah.16Temurah, 16:a. Streams of water. Wetland, "territory supplied abundantly with water." ==== Verse 16 From the city of dates. This refers to Yericho, as the fertile tract of Yericho17An area outside the city, measuring five hundred amohs by five hundred amohs. (Yalkut, 38.) was given to them for their consumption until the Beis HaMikdosh would be built. The one in whose portion the Beis HaMikdosh would be built18The tribe of Binyomin. (Ibid). would then receive it,19In return for the Beis Hamikdosh territory, which would become the property of all the tribes. so that all of Yisroel could share in the Beis HaMikdosh. It was given to the descendants of Yisro for four hundred and forty years.20From the conquest of Eretz Yisroel by Yehoshua, until the construction of the Beis Hamikdosh by King Solomon. (See Melachim 1,6:1.) The scholars among them departed, and went to Asniel, the son of Kenaz, also known as Ya'avetz, to the wilderness of Yehudah south of Arad to study Torah.21Yalkut, ibid. He settled with the people. With the disciples who sat before him. He requested of the Holy One, blessed is He, that He furnish him with suitable disciples, as it said, "Ya'avetz cried out to Elohim…etc."22“…of Yisroel, saying: If You bless me by broadening my boundary, and Your hand shall be with me…”. (Divrei Hayamim 1, 4:10. See fn.6) He furnished him with these pious men.23Yalkut, ibid. ==== Verse 19 However, he could not oust. [Targum] Yonasan interprets: Afterward, as they had sinned, they could not oust the valley dwellers. ==== Verse 21 But the Yevusi dwellers of Yerushalayim. There was a section of Yerushalayim24The reference here is not to members of the Yevusite nation, as Rashi explains that they were descendants of the Pelishte king Avimelech. Cf.Rashi to Yehoshua, 16:63, and Shmuel 2, 5:6. entitled Yevusi. They were descendants of Avimelech,25The Pelishite king (Bereishis, 21:32, 26:8). The patriarch Avrohom swore that he would deal kindly with him and his children and grandchildren. (Ibd, 21:23). Avrohom’s descendants were obligated by the oath as well. Cf.Midrash Rabah, Bereishis, 54:2. and they could not oust them because of the oath—until the arrival of Dovid26When Avimelech’s grandchildren no longer survived. (Rashi to Shmueil 2, 5:8)—as his27Avimelech’s grandson. grandson still lived, and he28Avrohom had sworn. had sworn to him, his son, and his grandson. ==== Verse 22 Beis El which was part of their ancestral allotment. Although Michah's idol29Chapter 17, v.4 [below] relates that Michah of Mount Ephraim made a graven image and kept it at his home, where it was worshiped. Although the incident is not mentioned earlier in the text, Rashi asserts that the idol was already in existence during the conquest of Eretz Yisroel. See Rasi to 17:1. was in their possession—for Michah was from the tribe of Ephraim—it is said here, "and Adonoy was with them." Concerning this, Daniel said, "Yours, O Adonoy, is benevolence—ours is the face of humiliation."30Daniel, 9:7. ==== Verse 23 Sent spies. Through others, they sent spies.31This is Targum Yonasan’s translation. "They spied the land"32 Bamidbar, 13:21. This refers to the spies sent by Moshe in the wilderness. is said concerning the spies themselves. However, concerning these who sent spies it is said, "they sent spies." ==== Verse 24 The entrance to the city. It was entered through a cave. A hazelnut tree stood at the mouth of the cave, and they passed through the tree33The tree was hollow. They passed through the hollow section into the cave, then through the cave into the city. (Bereishis Rabah, 69:8) into the cave. ==== Verse 25 He showed them with his finger.34If this heathen, by the mere flick of a finger, saved himself and his progeny, then certainly one who actively escorts others. (Sotah, 46:b) ==== Verse 26 Luz. Small nuts grow on this. "Coudre" in old French. It is so entitled to this day. Sancheriv did not "jumble" it,35Sancheriv “jumbled” all the nations of the world by transporting the inhabitants of one country to another. (Yadayim, 4:3, Yeshaya, 10:13). He did the same to the inhabitants of Eretz Yisroel (Melachim 2, 17:6, 23, 24) but not to the inhabitants of Luz. and Nevuchadnetzar did not devastate it.36Sotah, 46:b. ==== Verse 27 Menashe did not oust. Scripture censures them, as they began betraying the Holy One, blessed is He, Who commanded them: "Oust all those dwelling in the land, etc."37Bemidbar, 33:52.