Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. Then the men of JudahThe tribe of Judah, named after one of Jacob's sons, holds a significant place in biblical history. Judah was prophesied to be a leader among his brothers ( Genesis 49:8-10), and this verse reflects the fulfillment of that leadership role. The Hebrew root for Judah, "Yehudah," means "praise," indicating the tribe's role in leading Israel in both worship and warfare. Historically, Judah's prominence is seen in its central location in the land of Israel and its eventual emergence as the royal tribe from which King David and ultimately Jesus Christ descended. fought against Jerusalem
Jerusalem, a city with a rich and complex history, is first mentioned in the Bible as Salem, where Melchizedek was king (Genesis 14:18). The Hebrew name "Yerushalayim" suggests meanings like "foundation of peace" or "possession of peace," yet its history is marked by conflict. The men of Judah's battle against Jerusalem signifies the ongoing struggle to establish God's chosen people in the Promised Land. This battle is part of the larger narrative of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan, a land promised to them by God but inhabited by various peoples. and captured it
The capture of Jerusalem by the men of Judah is a pivotal moment in the conquest of Canaan. The Hebrew verb "lakad" means to capture or seize, indicating a decisive victory. This event foreshadows Jerusalem's future as the political and spiritual center of Israel. The capture signifies God's faithfulness in delivering the land to His people, despite the challenges they faced. It also prefigures the ultimate spiritual conquest through Christ, who would later enter Jerusalem as the King of Kings. They put the city to the sword
This phrase reflects the common ancient Near Eastern practice of total warfare, where cities were often completely destroyed to prevent future rebellion. The Hebrew word "chereb" for sword implies a thorough and decisive action. This act of destruction underscores the seriousness of God's command to the Israelites to remove the Canaanite influence from the land, which was often associated with idolatry and immorality. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the holiness required by God. and set it on fire
Fire, in biblical terms, often symbolizes purification and judgment. The Hebrew word "esh" for fire is used throughout Scripture to denote God's presence and power, as seen in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21). The burning of Jerusalem by the men of Judah can be seen as an act of purifying the city from its pagan past, preparing it for its future role as the holy city of God. This act of setting the city on fire also serves as a metaphor for the refining process believers undergo, as God purifies His people to reflect His glory. Persons / Places / Events 1. Men of JudahThe tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, known for its leadership and strength. They were tasked with leading the conquest of the Promised Land. 2. JerusalemA significant city in biblical history, later becoming the political and spiritual center of Israel. At this time, it was a Canaanite city that needed to be conquered as part of God's command to take the land. 3. Capture and DestructionThe event where the men of Judah successfully captured Jerusalem, executing God's judgment on the Canaanite inhabitants by putting the city to the sword and setting it on fire. Teaching Points Obedience to God's CommandsThe men of Judah's actions reflect obedience to God's command to conquer the land. Believers today are called to obey God's Word, even when it requires difficult decisions. Spiritual WarfareJust as Judah fought physical battles, Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. God's Sovereignty and JudgmentThe destruction of Jerusalem's inhabitants demonstrates God's sovereignty and His righteous judgment against sin. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance. The Importance of LeadershipJudah's role as a leading tribe underscores the importance of strong, godly leadership in fulfilling God's purposes. Leaders today are called to guide others in faithfulness to God's commands. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the conquest of Jerusalem by the men of Judah demonstrate obedience to God's commands, and what can we learn from their example about following God's will in our lives? 2. In what ways does the physical battle for Jerusalem parallel the spiritual battles we face today, and how can we equip ourselves for these battles according to Ephesians 6:10-18? 3. Considering the eventual establishment of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, what does this event in Judges 1:8 teach us about God's long-term plans and purposes, even when immediate outcomes seem destructive? 4. How does the concept of God's judgment in Judges 1:8 challenge our understanding of His character, and how should this influence our approach to sin and repentance? 5. Reflect on the role of leadership in the conquest of Jerusalem. How can we apply the principles of godly leadership in our families, churches, and communities today? Connections to Other Scriptures Joshua 15:63This verse highlights the earlier failure to fully drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, setting the stage for the events in Judges 1:8. 2 Samuel 5:6-7This passage describes King David's later conquest of Jerusalem, establishing it as the capital of Israel, showing the ongoing significance of the city. Deuteronomy 7:1-2God's command to Israel to utterly destroy the Canaanite nations, including the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as part of His judgment and to prevent Israel from adopting pagan practices. People Abednego, Achsah, Adonibezek, Ahiman, Amalekites, Amorites, Anak, Anath, Arad, Arba, Asher, Asherites, Benjamin, Benjamites, Caleb, Canaanites, Dan, Danites, Debir, Edomites, Hittites, Hobab, Israelites, Jebusites, Joseph, Joshua, Kenaz, Manasseh, Naphtali, Naphtalites, Othniel, Perizzites, Rehob, Sheshai, Simeon, Simeonites, Talmai, Zebulun, ZidonPlaces Acco, Achzib, Ahlab, Aijalon, Akrabbim, Aphik, Arad, Ashkelon, Beth-anath, Bethel, Beth-shan, Beth-shemesh, Bezek, Debir, Dor, Ekron, Gaza, Gezer, Gibeah, Hebron, Helbah, Hormah, Ibleam, Jerusalem, Kiriath-arba, Kiriath-sepher, Kitron, Luz, Megiddo, Mount Heres, Nahalol, Negeb, Rehob, Sela, Shaalbim, Sidon, Taanach, ZephathTopics Attack, Attacked, Burning, Capture, Captured, Edge, Fight, Fire, Fought, Jerusalem, Judah, Mercy, Mouth, Smite, Smitten, Smote, Sons, Struck, Sword, TownDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 1:1-20 7266 tribes of Israel Judges 1:4-8 7240 Jerusalem, history Library The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the BibleThe Coast of the Asphaltites, the Essenes. En-Gedi.
"On the western shore" (of the Asphaltites) "dwell the Essenes; whom persons, guilty of any crimes, fly from on every side. A nation it is that lives alone, and of all other nations in the whole world, most to be admired; they are without any woman; all lust banished, &c. Below these, was the town Engadda, the next to Jerusalem for fruitfulness, and groves of palm-trees, now another burying-place. From thence stands Massada, a castle in a rock, and this castle not far from the Asphaltites." Solinus, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Tsippor
"Tsippor is the greatest city of Galilee, and built in a very strong place." "Kitron (Judg 1:29,30) is Tsippor: and why is it called Tsippor? Because it is seated upon a mountain as Tsippor, a bird." "Sixteen miles on all sides from Tsippor was a land flowing with milk and honey." This city is noted in Josephus for its warlike affairs; but most noted in the Talmudists for the university fixed there, and for the learning, which Rabbi Judah the Holy brought hither, as we have said before. He sat in …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
ISRAEL'S VICTORIES OVER THE CANAANITES.--Josh. 2-9; Judg. 1, 4, 5. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible II,1-4.1. Prin. of Politics X. That the leaders took the lead in Israel, That the people volunteered readily, Bless Jehovah! Zebulun was a people who exposed themselves to deadly peril, And Naphtali on the heights of the open field. Kings came, they fought; They fought, the kings of Canaan, At Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, They took no booty of silver. Prom heaven fought the stars, From their …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation The Place of the Old Testament in Divine Revelation
[Sidenote: Advent of the Hebrews] Modern discovery and research have demonstrated that the truth revealed through the Babylonians and with less definiteness through the people of the Nile was never entirely lost. Such a sad waste was out of accord with the obvious principles of divine economy. As the icy chill of ceremonialism seized decadent Babylonia and Egypt, there emerged from the steppes south and east of Palestine a virile, ambitious group of nomads, who not only fell heir to that which …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Scythopolis. Beth-Shean, the Beginning of Galilee.
The bonds of Galilee were, "on the south, Samaris and Scythopolis, unto the flood of Jordan." Scythopolis is the same with Beth-shean, of which is no seldom mention in the Holy Scriptures, Joshua 17:11; Judges 1:27; 1 Samuel 31:10. "Bethsaine (saith Josephus), called by the Greeks Scythopolis." It was distant but a little way from Jordan, seated in the entrance to a great valley: for so the same author writes, "Having passed Jordan, they came to a great plain, where lies before you the city Bethsane," …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6 Jews and Gentiles in "The Land"
Coming down from Syria, it would have been difficult to fix the exact spot where, in the view of the Rabbis, "the land" itself began. The boundary lines, though mentioned in four different documents, are not marked in anything like geographical order, but as ritual questions connected with them came up for theological discussion. For, to the Rabbis the precise limits of Palestine were chiefly interesting so far as they affected the religious obligations or privileges of a district. And in this respect …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 1:8 NIVJudges 1:8 NLTJudges 1:8 ESVJudges 1:8 NASBJudges 1:8 KJV
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