1:1 The book of Judges begins by referring to the death of Joshua first recorded in Joshua 24:29–30, providing the historical anchor for the accounts and narratives of the judges that follow. This death notice also serves an important literary function. At the end of Deuteronomy the death of Moses is recorded (Deut. 34:5–8). Then, in the first verse of the book of Joshua, Moses’ death is referenced again. In fact, the opening words of the book of Joshua are identical to those of Judges: “After the death of . . .” (Josh. 1:1; Judg. 1:1). These brief death notices at the end and beginning of each book tie together Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges as a literary unit, a faithful record of the narrative of the kingdom of God. Similarly, the book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph (Gen. 50:26), which is subsequently repeated in the opening verses of Exodus (Ex. 1:6). The appearance of these death notices at important and strategic locations establish and shape major portions of the record of the administration of the covenant of grace. As such, they each point forward to the one death recorded in the Bible that puts death to death and secures the faithfulness of the people of God once and for all.

Following the reference to the death of Joshua, it is recorded that “the people of Israel inquired of the Lord” as to who or which tribe should lead or “go up” in battle against the Canaanites. Now that both Moses and Joshua are dead, the question of leadership naturally arises. The Israelites are right to consult the Lord in this matter, and his answer begins to shape not only the rest of the chapter but the rest of redemptive history. The verb “to go up” is a key word in this first introduction to the book of Judges. In Judges 1:1 the Israelites ask, “Who shall go up?” In verse 2 the Lord chooses Judah to “go up” and lead the Israelites. Then Simeon (v. 3), the Kenites (v. 16), the house of Joseph (v. 22), and finally the angel of the Lord (2:1) “go up” in the context of Israel’s conquest and occupation of the land.

1:2 The Lord responds to Israel’s inquiry with the selection of the tribe of Judah as the one who should “go up” and lead in battle. As the Section Outline demonstrates, Judah is the focus of Judges 1, spanning from verses 2 to 20. The significance of the tribe of Judah reaches back into Genesis and then forward all the way to the final chapter of the Bible. In Genesis 49:10 Jacob prophetically identifies the tribe of Judah with the royal line of Israel:

    The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

    until tribute comes to him;

    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Further fulfillment comes in the selection of David as king (1 Sam. 16:1–13) and the establishment of the Davidic covenant that follows (2 Sam. 7:8–17), forever securing the royal line for Judah. The NT identifies Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the royal promises to Judah through the line of David. In fact, the NT is bracketed by references to this reality (Matt. 1:1; Rev. 22:16). Four times in the conclusions to the book of Judges we read the famous statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel” (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Given that the king of Israel will ultimately come from the tribe of Judah, it is no accident that this tribe is the focus of chapter 1.

1:3 Before Judah leads in battle, it invites the tribe of Simeon to partner with it in the conquest of its territory. Judah would then do the same for Simeon. At one level this request is pragmatic, since the territory of Simeon is situated within the territory of Judah.7 Some may understand this alliance as a lack of faith on the part of Judah, but this is likely not the case. The tradition of tribal fidelity and partnership goes back to the days of Moses, specifically Numbers 32. Before Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh settled in lands east of the Jordan (cf. Joshua 13). After this the men of these tribes pledged to fight with the rest of Israel until all of the tribes had received their inheritance in the land. A similar arrangement seems to be at work here in Judges 1, and this may explain the relative success of Judah when compared to the accounts of the other tribes in this same chapter.

1:4 In obedience to the command of the Lord, the tribe of Judah “went up” to fight against the Canaanites and the Perizzites. It is helpful to understand that references to the current inhabitants of land are variously phrased, and often in a selective or representative manner, much like the accounting of the tribes of Israel in this same chapter (cf. Ex. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; Josh. 3:10).

The victory of Judah is not their own doing, for “the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand.” This should remind us of one of the most important principles of Israel’s military victories: it is the Lord who fights for Israel (Ex. 14:14; 15:3). The land was filled with “seven nations more numerous and mightier” than Israel (Deut. 7:1), each of which would test the faith of Israel to rely fully upon their covenant-keeping God, who is faithful to uphold all of his promises.

The verse concludes with the location of the battle, Bezek, and the number of the enemy slain, ten thousand. The reference to Bezek introduces a brief narrative concerning “Adoni-bezek” (Judg. 1:5) the “lord” of that land.

1:5–7 In verse 4 it was recorded that Judah struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. Now in these verses the author focuses on just one of the men from that city: Adoni-bezek, its king. While fighting the Canaanites and the Perizzites at Bezek, the tribe of Judah located Adoni-bezek. The narrative account of his capture in verses 5–6 is quick and straightforward. The Judahites find him, fight against him, pursue him, capture him, and then cut off his thumbs and first toes. The description of the battle is rather generic until the final event described, the cutting off of his thumbs and first toes. This is certainly an act of humiliation, one that would render the king unable to hold a sword or run in battle. However, this is also an event unique in the Bible. Nowhere else do we read of such treatment. In fact, the only other context in which thumbs and first toes appear in the Bible is in a cultic context (Ex. 29:20; Lev. 8:23–24; 14:14, 17, 25, 28). Perhaps the capture and subjugation of Adoni-bezek is to be understood as an act of consecration and purification of the land as Israel removes the enemies of God.

In many OT narratives a brief concluding speech can help illuminate the nature and significance of that narrative. Here in Judges 1:7 the words of Adoni-bezek are recorded to help the reader to understand something of the nature of the events recorded in verses 5–6. First, we learn that Adoni-bezek had cut off the thumbs and toes of seventy other kings. Additionally, he understands that his own subjugation is repayment from God, an eye-for-eye approach (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). The reference to seventy kings is an impressive number. It may echo the seventy nations listed in the table of nations in Genesis 10.8 The account concludes with Adoni-bezek’s being brought to Jerusalem, where he subsequently dies. This is not the last time a king will die in Jerusalem in order for God’s people to possess their inheritance.

1:8–11 The text records in rapid succession the subsequent victories of Judah in its conquest of the land according to its allotment. Judah conquers Jerusalem (Judg. 1:8); the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland (the Shephelah) (v. 9); Hebron (v. 10); and Debir (v. 11). Jerusalem appears three times in Judges 1 (vv. 7, 8, 21). The book anticipates the coming of kingship in its final chapters (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), but the development of this theme begins in chapter 1, with its emphasis on Judah and its repeated mention of Jerusalem, the future city of David. In fact, Hebron and Jerusalem, both mentioned here, are the two capital cities from which David reigns during his forty years as king (2 Sam. 5:5; 1 Kings 2:11). The facts presented in these first few chapters of Judges stand on their own. However, they are also intended to prepare and shape the way in which we view the unfolding of redemptive history in the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) and beyond, especially as it relates to kingship and the kingdom of God.

1:12–15 Once again the author pauses in his progression of the narrative, this time to provide additional information regarding the conquest of Debir (Kiriath-sepher) recorded in Judges 1:11. This is the account of Caleb, Othniel, and Achsah the daughter of Caleb. These events are first recorded in Joshua 15:16–19 and are repeated here.

Caleb was one of the original twelve spies sent by Moses to explore Canaan in preparation for Israel’s conquest and occupation (Num. 13:6). He was the representative of the tribe of Judah and one of two spies to bring back a positive report regarding Israel’s prospects for occupation (Num. 13:30; 14:6–9). Because of Caleb’s faith, he was one of only two men (with Joshua) to enter the land of Israel’s inheritance among that original generation who crossed the Red Sea. “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it” (Num. 14:24; cf. 14:30, 38).

As part of Judah’s conquest, Caleb offered the reward of marriage to his daughter Achsah for the man who would capture Debir. That man turned out to be Othniel, Caleb’s younger relative. We do not know how Othniel captured the city or why Caleb offered his daughter in marriage for that city. We only know that Othniel took the city and received Achsah as his bride. The image of a victorious warrior and a willing bride should remind us of our own great hope as portrayed in Revelation 20–21.

Upon marriage Achsah requested from her father a field along with springs of water as a “blessing.”9 Since the field was in the drier lands of the Negeb, her request for springs of water would ensure the productivity of the land and the maintenance of livestock. Achsah’s determination to ensure the well-being of her family is reminiscent of the woman of Proverbs 31, who “considers a field and buys [or “takes”] it” (Prov. 31:16) and “looks well to [or “watches over”] the ways of her household” (Prov. 31:27). With Othniel and Achsah we have the picture of a faithful warrior husband (cf. Num. 32:12) and a wise and discerning wife. This picture contributes to the generally positive focus on Judah in Judges. It also introduces us to the first judge in the book, Othniel (Judg. 3:7–11). The account of his service establishes the pattern or standard for all of the judges who will follow.

1:16 The Kenites are the family of Zipporah, the wife of Moses (Ex. 2:15–21). Moses’ father-in-law was a priest of Midian; it appears that he was called both Reuel (Exodus 2) and Jethro (Exodus 18). In Exodus 18 Jethro delivers Moses’ wife and children to him after he has “heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt” (Ex. 18:1). It is also recorded in Exodus 18:27 that Moses sent away his father-in-law, who returned to his land. It appears, however, that Jethro’s son Hobab, brother of Zipporah, remained with Moses and the people of Israel. Additionally, when it was time for Israel to journey into the land of its inheritance, Moses invited Hobab to remain with Israel. Evidence for this accounting appears in Numbers 10:29:

Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.”

The mention of the Kenites might seem out of place in this context. However, as with the account of Othniel in the previous verses, the presence of the Kenites in Judges 1 prepares us for Judges 4–5. In the narratives of Deborah and Barak we are introduced to Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite (4:11, 17) who is “of tent-dwelling women most blessed” (5:24). She will play an important role in the deliverance of God’s people from the oppression of Jabin, king of Canaan, and his commander, Sisera.

The presence of the Kenites among the Israelites in the land of inheritance constitutes one of the early ways in which we see the nations experiencing the blessing of Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Details such as this help readers to focus on the progression of the kingdom of God in redemptive history and the fulfillment of his promises to Abraham. “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Gal. 3:8).

1:17 This verse records the fulfillment of Judah’s obligation to fight alongside Simeon in the occupation of its inheritance (cf. Judg. 1:3). The nature of the warfare in which Israel is engaged is memorialized in the renaming of the city of Zephath as “Hormah.” The verb translated “devoted to destruction” in this verse shares the same root as the new name of the city, Hormah. Thus the name of the city could be rendered as something like “Devoted to Destruction” or “Total Destruction.” This type of warfare was commanded by God in order to remove that which was evil from the land of Israel’s inheritance and to protect her from the corruption of that evil. The regulations and rationale for this command are recorded in Deuteronomy 7:1–6.

Wars of this type are no longer sanctioned by the Bible—nor are they the universal pattern throughout the OT. The conquest of Canaan is commanded by the Lord as the means by which Israel would possess her inheritance and punish the inhabitants of the land for the fullness of their sin. At times in the history of redemption the rule of common grace has been suspended and the ethics of consummation have prevailed (e.g., the flood, the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Canaanites).10 These fierce and terrible acts of God warn his people, in real time and space, of the nature of final judgment and the power of the Judge in bringing his wrath against sin (Rev. 19:11). Now, because of the victory of Christ over sin and death,

the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Cor. 10:4–6)

1:18 The text returns to Judah’s conquest and possession of its inheritance in the land. It is recorded that Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. These three cities are often associated with the Philistines (Josh. 13:3), a people who afflict Israel all the way through the time of David. In terms of the upcoming judge narratives, Shamgar (Judg. 3:31) and Samson provide temporary deliverance from Philistine oppression. In fact, all of Judges 16 records Samson’s dealings with the Philistines in Gaza, one of the cities listed here.

1:19 Judah’s relative success in conquest and the possession of its inheritance is explained by the power of God’s presence in its midst: “And the Lord was with Judah” (v. 19). It is God’s presence that explains the special status of God’s people and their ability possess the land (Ex. 33:16). It is also God’s presence that enables and empowers the judges to rescue and deliver Israel from the opposition of their enemies, for “whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge” (Judg. 2:18). The promise and the power of God’s presence are also manifested among the patriarchs (Gen. 26:3; 31:3), Moses (Ex. 3:12; 4:12), Joshua (Deut. 31:23; Josh. 1:5), Gideon (Judg. 6:12), and even now with the church: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). The promise of the divine presence also serves as our ultimate eschatological hope and satisfaction: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). The theme of divine presence runs from creation to consummation, and we are wise to see that same theme runs through the book of Judges as God works with and through these faithful servants of the kingdom (Heb. 11:32–39).

Immediately following the statement that the Lord was with Judah, it is recorded that Judah was not able to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, “because [the inhabitants of the valley] had chariots of iron” (Judg. 1:19; cf. Josh. 17:16, 18). We will learn later that the Lord allows some nations to remain in the land in order to test Israel to see if they would “walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did” (Judg. 2:21–23). We also know that the conquest of the land will not reach its fullness until the days of David and Solomon (2 Sam. 7:1; 1 Kings 8:56). In other words, in some instances the remnant of the Canaanites in the land provides occasions for the Lord to test the faith of his people and to provoke hope in the full and final occupation of the land, that is, in entering into the promise of rest. Finally, the reference to the “chariots of iron” in these introductory verses prepares us to witness the power of the Lord to overcome nine hundred chariots of iron through the leadership of Deborah and Barak (Judg. 4:3, 13).

1:20 The final verse in the account of the conquest of Judah returns to Caleb (cf. comment on 1:12–15). Here it is recorded once again that Caleb was given Hebron as his inheritance (Josh. 15:13–14; 21:11–12). This reference to Caleb’s possession of Hebron brings the account of the conquest of Judah to a strong conclusion. It is stated that Caleb’s possession of Hebron came by the command of Moses, connecting us back to Joshua 14:6–15. Here we learn that Caleb’s possession of Hebron was granted because of his faithfulness to the Lord, specifically with reference to spying out the land, bringing a good report, and being willing to engage the Anakim in battle. “Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Josh. 14:14).

Reference to the Anakim, or the three sons of Anak, first appears in Judges 1:10, where their names are given: “Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.” The Anakim were famous warriors and giants, descendants of the Nephilim: “And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them” (Num. 13:33; cf. Gen. 6:4). These are people “of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’” (Deut. 9:2). Caleb’s defeat of the Anakim is an act of faithful obedience, trusting in the power of God to defeat one’s enemy (Josh. 14:12). This type of faith is the key to Israel’s conquest and occupation of the land. With Caleb we are reminded of another champion from Judah who will defeat another giant, again an act of faith and trust in the living God who gives strength to the weak (1 Sam. 17:45–46; 2 Cor. 12:9–10). This theme of God’s strength working through human weakness runs throughout the book of Judges.

1:21 The lengthy and positive account of the tribe of Judah is abruptly contrasted with the brief and negative account of the tribe of Benjamin. Both the syntax and the content of the Hebrew text work together to highlight this contrast. Earlier in Judges 1:8 it was recorded that “Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.” But now it is recorded that Benjamin was unable to expel the Jebusites from that city and subsequently coexisted with them, something expressly forbidden by the Lord. By the end of Judges (chs. 19–20) Benjamin will become Canaanite, like Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). This contrast between Judah and Benjamin runs throughout the book and is yet another way in which the theme of kingship is developed. Judah’s success in Jerusalem and Benjamin’s failure in Gibeah provide a preliminary, prophetic assessment of Israel’s first two kings: Saul of Gibeah, (from the tribe of Benjamin) and David of Bethlehem (from the tribe of Judah), who will finally conquer and reign from Jerusalem.

1:22–23 Following the brief account of Benjamin is this longer account of the “house of Joseph.” This account runs all the way through verse 29, with a final mention in verse 35. As in the assessment of the churches in Revelation 2–3, the assessment of the tribes of Israel in Judges 1 ranges from good (Judah) to both good and bad (Joseph) and to wholly bad (Benjamin).

In Judges 1 the reference to a tribe as a “house” occurs only with respect to Joseph. The house of Joseph comprises the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim; the individual accounts of these tribes follow in verses 27–29. Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Joseph, born in Egypt to him and his Egyptian wife Asenath, “daughter of Potiphera priest of On” (Gen. 41:45; 46:20). Joseph was the favored son of Jacob and received the blessing of the firstborn, that is, a double portion of the father’s inheritance (Deut. 21:17). This double portion came to expression in Jacob’s adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons (Gen. 48:5–20), thus ensuring Joseph’s favored status as firstborn. This favored status is also expressed in the size of the inheritance allotments of these two tribes in the land.11 The doubling of the tribe of Joseph preserved the division of the land into twelve allotments—the tribe of Levi did not receive any land as an inheritance, for the Lord is their inheritance (Num. 18:20, 24; Deut. 10:9; 18:1; Josh. 13:14, 33; 18:7).

The account of the house of Joseph focuses on the capture of the city of Bethel. Although Bethel was located in the allotment of Benjamin, it was Joseph who captured the city. As the Lord was “with” Judah (Judg. 1:19), so the Lord is “with” Joseph in the conquest of Bethel. Only in regard to these two tribes in Judges 1 is it recorded that the divine presence secures their success. The reference to the previous name of Bethel—Luz—brings to mind the events of Genesis 28. There Jacob received the vision of a ladder reaching into heaven and the assurance of divine presence and protection. When he awoke from his vision he remarked, “‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God [bet ’elohim], and this is the gate of heaven’” (Gen. 28:16–17). Thus it was Jacob who gave the name Bethel to this city (Gen. 28:19). The city serves as an important location in the second conclusion to the book of Judges. It is there that Israel inquires of the Lord regarding Benjamin (Judg. 20:18), and it is there that they weep over Benjamin (20:26; 21:2).

1:24–26 The spies sent out by Joseph to Bethel (Luz) come upon a man from the city who shows them its entrance. This providence leads to the city’s defeat by the “edge [or “mouth”] of the sword.” Because of this man’s help Israel dealt “kindly” (Hb. hesed) with him by allowing him and his family to depart safely from the city. This alliance and act of kindness reminds us of Rahab and the defeat of Jericho (Joshua 2; 6). Rahab’s assistance to the spies in Jericho secured her safety along with that of her family. This man does not remain with Israel, however, but sets out and builds another city called Luz, in the land of the Hittites. Rahab, on the other hand, repented of her previous life, married an Israelite (Salmon), and became a member of the line of David (Josh. 6:25; Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25). It is not always what one is “saved from” that matters most. It is also what one is “saved to” that will have lasting consequences.

1:27 Three themes run through the remaining verses of this chapter. The first is Israel’s failure to “drive out” the inhabitants of the land. The second is the related fact that Israel will then live among the Canaanites. The third is that the Canaanites will become subject “to forced labor” (Judg. 1:28) by the Israelites. In this verse Manasseh (from the house of Joseph) fails to drive out the inhabitants of five cities and their villages. As a result “the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.” The Lord had warned Israel of the danger of this situation, that these remaining peoples would become a snare to them (Deut. 7:16; 12:29–31; Josh. 23:12–13; Judg. 2:3). Israel’s cohabitation with the Canaanites results not in the sanctification of the Canaanites but in the corruption of Israel. This is the storyline of Judges. The theme of the nation of Israel during the days of the judges is that they “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judg. 2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). This evil is always expressed in terms of idolatry. For example, in 2:11 it is recorded that “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.” In other words, the longer Israel lived among the pagan inhabitants of the land, the more they became like them, worshiping their gods and forsaking the one true God, who had redeemed them from Egypt and brought them into the land of their inheritance. Moses had predicted this very situation just prior to his death:

I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands. (Deut. 31:29)

1:28 The theme of “forced labor” appears in Judges 1:28, 30, 33, and 35. Here it is stated that “Israel” subjects the Canaanites to forced labor, but this statement occurs within the context of the conquest of Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribes of Zebulun, Naphtali, and Joseph will also be listed in this section as subjecting the remaining inhabitants of the land to forced labor. As such, these tribes are representative of all the tribes of Israel. In other words, what is true for these tribes is true for the remaining tribes of Israel as well. The conscription of the Canaanites into forced labor in this first introduction to Judges comes to ironic expression in later accounts of the book. Because of Israel’s idolatry, the Lord will give his people over to oppression by those they have oppressed.

1:29 Bringing to a conclusion the account of the house of Joseph, which comprises Manasseh and Ephraim, it is recorded that Ephraim fails to drive out the inhabitants of Gezer; subsequently those Canaanites live among them. Thus the assessment of the house of Joseph is mixed. United as the house of Joseph, it experiences success in the capture of Hebron. However, as individual tribes they fail to drive out the inhabitants of other cities. This failure will provide the social context for Israel’s progressive corruption throughout the book.

1:30–33 These few verses complete the selective account of Israel’s possession and occupation of the land that will provide the social and theological context for the upcoming judge narratives. The final tribes listed include Zebulun (v. 30), Asher (vv. 31–32), and Naphtali (v. 33). The same three themes of failure to drive out the Canaanites, cohabitation with the Canaanites, and forced labor of the Canaanites run throughout these short accounts. All three themes appear together with Zebulun in verse 30 and Naphtali in verse 33. For example, (1) “Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol,” (2) “so the Canaanites lived among them,” but (3) “became subject to forced labor.” Only themes 1 and 2 appear with the tribe of Asher in verses 31–32, but this is likely due to the selective nature of the accounts.

1:34–36 The final account in this first chapter of Judges records not Israel’s subjugation of the Canaanites but the Amorites oppression of the Israelites. The designation “Canaanite” is the more general designation for the various nations that reside in the land of Canaan at this time. These tribes are descended from Canaan son of Ham, son of Noah. The “sons of Ham” were “Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan” (Gen. 10:6). And “Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites” (Gen. 10:15–18). These are the people groups that fall under the curse delivered by Noah in Genesis 9:25–27 whereby the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent is preserved after the flood (cf. Gen. 3:15). The Amorites also appear in Genesis 15 when God explains to Abram that his offspring must wait four generations before occupying the land as their possession because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16). With Israel’s occupation of the land at hand, the sin of the Amorites is now complete—and the seed of the Serpent does not yield without a fight.

The Amorites “pressed” (or “oppressed”) the tribe of Dan in the hill country. The verb used here for “pressed” is the same as that used to describe Egypt’s enslavement and oppression of Israel (Ex. 3:9). It also appears several times later in Judges to describe the oppression of Israel by the surrounding nations (Judg. 2:18; 4:3; 6:9; 10:12). Although Israel’s oppression is frequently the result of her idolatry, this oppression ultimately provoked repentance and a return to the Lord for deliverance. In the context of Judges the cycle of oppression and deliverance is that which occasions the Lord’s raising up of judges. Eventually the Amorites succumb to forced labor under the combined house of Joseph.

2:1 In this final section of the first introduction to Judges (vv. 1–5) the angel of the Lord “goes up” and charges Israel with breaking the covenant (vv. 1–2). The Lord disciplines his people (v. 3), and the people respond with weeping and sacrifices (vv. 4–5). The theme of “going up” that began in 1:1 continues into this final section. This time, however, it is the angel of the Lord who goes up.

The angel of the Lord appears with some frequency in Judges. In addition to this first instance, he appears to Gideon in Judges 6 and to the parents of Samson in Judges 13. Prior to Judges the angel of the Lord appears to Hagar in Genesis 16, to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3, and to Balaam and his donkey in Numbers 22. The angel of the Lord also speaks from heaven to Abraham (Gen. 22:11, 15) and in the song of Deborah (Judg. 5:23). In Judges the angel of the Lord can be identified with Yahweh himself. In Judges 2:1–3 the lack of any messenger formula (“thus says the Lord”) and the use of the first person (“I brought you up,” “I swore,” “I will never break,” etc.) suggest this identification. The presence of the angel of the Lord in Judges represents God’s continued care and leadership of his people, even after the deaths of two of Israel’s greatest leaders, Moses and Joshua.

Israel’s failure to remove the inhabitants of the land is a violation of the covenant. As such, the angel of the Lord comes as the first judge in the book in order to engage in a covenant lawsuit. This lawsuit contains most of the standard features of covenant lawsuits in the OT: (1) identification of the judge, (2) testimony of the innocent party, (3) indictment, (4) punishment, (5) and call to repentance. No witnesses are specified, but the name of the location that frames this passage, “Bochim,” appears to serve in this capacity. In this verse the lawsuit begins with the opening lines of the Sinai covenant in Exodus 20:2, “I brought you up from Egypt,” and so identifies the judge as Yahweh himself. It continues with the account of the Lord’s faithfulness to his people and his pledge to keep the covenant forever.

2:2 In this verse the covenant lawsuit continues with two specific covenant stipulations (Judg. 2:2a) and two words of indictment (2:2b). The first stipulation is the prohibition against making covenants with the inhabitants of the land—recorded, for example, in Deuteronomy 7:2: “You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.” Here we are also reminded of Israel’s illicit covenant with the Gibeonites in Joshua 9. The second stipulation is the command to tear down the pagan altars in the land—once again a stipulation recorded in Deuteronomy 7: “But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire” (Deut. 7:5). In Deuteronomy 7 the Lord immediately explains the reasons for these commands: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6). The text continues with statements of the Lord’s love for Israel, his oath to the fathers, his faithfulness in keeping the covenant, and his desire to bless his people (Deut. 7:7–14). It is tragic, therefore, that Israel breaks this covenant, as the angel’s words of indictment make clear: “But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?” The question that follows the statement is designed to provoke Israel to reflection and repentance.

2:3 As a faithful covenant Lord, God must now bring upon his people the promised curses of disobedience. In this case, the curse comes from the nature of Israel’s sin: their refusal to drive out all of the inhabitants from the land (Ex. 34:12; Deut. 7:16; Josh. 23:12–16). The snare of the remaining Canaanites sets the context for the upcoming judge narratives. It also reinforces that Israel’s inability to expel the Canaanites is due not to a lack of military power but rather to a lack of faith to carry out the obligations of the covenant.

2:4–5 Israel responds to God’s covenant lawsuit with weeping and sacrifice, understood here as repentance and worship. To lift up one’s voice and weep is a common Hebrew idiom. For example, Hagar weeps in this way for Ishmael (Gen. 21:16), Esau weeps over the loss of his blessing (Gen. 27:38), and Jacob weeps for Rachel (Gen. 29:11). The whole congregation of Israel weeps in this way at the report of the ten unfaithful spies and the seemingly negative prospect of occupying the land (Num. 14:1). This weeping also frames the book of Judges. In the second conclusion to the book Israel will weep over the virtual destruction of the tribe of Benjamin caused by its Sodomlike sin. Israel’s weeping is memorialized in the naming of the city, Bochim, which “means weepers” (cf. ESV mg.). Its exact location is unknown, and it is mentioned only here in the Bible. The significance of the location, however, endures in the name. This section ends with an account of Israel’s making sacrifices. The nature of the sacrifices is not specified, but they are perhaps sin offerings in the context of covenant renewal and restoration.