Judges 1 33

Judges 1:33 kjv

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.

Judges 1:33 nkjv

Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.

Judges 1:33 niv

Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them.

Judges 1:33 esv

Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them.

Judges 1:33 nlt

Likewise, the tribe of Naphtali failed to drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. Instead, they moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land. Nevertheless, the people of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were forced to work as slaves for the people of Naphtali.

Judges 1 verses

Judges 1 33 Meaning

Judges 1:33 details the failure of the tribe of Naphtali to completely dispossess the original inhabitants from their allotted territory. Instead of driving out the Canaanites from key strategic and religiously significant cities like Bethshemesh and Bethanath, Naphtali merely subjected them to forced labor or tribute. This act represents partial obedience rather than complete adherence to God's command to utterly remove the pagan influences from the land, ultimately leading to ongoing spiritual compromise and later difficulties for Israel.

Judges 1 33 Context

Judges chapter 1 serves as an introductory overview of Israel's initial attempts, following Joshua's death, to conquer and settle the land promised by God. Unlike the unified, large-scale conquests described in Joshua, this chapter highlights individual tribal efforts, often marked by partial success and significant failures. The consistent theme across multiple tribes, including Naphtali, is their inability or unwillingness to fully drive out the indigenous Canaanite inhabitants as commanded by God (Deut 7:2, 20:16-18). Instead, many tribes subjected the Canaanites to forced labor, a compromise that fell short of God's mandate for total dispossesssion. This compromise laid the foundation for the cyclical pattern of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance that characterizes the book of Judges, demonstrating that partial obedience to God's will is ultimately disobedience, leading to negative spiritual and social consequences for the covenant people.

Judges 1 33 Word analysis

• Neither did Naphtali drive out: The introductory negation immediately sets a tone of failure. "Naphtali" (נַפְתָּלִי - Naphtali) is one of Jacob's sons and a tribe of Israel, allotted territory in the northern region, including the Upper Galilee. The phrase emphasizes the active failure of the tribe to fulfill God's command. This phrase indicates a pattern established by other tribes earlier in the chapter (Judg 1:21, 27, 29, 30, 31).
• drive out (יָרַשׁ - yārash): This Hebrew verb means "to inherit, to take possession of, to dispossess." In the context of the conquest, it often implies the violent removal or expulsion of prior inhabitants to gain full possession of the land. Its repeated use highlights the unfulfilled divine mandate for total removal of the pagan presence.
• the inhabitants (יוֹשֵׁב - yōšēb): This noun simply means "dwellers" or "residents." Its repeated appearance underlines that despite the Israelite presence, the original occupants remained in their land, challenging the concept of complete dispossession.
• Bethshemesh (בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ - Bêṯ Šemeš): Meaning "House of the Sun." This was a Levitical city (Josh 21:16) known for its potential association with the worship of the Canaanite sun god, Shemesh. Its retention signifies the ongoing exposure to pagan cultic practices within Israelite territory. Located in the north, distinct from the Bethshemesh of Judah (1 Sam 6:9).
• Bethanath (בֵּית עֲנָת - Bêṯ ‘Ănāṯ): Meaning "House of Anat." This name explicitly links the city to the prominent Canaanite goddess Anat, a fierce war deity and consort of Baal. Anat worship involved highly immoral and violent rituals. The failure to drive out the inhabitants of Bethanath meant tolerating the continued presence of idolatry and its accompanying corrupting influences deep within Naphtali's inheritance.
• but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: The conjunction "but" highlights a significant deviation from God's command. "Dwelt among" (יָשַׁב - yāshab, to settle, remain) signifies a co-existence and assimilation, contrary to the divine mandate of separation (Exod 34:15-16; Deut 7:2). This active choice implies a level of comfort or perhaps pragmatism that overshadowed obedience. The specification "the inhabitants of the land" emphasizes that these were the very peoples God commanded to be removed.
• nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them: "Nevertheless" introduces a seemingly positive outcome from a human perspective – securing economic control or labor. "Tributaries" (מַס - mas): This term refers to forced labor, corvée, or a levy. While it demonstrates some level of Israelite dominance, it fell short of total eradication. This pragmatic compromise secured short-term economic benefit but resulted in long-term spiritual compromise. It reveals a priority placed on material gain and ease over complete faithfulness to God's covenant instructions.

Judges 1 33 Bonus section

The mention of Bethshemesh and Bethanath is particularly telling. Bethshemesh, "House of the Sun," implies a place dedicated to sun worship, a widespread ancient pagan practice. Bethanath, "House of Anat," directly links to the worship of Anat, a fierce and sexually charged Canaanite goddess whose cult often involved rituals contrary to YHWH's laws. By not fully driving out the inhabitants of these specific cities, Naphtali not only disobeyed God's general command but knowingly retained significant pockets of pagan religious strongholds within their allotted land. This perpetuated a source of temptation and idolatry that would plague Israel throughout its history. The tribes often showed human strength (making them tributaries) but lacked the spiritual strength to completely fulfill God's will. The long-term consequence of such partial obedience across the tribes was a diluted faith, intermingling with the surrounding cultures, and recurrent cycles of apostasy, which set the stage for the dramatic narratives and severe judgments recorded in the rest of the book of Judges.

Judges 1 33 Commentary

Judges 1:33 succinctly captures a recurring pattern of failure among the tribes of Israel post-Joshua: an unwillingness to complete the divine command of fully dispossessing the Canaanite inhabitants. For the tribe of Naphtali, this manifested in their retention of Bethshemesh and Bethanath, cities laden with pagan religious significance, indicating an acceptance of the very idolatrous influences God sought to remove from His people. Their choice to subjugate these inhabitants to tribute instead of expulsion represented a pragmatic, self-serving compromise, prioritizing economic advantage over spiritual purity and full obedience. This act of partial obedience was ultimately viewed as disobedience in God's eyes, planting the seeds for the moral decay, idolatry, and subsequent cycles of oppression that would characterize the period of the Judges. The verse powerfully illustrates that compromise with the world, even for perceived benefits, leads to spiritual bondage and undermines God's covenant purposes for His people.