Judges 1:4 kjv
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.
Judges 1:4 nkjv
Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek.
Judges 1:4 niv
When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.
Judges 1:4 esv
Then Judah went up and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.
Judges 1:4 nlt
When the men of Judah attacked, the LORD gave them victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites, and they killed 10,000 enemy warriors at the town of Bezek.
Judges 1 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 20:4 | For the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you... | God fights for His people. |
| Josh 10:8 | Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand... | God promises victory and delivers enemies. |
| Josh 21:44 | And the LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. | God fulfills His promises to give enemies into hand. |
| Josh 23:10 | One man of you puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you... | Divine power behind Israel's strength. |
| Judg 1:1-2 | After the death of Joshua... Who shall go up first for us... Judah shall go up. | Judah’s divine appointment to lead the conquest. |
| Judg 20:18 | ...And the people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, "Who shall go up first...?" The LORD said, "Judah shall go up first." | Recurring pattern of Judah leading with God’s direction. |
| 1 Sam 17:47 | ...that all the assembly may know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's... | Victory is attributed to the LORD, not human might. |
| 2 Sam 5:19 | David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up against the Philistines...? And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand." | God delivers enemies "into your hand" after inquiry. |
| Ps 44:3 | For they did not acquire the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. | Divine intervention, not human strength, grants victory. |
| Ps 144:1 | Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war... | God empowers His people for battle. |
| Prov 21:31 | The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD. | Salvation and victory depend on the LORD. |
| Isa 31:3 | The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, both he who helps will stumble... | Reliance on human strength is futile; God's power prevails. |
| Gen 49:8-10 | Judah, your brothers shall praise you... The scepter shall not depart from Judah... | Prophecy of Judah’s preeminence and leadership. |
| Num 2:3 | Those who are to camp on the east side toward the sunrise are those of the standard of the camp of Judah... | Judah’s position of honor and leadership in encampments. |
| Num 33:53 | ...You shall take possession of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. | God's command to possess the land given to Israel. |
| Deut 7:1-2 | When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess... and has delivered them over to you, you shall conquer them... | God commands and enables the defeat of specific nations. |
| Josh 11:23 | So Joshua took the whole land... and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war. | Summary of Joshua's initial complete conquest. |
| Josh 8:25 | So all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. | Large numbers of enemies slain indicate total victory. |
| Judg 20:35 | And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,000 men of Benjamin that day. | God gives decisive victory with significant numbers. |
| 2 Chr 13:16 | And the men of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand. | God delivering even fellow Israelites into Judah's hand. |
| Neh 9:24 | So the sons of Israel went in and took possession of the land; and You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand... | Confirmation of God subduing and delivering enemies. |
Judges 1 verses
Judges 1 4 Meaning
Judah, as appointed by the LORD, launched a military campaign. The LORD sovereignly granted them victory, delivering the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the inhabitants of the land, into Judah's complete control. Consequently, Judah achieved a significant and decisive victory, slaying ten thousand enemy men at Bezek.
Judges 1 4 Context
Judges chapter 1 opens the historical narrative after Joshua's death, detailing the challenges faced by the Israelite tribes in completing the conquest of Canaan. Unlike Joshua's unified campaigns, this period sees more tribal autonomy. Verses 1-3 set the stage: Israel inquired of the LORD, who commanded Judah to "go up" first, signifying their designated leadership in this next phase of the conquest. Judah then enlisted Simeon's help. Judges 1:4 recounts the immediate and successful execution of this divine command, highlighting the initial obedience and the resultant divine blessing. This verse introduces the ongoing tension throughout Judges: God's readiness to deliver, juxtaposed with Israel's incomplete obedience.
Judges 1 4 Word analysis
- And Judah: Hebrew: Wīhûḏâ. "Judah" (יְהוּדָה - Yehudah) is the fourth son of Jacob. As a tribe, Judah was preeminent and often led in military endeavors and tribal census, fulfilling the prophecy of Jacob in Gen 49. Their action here aligns with their leadership role.
- went up: Hebrew: wayya‘al. From the verb עָלָה ('alah), meaning "to go up, ascend." This term often describes movements to battle, particularly against fortified towns or strategic high ground. It implies taking the initiative in military action as commanded.
- and the LORD: Hebrew: wīhwāh. YHWH (יְהוָה), the unique covenant name of God. The explicit mention of YHWH directly attributes the ensuing victory to His power and faithfulness, not merely to Judah's strength or strategy. This underscores His active role as the Warrior of Israel.
- delivered: Hebrew: nāṯan. From the root נָתַן (natan), "to give, put, place, deliver." This signifies an act of divine sovereignty where God actively bestows power and success upon His people. The enemies were supernaturally handed over to Judah.
- the Canaanites: Hebrew: hak-Kəna‘anî. A broad term for the diverse peoples inhabiting the land of Canaan before Israel's full conquest. They represented a pagan culture that worshipped idols and practiced vile customs.
- and the Perizzites: Hebrew: wəhap-Pərissî. One of the named groups inhabiting Canaan. Their exact origin or specific distinction from other Canaanite groups is debated, possibly referring to scattered villagers or those living in unwalled settlements. Their inclusion indicates a comprehensive defeat of both urban and rural adversaries.
- into their hand: Hebrew: bəyāḏām. An idiom meaning "into their power," "under their control," or "at their disposal." It signifies complete victory and the successful subjugation of the enemy, achieved through divine enablement.
- and they slew of them: Hebrew: wayyak-kū bāhem. From the root נָכָה (nakah), "to strike, smite, slay." This describes the direct and violent execution of the divine judgment against the inhabitants of the land.
- in Bezek: Hebrew: bibəzeq. A geographical location, its exact site is debated but generally placed somewhere near Jerusalem or south of it, strategically significant for military engagement. The mention of this specific place grounds the event in concrete historical reality.
- ten thousand men: Hebrew: ‘ăśereṯ ’ălāpîm ’îš. A significant and large number, indicative of a decisive and overwhelming military victory. Such figures emphasize the totality of the defeat and the immense scale of God's delivered power through His people.
- And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered: This phrase succinctly reveals the cooperative dynamic between divine action and human obedience. Judah's active engagement ('went up') is immediately met and enabled by the LORD's decisive intervention ('delivered'), showing that human effort aligned with God's will ensures success.
- the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: This grouping highlights the extent of God's judgment and Judah's scope of conquest, covering various local inhabitants of the Promised Land. The phrase "into their hand" emphasizes the transfer of authority and control, wholly attributed to God's 'delivery.'
- and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men: This phrase vividly communicates the devastating consequence of God's judgment against the adversaries. The mention of Bezek as the battlefield and the specific large number "ten thousand men" attest to a massive and decisive military victory, underscoring the severity of the defeat God wrought.
Judges 1 4 Bonus section
The immediate and significant success of Judah serves as a sharp contrast to the incomplete conquests and subsequent apostasy seen later in the book of Judges. This verse represents a theological ideal: Israel acts in accordance with God's command, and God responds with powerful deliverance. The battle at Bezek signifies a successful, if regional, application of the divinely mandated holy war (herem), a necessary step for Israel to possess the land as God intended. It also introduces Bezek as a site of divine judgment, setting the stage for the narrative concerning Adoni-Bezek in the very next verse.
Judges 1 4 Commentary
Judges 1:4 illustrates a crucial theological principle that governs the narrative of Israel's conquest: genuine victory is rooted in divine initiative and active obedience. Judah, having first consulted the LORD (Judg 1:1-2), demonstrates proper faith and action by "going up" into battle. The immediate and overwhelming success, symbolized by the "ten thousand men" slain at Bezek, is not presented as Judah's independent might, but explicitly as the LORD's act of "deliver[ing]" the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands. This highlights God's continuing faithfulness to His covenant promises of land and victory, even after Joshua's era. This initial triumph sets a high standard for obedience and trust in the LORD that, regrettably, many later tribes and generations would fail to maintain, leading to cycles of oppression. It teaches that when God's people move according to His will, He provides the victory.