Judges

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Judges 1 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Judges 1 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

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.

(1:2-6) "And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand."
God appoints Judah to succeed Joshua. The Lord delivers his foes into his hands and another 10,000 are slain. In the process, they capture Adonibezek and "cut off his thumbs and great toes."
What the Bible says about amputation

The Judah in this verse is not a person, but a tribe. The tribe did not succeed Joshua. But as Judah had received the largest portion, that tribe should take the lead in executing God's punishment on the inhabitants of Canaan.
On the cutting off of the thumbs, see verse 6.

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 thee into thy 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.

(1:4) "The LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men."
God's 39th Killing

This is not killing, but punishment for the sins, such as violence and cruelty, see verse 7.

5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

(1:6) "They ... cut off his thumbs and big toes."

So the tribe of Judah captured king Adonibezek and cut off his thumbs and great toes. Why would they do that? The rason is given in the next verse: this is what the king had done to others. Now he received the same treatment.

7 And Adoni-bezek 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.

(1:7) "Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table"
Adonibezek fed 70 kings (with their thumbs and big toes cut off) under his table.

And God was wrong to kill him?

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.

(1:8) "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."
The Israelites killed everyone in Jerusalem and set the city on fire.
God's 40th Killing

The Israelites executed God's jugment upon the Canaanites here.

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 Kirjath- arba:) 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 Kirjath-sepher:

12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

(1:12-13) "Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher ... will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel ... took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife."
Caleb offers to give his daughter to whoever conquers the city of Debir. Caleb's nephew wins the contest and is given his cousin for a prize.
God's 41st Killing

See Jos. 15:16.

13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?

15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou 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 lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

(1:17, 19) "They slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it ... And the Lord was with Judah." (You can tell by the number of innocent people he killed.)

God was with Judah, because Judah did what God had sent them to do: execute judgment upon the Canaanites.

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 drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

"The Lord ... could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."
Can God do anything?
Can God stop iron chariots?

The he in this verse is Judah, not God. God had also said they would drive out the inhabitants slowly in order that the land would not go to waste, Ex. 23:29-30, so this was simply an indication for Judah that they were overextending at the present time.

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 dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

(1:21, 27-30) "The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem ... neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites." God promised many times that he would drive out all the inhabitants of the lands they encountered. But these verses show that God failed to keep his promise since he was unable to driver out the Canaanites.
Ex.33:2
Dt.7:1, 7:24, 9:4-6, 31:3-7
Jos.1:1-5, 3:10, 17:17-18, 21:43-45

See Jos. 15:63.

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 descry 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, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.

25 And when he shewed 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.

(1:25) "And when he shewed 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."
The Israelite spies killed everyone in Bethel, except for the man (and his family) who showed them how to enter the city.

The Israelites were commanded by God to execute his judgement. Punishment is justice, not injustice.

26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.

27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean 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 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 Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath 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.