Introduction
Authors
Reviser’s Introduction
Abbreviations
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS
World of the Old Testament
Joshua
The Conquest of Canaan
Commentary
Judges
Judges of Israel
Commentary
Ruth
Commentary
1 Samuel
Tribal Territories
Commentary
2 Samuel
David’s Conquests
Commentary
1 Kings
Rulers of Israel And Judah
Commentary
2 Kings
Commentary
1 Chronicles
Commentary
2 Chronicles
The Divided Kingdom
Commentary
Ezra
Commentary
Nehemiah
Exile and Return
Jerusalem in the Old Testament
Commentary
Esther
Commentary
Palestine in the Early Old Testament
Thank You, Scripture Union
Copyright
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Four of the major historical books, namely Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings form the Former Prophets in the second main section of the Hebrew Bible. We would include Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, and possibly Ruth and Esther amongst the historical books, although these are all placed in the third section of the Hebrew canon, the Writings.
But even this enlarged list does not include all the books which have a historical basis, for at least three of the books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus and Numbers) could come in this category. Indeed, it would be fair to say that the whole biblical revelation is a revelation in history; it is certainly not the creation of theologians. There is a revelation of God and his activity in the affairs of humanity and nations which can appropriately be called “progressive revelation” (cf Hebrews 1:1f.). However, the emphasis must be placed on the second word, the movement is from God to humanity, not vice versa. The implication of this is that there is a divine purpose in and behind the events of Israel’s history—biblical history is teleological in character (ie motivated and directed towards a particular end).
Some explanation must be ventured as to why the Hebrews included apparently historical books amongst the Prophets. Possibly it was because these books were believed to have been written in prophetic circles, or because prophets such as Gad and Nathan, Elijah and Elisha, figure prominently in them. But a deeper explanation lies in the conviction that in the historical books, the fundamental principles concerning God and his requirements are declared as clearly as in the prophetic oracles. The prophets could and did declare “Thus says the Lord,” but the mind of God was equally apparent in his judgments or blessings in the facts of history. For this reason E.J. Young has rightly spoken of “interpretative history.” The writers were not concerned to document every fact of history; they were selective, and could pass over a king of undoubted secular importance, like Omri, in comparative silence (1 Kings 16:26-28), whilst giving attention to the humble women who ministered to Elijah and Elisha and to the testimony of a slave-girl (2 Kings 5:2f.). Modern historians might regard this as unbalanced, but the Hebrew historians were perfectly entitled to their point of view. Their purpose was primarily religious; to teach and to illustrate the lesson that the way of loyal obedience to God brings blessing, whilst the opposite pathway leads to disaster. G.W. Anderson aptly comments, “the historian … is three parts preacher.”
Possibly this helps to explain the anonymity of most of the writers. They were not in the least concerned to draw attention to themselves; their concern was for the honor of God. Modern authors could take this leaf out of their books! We know of Ezra and Nehemiah, and Samuel, Gad and Nathan are mentioned by name (1 Samuel 10:25; 1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29), but that is all.
Their sources are more clearly defined; they include:
To this list we must probably add references to the prophetic narratives and the temple archives.
Further details may be found in the Introduction to the individual books. But as a general comment on the historicity of the whole, note the words of G.T. Manley: “The treatment of the Old Testament history by Christ should be carefully studied. He never cast doubt upon its main outlines or its minutest details. He mentions the incident of David and the shewbread (Mark 2:26), the glory of Solomon (Matthew 6:29), the visit of the Queen of Sheba (Matthew 12:42), Elijah’s mission to the widow of Zarephath (Luke 4:26) and the healing of Naaman (Luke 4:27). He believed in its historical truthfulness, and we may unhesitatingly do the same.” Our ever-increasing knowledge, through archaeological research, of the contemporary world of the ancient Near East, leads us to the same conclusion.
Joshua, like the other books treated in this volume, and numerous others in the Old Testament, is anonymous. It is wiser and more reverent to accept this fact than to try to find an author. It is also unnecessary to ask when it took its present form, for the matter in it is very old, often contemporary with the events described.
It is not a history of the conquest, but falls into three clearly distinct sections:
Chapters 1–12: The mighty acts of God during the conquest
Chapters 13–22: The fulfillment of God’s promise
Chapters 23–24 A warning for the future
Joshua takes charge of the Israelites.
Joshua’s appointment as Moses’ successor is recorded in Numbers 27:18-23 (Deuteronomy 34:9); the reasons behind it will be found in Exodus 17:8-13; 24:13; 32:17; 33:11; Numbers 14:6-10.
Although Joshua knew that the conquest of Canaan could not begin until Moses was taken, his death was a heavy blow. There is a double call to courage: physical, as the military leader (1:6); and moral, in the keeping of the Law (1:7). God’s giving waits on our readiness to accept (1:3); he never gives us blessings merely to be stored away in a spiritual bank waiting till we think we need them.
A careful study of the times involved in chapter 2 will show that the chapter must be fitted in after 1:10—this is not unusual in Hebrew historical writing. The “three days” (1:11) are counted from the spies’ return. Note the balance between God’s guidance and human wisdom. Joshua was to enjoy special guidance (5:13-15, etc), but he had also to acquaint himself with as much Scripture as then existed (1:7-8). The same principle holds good for us, except that as there is more Scripture for general guidance, we are likely to get less special guidance.
Palestine is not a country where military operations were possible all the year round. We are not to think of the two-and-a-half tribes as separated completely from their families for six years or more; see 14:7,10 (just under 39 years elapsed between Kadesh-barnea and the crossing of the Jordan). There will have been “home leave” for some outside the campaigning season, while a flow of young men will have replaced the ageing, killed and wounded. The answer of the two-and-a-half tribes illustrates the principle that the true leader must always be out ahead of those he leads. From these tribes themselves we learn that God has no favorites. If we ask for special favors, we shall find that we are expected to pay a special price for them (see Numbers chapter 32). They were also to learn too late that their unwise material asking brought spiritual loss.
“Moses the servant of the Lord” (1:1): “servant” means “slave.” This is the same title of honor as borne by the prophets (Amos 3:7), Paul (Romans 1:1, etc), and Jesus Christ (Isaiah 52:13, etc).
Joshua sends two spies into Canaan to report on the land.
It was as right and proper for Joshua to send his spies as it had been for Moses earlier (Numbers 13:1-2; Deuteronomy 1:22-23). Normally God does not want us to be ignorant of what we have to face. The young men were betrayed, not by clothes or language, but by a certain freedom of bearing peculiar to the desert-dweller. Rahab was certainly a religious prostitute attached to the sanctuary, and as such a person of standing. The suggestion that she was an innkeeper comes from a deliberate false etymology given by the rabbis to the word translated “prostitute” to save her honor. In going to her house, the spies hoped to escape notice and to enjoy a measure of religious sanctuary. The king had to ask Rahab to hand them over (2:3).
Fear is a two-edged weapon, which we should use with care. It caused Rahab, who had obviously recognized who the men must be, to try and win the favor of their God by befriending them. It drove the others in Jericho to an even more stubborn resistance.
In 2:15-21 we have a kind of story-telling common in the Old Testament (the whole chapter is an example of it). Clearly Rahab did not carry on a long conversation (2:16,21) in a loud whisper after the spies were already on the ground at the foot of the walls. We are first told of what she did—the important thing—and only then of the guarantee given her.
The “scarlet cord” (2:18) was not the rope used to let them down; that would have been far too conspicuous. It will have been only just visible to the keen-eyed Israelites below, while awakening no suspicion among the townsmen. The spies could give no unconditional guarantee to Rahab and her family. No sign attached to their clothes would have been sufficient to protect them in the excitement and hurly-burly of the capture of Jericho. They had to be protected by the easily identifiable house as Noah and his family were by the ark.
When Professor Garstang excavated the ruins of an earlier Jericho, thinking they were Joshua’s city, he found that part of the wall remained standing when most collapsed. The same probably happened to the section with Rahab’s house (see also 6:20,22). Its high position prevented its roof from being overlooked (3:6).
After the Israelites have crossed, Joshua sets up memorial stones in the river.
The story carries straight on from 1:10-11. Old Jerusalem is just about 2,500 feet above sea level; Jericho and Shittim about 850 feet below. From Jericho the floor of the Jordan Valley slopes gradually downward for about six miles and then drops steeply about 150 feet to the trench (here 1,200 feet below sea level) about a mile wide through which the Jordan flows (the Dead Sea is 1,285 feet below). The trench is filled with jungle growth through which the river twists like an inebriated snake. It was not the river so much as the jungle that was difficult to cross, the fords of the Jordan (2:7) being as much ways through the jungle as across the river. In spring the flooding of the Jordan (3:15) fills the trench, so they had a raging torrent, in places nearly a mile wide, between them and Jericho. Two agile young men might cross, but not the women, children and cattle.
By the collapse of the banks the river was blocked at Adam (3:16), sixteen miles to the north. This happened to our knowledge in AD 1267, 1906 and 1927, with people crossing without getting their feet wet. The miraculous was not in the means but in God’s complete control of nature, so that it happened, not by chance but at the exact moment God willed it.
The gap between the ark and the people (3:4) was designed to impress on the people that this was entirely God’s doing. It needs no explaining why the circle of stones was set up in Gilgal (4:20), but what of the circle in the river itself? If faith failed and skepticism laughed at the miracle, God could always dam the river again and let people see the hidden stones. There needs to be a sure memorial to God’s salvation, hidden from people, in our hearts, to which we can look when people deny the reality of God’s power.
The Levitical priests (3:3). The death of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2) cut down the number of legitimate priests available. When local sanctuaries multiplied after the conquest, there were not enough priests, and some accepted the task without God’s call or sanction. The story is at pains to stress that only legitimate priests had the right to carry the ark.
Canaan is not a picture of heaven, but of the stage in the Christian life when we have learnt that it is not our effort but Christ’s power that matters.
Israel’s last night in Egypt was the fifteenth of the first month. Now, forty years later, all but a couple of days, the purpose of the exodus was accomplished (4:19). Canaan as a type is explained in Hebrews 4:9-10; it is not a picture of heaven, but of that stage in the Christian life where we have learnt that it is not our effort but Christ’s power that matters.
The dismay of the kings of Canaan (5:1) must apply even more strongly to Jericho. As the people moved down from Shittim (3:1), they must have been seen from the walls of Jericho. Doubtless before the miracle happened the west bank was lined by soldiers from Jericho. They must have fled in terror as they saw the water disappearing. That would be why they made no attempt to molest Israel in the next few days.
The command to make flint knives (5:2) was probably intended to stress the entirely new beginning. Nothing they had brought across the Jordan should be used for the purpose. The command for a second circumcision, which, taken literally, would be impossible, presumably means that the rite would now have a deeper meaning than when it had been commanded to Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14). Then it was a pledge of a promise; now of a fulfillment. Life in the wilderness must have been very difficult and strenuous, so the neglect of circumcision can be understood. The “rolling away of the reproach of Egypt” lay in their new position as free people with a home. As long as they were in the wilderness they had not achieved the purpose of the exodus.
Passover coincided with the barley harvest (5:11; compare Leviticus 23:9-14 with Leviticus 23:15, which shows that the sheaf was brought in Passover week). The manna ceased when it was no longer needed. Special provision by God can be a sign of immaturity rather than of special spirituality.
Joshua’s vision (5:13-15) is to be compared to Moses’ (Exodus 3:2-5). It was his divine commissioning for his task. The purpose of the vision was not to give Joshua any special instructions—these he received, presumably through the high priest, whenever it was necessary—but to create a reverent attitude of heart and mind. We can easily become more interested in special guidance than in a right relationship with the Guide.
Thought Obey Romans 12:1-2, and you will have guidance when you need it.
The capture of Jericho was a solemn religious ceremony.
We find one reason for God’s long delay in giving Canaan to the Israelites in Genesis 15:16: “The iniquity of the Amorites” was the misuse of sex in the name of religion, which acted as a moral poison inside and outside Palestine. Before God punished them, he gave them ample time for repentance. Now he was bringing in Israel as his executioner. That the behavior of 6:21 was not normal for Israel is shown by Deuteronomy in 20:10-18. In addition, the case of Rahab (6:23) shows that any Canaanite could have saved his life by sincerely accepting God’s will and repudiating his past.
The conquest mostly followed normal methods, but it had to start with a ceremony that would reveal its true nature. The presence of the ark, not normally taken into battle, the silent ranks of armed men, until the shout of victory was raised (6:16,20), and the solemn blowing of the rams’ horns, all stressed that this was a solemn religious ceremony. Then the destroying of all that could be destroyed, and the handing over of the remainder to God (6:19,24) went beyond the normal to show that they were not common plunderers but emissaries of God’s judgment.
The marching ceremony was not very long, once the few miles from Gilgal had been covered. They could easily march round Jericho, while keeping out of bowshot from the walls, in twenty minutes. How gruesome to the inhabitants of Jericho the final two hours and more of silent marching with the wailing of the rams’ horns must have been! The fall of the walls, like the crossing of the Jordan, was probably due to God’s supernatural use of the natural. The exodus had been marked by considerable earthquake activity (Exodus 19:18; Judges 5:4; Habakkuk 3:6; Psalm 114:4), which may have so weakened the walls that they were more ready to collapse when the time came.
It was God’s purpose that Jericho, probably the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Palestine (as shown by Kathleen Kenyon’s excavations) should remain a ruin for ever as a token of his judgment on the past; this did not include the neighboring groves of palm trees (see Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 1:16; 3:13). For the fate of the man who defied the curse see 1 Kings 16:34.
If God’s punishments are to be understood by those he punishes and their contemporaries, he must act according to standards they understand.
For the man of Joshua’s time, when a thing was devoted, or put in the ban (cherem; 6:18-19; 7:1), it had a curse on it which demanded its destruction. Anyone taking devoted articles into his house or tent automatically brought the curse on it and all in it. Achan’s family was not killed as an extra punishment on Achan but because they had come under the curse, as had the cattle and the tent (7:24). If we think such a punishment unfair, we must not forget that Achan knew the penalty of his action; if God had acted otherwise, he and others would have thought that God had condoned the act of rebellion.
Joshua’s self-confidence (7:4) was not the cause of the defeat, but if he had asked God first, he would have discovered the sin without the defeat. The despair of Joshua and the people was due not to the size of the defeat but to its unexpectedness. The clearly implied rebuke in 7:10 is due to Joshua’s assumption that God was at fault. He should have realized that the fault must be Israel’s, even though he could not pation with God’s great name was, of course, mainly a preoccupation with his own safety.
Spare a thought for Achan’s agony as he witnessed the choice of the lot drawing inexorably nearer to him (7:16-18). Joshua says, “Tell the truth” (7:19a); by acknowledging that the result of the lot was correct, Achan would give glory and praise to God.
The Valley of Achor is one of the deep, dark ravines that cut into the mountain backbone of Palestine from the Jordan Valley; it can be no longer identified, but it was still known in the days of Hosea (2:15). “Achor” means “trouble,” and so 1 Chronicles 2:7 changes Achan’s name to Achar, the Troubler. It is the troubling of Jesus Christ on the cross that really creates a door of hope for humanity. There are grounds for thinking that it was Achan’s sin that started the division between Judah and the other tribes. The desolate mound of Jericho was the abiding memorial of Canaanite sin; the cairn in the Valley of Achor that of Achan’s.
This chapter gives the story of the fourth lasting memorial set up by the Israelites in Canaan.
The four memorials are: the stone circle at Gilgal testified to God’s faithfulness, the mound of Jericho to Canaan’s sin, the cairn in the Valley of Achor to Judah’s sin, and the ruins of Ai to the sin of the people’s self-confidence.
Even though they had the right to expect God’s blessing, they used a simple stratagem to gain a complete victory. The knowledge that God is on your side is no reason why you should not use the sense God has given you. God does most of his wonders through his gifts to people, once they are surrendered to him.
The chapter introduces us to problems we cannot answer. The ruins of Ai that have been dug up were destroyed before 2000 BC, ie in or before the time of Abraham. It may be that tradition has attached the name Ai to the wrong site, or that it had been so recently reoccupied that what was left of Joshua’s destruction was washed away by heavy rains. More important is the problem of Shechem. Nothing is said of the capture of the area between Ai and Shechem, because the population was very thin, without walled cities. It was only shortly before the conquest that the means had been discovered for making the cisterns hewn in the limestone rock watertight. Until these had become general, in parts where there were no perennial springs there could be no great density of population. In contrast, Shechem was an ancient town and we are told nothing of its capture. Yet the complete people (8:33,35) held a service just outside its gates (see also 24:1). It is probable that when the city came into Jacob’s hands (Genesis chapter 34), he gave it to a related group of Habiru (Hebrews), who may already have had some faith in Yahweh. When Israel entered Canaan, they will have linked up with them. This would explain the language of Judges chapter 9, where the citizens of Shechem are Israelites, but feel themselves superior to Israel.
The law written on the plaster of the altar (see Deuteronomy 27:2) was probably the law of Deuteronomy chapters 12–26; it was certainly not the whole Law.
The lesson of this chapter is its warning that there are actions we can commit as Christians which we cannot retract.
Rahab (chapter 2) both feared Yahweh and trusted him, so she was able to save her life and that of her family as free people. The leaders of Gibeon’s four-city confederation feared Yahweh, but did not trust him, so they saved their lives but became slaves (9:27).
Israel was on its guard. Its leaders were not going to come to terms with any local people (9:7), but they knew that they were allowed to with those at a distance, outside the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 20:10-15). The deceit used was fairly transparent, but a judicious touch of flattery guaranteed that the obvious questions would not be put. There is always something heartwarming for most of us when we hear that God’s dealings with us are being spoken of by people at a distance. If we remember how unimportant the most important of us are, we are likely to be suspicious of those who sing our praises without having known us.
The most important lesson of this chapter is its warning that there are actions we can commit as Christians which we cannot retract. The Gibeonite confederation lay strategically at a most important point, especially while Jerusalem lay in Jebusite hands. It is not surprising that Saul in his “zeal for Israel” tried to eliminate this foreign population (2 Samuel 21:2). He succeeded in forcing the population of Beeroth to emigrate (2 Samuel 4:2-3). The price he had to pay was first the assassination of his son Ishbosheth (2 Samuel 4:7), and then the judicial execution of seven sons and grandsons (2 Samuel 21:8-9). The severity of the punishment, quite apart from the seven years of drought on Israel, which he officially represented before God, indicates the enormity of his sin. The final picture we have of Gibeon is that it had become the great high place of Israel (1 Kings 3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:3,5)
The most obvious example of a responsibility we take on ourselves without having the right to terminate it is marriage. There are many aching and poor Christian hearts because natural desire was accepted as an indication of God’s will. But we must look further. Our promises do not need the strengthening of an oath to be binding (Matthew 5:37). No Christian has the right to break a promise because it suits them (Psalm 15:4). If we feel that we have made a major mistake, we must pray for grace to glorify God in the mistake.
The conquests of southern Canaan.
Gibeon’s action gave Israel a firm grip on the center of the hills; this thoroughly alarmed the main towns in the area. Immediately Israel had to learn that a partner not chosen by God was an unreliable ally. But just because Israel remained true to his promise, where it seemed a gain not to, God gave him special help.
The “great stones from heaven” (10:11) are hailstones. We then have a quotation from a book of poetry: The Book of Jashar (see also 2 Samuel 1:18) is one of Israel’s lost books; it would seem to have been a collection of old national poems. Being poetry, it is hard to interpret, and various explanations are offered of the exact miracle described in 10:12-13, but that a miracle happened is clear. E.W. Maunder, a former Astronomer Royal, points out that from Gibeon via Beth-horon to Azekah and Makkedah (10:10) is twenty-seven miles, far more than could have been covered by fighting men in the time; in addition they had time to capture the city (10:28). The most reasonable explanation of 10:15 is that it ends the account of the victory with that of the victorious return, though the mopping-up operation must have happened before it (10:16-28).
These verses create difficulties just because of the completeness of the mopping up. It is hard to reconcile the account of complete annihilation with 14:6-15; 15:13-19; Judges 1:8-15. The difficulty lies not in an apparent reconquest, but in the need of one after such a complete massacre of the population; even had some survived, they could not have increased enough in the interval. The most likely explanation is that we have here the account of a “combined operation.” As Judah marched south (see on Judges chapter 1), Joshua swept round the coastal plain, and the country was caught in a pincers’ operation. Because Joshua was the overall general who had done the planning, the whole campaign is described as his work. The cave at Makkedah can be regarded as the fifth of Israel’s monuments, this time of his greatest victory.
As Christians, we are always in most danger when we feel tired and think it does not matter whether or not we complete our task.
When the occupying Israelites moved north of Shechem, they were faced by a line of fortresses cutting them off from the great plain of Esdraelon, Jezreel, or Megiddo (17:11-13; Judges 1:27), but light-armed troops, like those of the Israelites, could slip between them very easily, especially at night. It was probably their infiltration into the plain that alarmed Jabin, king of Hazor (11:1). On older maps the name “Waters of Merom” (11:5) is generally put against the small lake north of the Sea of Galilee. Modern maps call this Lake Huleh and link the waters of Merom with Merom in the heart of Galilee. Israel’s sudden attack was all the more effective because the chariots could not be used in the hill country. They had been brought for a battle in the plain.
If we put 11:12-13 together, we find that Israel destroyed the weaker towns that could be rushed, but left the stronger ones, except Hazor, uncaptured. This was particularly serious and inexcusable in the case of the cities mentioned in 12:21-23, whose kings had been killed. The probable reason is that the people were getting tired of fighting (see 11:18). Since only the highlights of the conquest are given us, we tend to think it was much shorter than it was in fact. Christians are always in most danger when they feel tired and think it does not matter whether or not they complete their task. It was just these cities that created one of the most serious dangers in the period of the Judges (Judges chapters 4–5).
“The Negeb” (11:16; 10:4 today, Negev) means all the land south of Hebron and Lachish down to the limits of cultivation. Owing to the uncertain rainfall, agriculture is hazardous and much of the area is left to semi-nomads. The Anakim (11:21), or sons of Anak, were the remains of a particularly tall tribe among the earlier settlers in Canaan. They made the spies think of the pre-Flood giants (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 9:2). They were probably not very formidable, for they had already so dwindled as not to be mentioned among the peoples of Canaan (Genesis 15:19-21), unless, indeed, they are the same as the Rephaim. It is always the same; we tend to judge by looks.
This list repeatedly reminds us of how much had been left undone, in spite of God’s mighty acts.
It can be very useful to study this chapter with a Bible map beside you, or better still, draw an outline map of Palestine, marking the places mentioned, making a difference between places captured and those where the town was left, even though the king was killed.
In 12:1-6 we have a summary of Numbers 21:21-35; 32:1-42. “The Arabah” (12:1,3,8) is here the Jordan Valley from the Sea of Galilee southward; the term is sometimes confined to the more desert portions round the Dead Sea and south of it. “The Sea of Chinneroth” (12:3), ie the Sea of Galilee; the name is probably derived from kinnor, a harp, there being a similarity in the shape.
“Mount Halak” (12:7), the Bald Mountain, site unknown; it is just possible that “Baal-gad” may be Baalbek. The lowland (12:8), ie the Shephelah, or low hills between the central hills and the coastal plain. For the Israelites living in the hills they were low, the more so as they had given up hope of conquering the plains. The “slopes” (12:8) is a term that cannot be identified with certainty. It probably refers to the steep slope down to the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. “Goiim in Galilee” (12:23): the ESV is almost certainly correct in following the Greek with Galilee, rather than the Hebrew with Gilgal. “Goiim” means nations, but it is likely that Harosheth-hagoyim (Judges 4:2) is intended.
It would be unfair to suggest that the church is unwilling to thank God for all his many mercies, but on the whole it is unwilling to indulge in detailed and specific thanks. If we were to train ourselves to recognize God’s goodness act by act and detail by detail, many of us would come to think more highly both of God and of the church. Much of our despondency comes from failing to see how much God has really achieved. On the other hand, such detailed thanksgiving would also make us more detailedly conscious of what had not been attained. Experience shows that the more we turn our attention to God’s acts, the more we are aware of our falling short. This list is an excellent example, because it repeatedly reminds us of how much had been left undone, in spite of God’s mighty acts.
There was still much land to be conquered.
We may be surprised at the great detail in this section of Joshua (chapters 13–21), but these are the title-deeds of the children of Israel. Whatever the later fate of a tribe, its members could always say, “This is the land that God has given us.” Where enemies had conquered it in whole or in part, the record stood as a reproach and a testimony to sin.
Read 13:1-6 with Judges 3:1-4: This is not a complete list of the unconquered, but of those God did not intend to be conquered by the first generation. It is always God’s will that we should leave something for those that follow us to do. They did not lie in the land but round it. Because the Israelites did not conquer what they should have, they never fully conquered these extra territories, but only made them tributary, and some (the Phoenician territory, 13:6) not at all.
We are told that half-Manasseh did not conquer Geshur and Maacath (13:13). The former is the region to the east of the Sea of Galilee, the latter the eastern slopes of the upper Jordan Valley leading up to Mount Hermon. Absalom’s mother was a daughter of the king of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3; 13:37). Psalm 42 was written by one who lived near or in Maacath (13:6); it gives a picture of the rude and godless people that grew up in the mixed frontier area.
The treatment of the Levites (13:14) had a deeply practical motive. Whenever the holding of a religious office is made to depend mainly on birth and not on special religious qualifications, it will gradually accumulate power in the hands of the family concerned, so that it will gradually become a threat to the good of society. God made hereditary the position of the Aaronic priest and of the Levite, but put a limit on their ability to become rich.
The difference between the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan and those west of the river is that those east asked for what they wanted (Numbers 32:1-5)—this is not directly stated of half-Manasseh—but we can assume they made their wishes clear enough. The rest accepted what God gave them. Already in chapter 22 we find the former beginning to wonder whether they had not made a mistake. Certainly their lands were always most open to attack.
Faith is a great help toward making the maximum use of what God has given us.
There are no grounds, once we realize that Hebrew historical writing is not tied by strict chronological order, for placing 14:6 after 13:1–14:5, or even after chapter 12. It seems impossible not to link it with Judges 1:1b-20. This can be placed best, though without certainty, after the sin of Achan and the capture of Ai; this in turn would permit “the pincers’ movement” suggested in the comments on chapter 10. As is clear from 15:1, Judah’s lot was allocated before the general partition, as were also those of Ephraim and half-Manasseh (16:1). We no longer know why, but priority in God’s giving does not imply favoritism. If Judah was to go up first against the Canaanites (Judges 1:1), it was only fair that he should have his portion first.
Caleb made a discovery that many others have made. The exercise of his faith acted as a kind of general tonic. It is not that faith always cures physical weaknesses, but it is a marvelous help toward making the maximum use of what God has given us. Many complain of weakness and lack of gifts because they have never learnt by faith to use what they have. Caleb is specially mentioned in connection with Judah, because he was not an Israelite but a Kenizzite (14:14), from one of the Midianite clans. It was fitting that the foreigner should have been received into Judah, for “to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10).
Notice with what loving care the boundary of Judah is traced! If it were not for the fact that some of the place names cannot be identified with absolute certainty, we could draw the frontier on the ground today. It is exact even in the most unlikely places. The south boundary runs through desert, where it might be claimed that frontier delimitation was of no importance, but it is accurately given for all that. Note that the Valley of Achor is within Judah’s bounds (15:7). Very many Christians have no interest in discovering what God has given them and therefore never enjoy it. In addition they spend much of their time in coveting or trying to cultivate the possessions of others. This is one of the most potent sources of Christian dissatisfaction. Many a collision between Christians comes because they try to use the same track.
“From this story we learn that it is no breach of the tenth commandment moderately to desire those comforts and conveniences of this life which we see attainable in a fair and regular way.” Matthew Henry
The first part of this section continues the story of Caleb (see also Judges 1:10-15). From the latter we see that this was no isolated campaign by Caleb. He belonged now to Judah and he fought together with Judah. Othniel was his nephew; such marriages were at the time both common and favored (see also Genesis 20:12; 24:47; 29:15-19). Those Greek manuscripts that read “he urged her” (15:18) are probably correct. Field in the Old Testament normally means open country, in many cases untilled because it was unsuitable. Presumably the area round the springs (15:19) is meant. For Negeb see note on 11:16.
Most of the latter part (15:20-62) is an appendix put in by a later editor giving the organization of Judah under the monarchy after the time of Solomon. Solomon, for various practical reasons, was not able to use the old tribal boundaries. He divided the land into twelve portions, normally near the old divisions (1 Kings 4:7-19; verses 13 and 19 refer to the same region, Geber having been replaced by his son). When the kingdom was split under Rehoboam, Judah was divided into twelve administrative districts to emphasize its claims to remain the true Israel, even if the Northern Kingdom bore the name. There are twelve sections, for after 15:59 in Hebrew a group of towns has fallen out; it has been preserved in the Greek, ie “Tekoa, and Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem), and Peor, and Etam, and Kolon, and Tatam, and Sores, and Kerem, and Gallim, and Bether, and Manahath; eleven cities and their villages.” These eleven form the tenth section.
Only in the fifth section (15:45-47) is no number of places given, and that because the section is mainly imaginary. It consists of the Philistine land which Judah failed to hold at the first (see Judges 1:18-19). David was able to make it tributary, but already under Solomon the Philistines had freed themselves, and so this section remained a dream and a grief.
15:63 is a second appendix. Jerusalem was virtually reckoned to Judah (see note on chapter 18 at end). In Judges chapter 1 we are told how Judah did not deal adequately with Jerusalem, because it was not in its portion; now it was a thorn in its flesh. This was one of the causes helping towards the split under Rehoboam.
The people of Manasseh complain that they do not have enough land.
If we can see some reason why Judah received his portion in advance, none is apparent for “the people [descendants] of Joseph” (16:1). It is not unreasonable to suppose that the pride of Ephraim, which becomes so prominent in Judges and which finds an earlier expression in 17:14, lay behind it.
Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn, and therefore the birthright of a double portion in his inheritance. By his sin he forfeited his right (1 Chronicles 5:1-2), which automatically went to Joseph as firstborn of Jacob’s other wife. This meant in turn that in the distribution of the land the descendants of Joseph were entitled to two portions. This was not done by giving both Ephraim and Manasseh a portion, for it is here clearly said that the allotment was to the descendants of Joseph, who divided it among them. The birthright was satisfied by giving Manasseh, the firstborn of Joseph, an extra portion (17:1,5-6,17), ie east of the Jordan. For 17:3 see Numbers 27:1-7.
The arrogance of the Joseph tribes is seen in 17:16. They were not prepared to bring the hill country under cultivation (see note on chapter 8 for the reason why it was thinly populated—without adequate water supply it had not been worth clearing the forest trees and scrub) and were equally unprepared to conquer the plain. In addition they had been given what was in many ways the best part of the country.
17:11-13 suggest a particular act of meanness. It seems that Issachar and Asher had voluntarily ceded part of their territory, because they felt they could not tackle the strong fortresses. Manasseh accepted the territory, but did little to dislodge the Canaanites. Note the subtle difference between 16:10 and 17:12; Manasseh could not, but Ephraim would not. In fact Gezer did not become Israelite until the time of Solomon, and then it was the dowry Pharaoh gave his daughter (1 Kings 9:16).
“The chariots of iron” (17:16,18) were wooden chariots strengthened with iron plates—they could be burnt (11:6,9). It was not the actual chariots that dismayed the Israelites but the differing concept of war that lay behind their use. They were based on stable lines of infantry, while the Israelites fought as irregulars, who could easily be cut to pieces by the quickly moving chariots.