What Does Judges 1:19 Mean?

(19) **The Lord was with Judah.**—The Targum here has “The Word of the Lord.” The expression is frequently used to imply insured prosperity (Genesis 39:23; 1Samuel 18:14; 2Kings 18:7. Comp. Matthew 18:20). **But.**—Rather, *for *(*kî*)*: i.e., *they only dispossessed their enemies of the mountain, for, &c. **Could not.**—The Hebrew seems purposely to avoid this expression, and says “*there was no driving out.” *Judah could have driven them out; but their faith was cowed by the (Judges 1:19) iron chariots. **The valley.**—Here *Emek, *not *Shephelah. *“Broad sweeps between parallel ranges of hills,” like, *e.g., *the “valley of Jezreel,” *i.e., *the plain of Esdraelon. It differs from *Gî, *which means a gorge or ravine. **Chariots of iron.**—See Judges 4:3; Joshua 11:6-9; Joshua 17:16; 1Samuel 13:6. R. Tanchum makes it mean “very strong chariots;” but the phrase means either “chariots with iron-bound wheels,” or “*scythed *chariots.” Ktesias attributes scythed chariots to Ninus, but none are seen on the Nineveh sculptures, and it is doubtful whether they were known so early. Xenophon says that scythed chariots were invented by Cyrus, which would not be till five centuries after this period. For this clause the LXX. have,” because Rechab resisted them,” mistaking *rekeb, “*chariot,” for a proper name (as they often do with other words). Hence the notion of Theodoret that the Kenites, to which Rechab belonged (2Kings 10:15-23; Jeremiah 35:2), secretly helped the Philistines, is quite groundless. We see a reason for the partial failure of the Israelites in the fact that at this time they had not attained to the same level of civilisation as the Canaanites in arts and arms. This advantage could only have been rendered unavailing by more faith and faithfulness than they showed in their conduct. “Their warriors often rather overran than subdued the land. . . . The chariots and better arms of the Canaanites rendered the conquest of the valleys and plains long and laborious, especially to Joseph, Judah, and Dan. . . . The Hebrews ‘walked upon the high places of the land’ (Psalm 18:33; 2Samuel 22:34; Habakkuk 3:19; Isaiah 58:14; Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 32:29; Deuteronomy 32:33); but these heights were often encompassed like islands by the inhabitants of the valleys” (Ewald, ii. 264).