New English Translation
Judges 1:2
2The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.”
Judges 1:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord said, "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”
Context of Judges 1:2
1After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.” 3The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. Then we will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them. 4The men of Judah attacked, and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek.
Read all of Judges 1Judges 1:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה יְהוּדָ֣ה יַעֲלֶ֑ה הִנֵּ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ בְּיָדֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Judges 1:2
- Genesis 49:8Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father’s sons will bow down before you.
- Numbers 2:3“Now those who will be camping on the east, toward the sunrise, are the divisions of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.
- Numbers 7:12The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.
- Psalms 78:68He chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loves.
- Hebrews 7:14For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.
- Revelation 5:5Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
- Revelation 19:11Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war.
Commentaries on Judges 1:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The Lord said, Judah shall go up - They had inquired of the Lord by Phinehas the high priest; and he had communicated to them the Divine counsel.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And the Lord said - i. e. answered by Urim and Thummim. The land was the portion which fell to Judah by lot, not the whole land of Canaan (see Judges 3:11). The priority given to Judah is a plain indication of divine direction. It points to the birth of our Lord of the tribe of Judah. Judah associated Simeon with him Judges 1:3 because their lots were intermingled Joshua 19:1.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2This verse, also found in the epilogues (Judges 20:18), highlights Judah's importance. This tribe did not participate in the judges' decline (compare Judges 15:9–13) after Othniel, the ideal judge connected to Judah through Caleb (Joshua 14:6; 15:13, 17).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. the Lord said, Judah shall go up--The predicted pre-eminence (Ge 49:8) was thus conferred upon Judah by divine direction, and its appointment to take the lead in the ensuing hostilities was of great importance, as the measure of success by which its arms were crowned, would animate the other tribes to make similar attempts against the Canaanites within their respective territories. I have delivered the land into his hand--not the whole country, but the…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 1:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries