Judges 1:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

NIV: The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

NASB: But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

CSB: At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.

NLT: The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

Having reported on the conquests of Judah and Simeon, Judges now begins to report on the progress of other tribes in securing their allotted territories in the Promised Land. Benjamin's territory was relatively small, but it included prime real estate right in the heart of Israel. Cities within Benjamin's borders included Jericho, Ramah, Gibeah, and Jerusalem.

The Jebusite people had taken possession of the ancient city of Jerusalem. This may have happened after Judah's army defeated the former occupants of Jerusalem and burned at least part of the city (Judges 1:8). If that is the case, either more Jebusites arrived, or they replaced the Canaanites who lived in Jerusalem before them. Judah failed to hold the city, perhaps because it was outside of their territory to start with.

When it came time for the people of Benjamin to take Jerusalem, they failed to drive the Jebusites out. Instead of persisting, the people of Benjamin simply lived alongside the Jebusites in their territory. Apparently, the Jebusites didn't have the ability to repel the people of Benjamin, either. So, they co-existed for a time. This is exactly the opposite of what God had told His people to do.

God was specific: in this situation, the depraved Canaanite culture was to be completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). One reason for that was judgment on Canaan's evil (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4–5). Another was to limit Israel's temptation to imitate the practices of these wicked nations (Deuteronomy 20:18). Failing to rid the territory of these evil influences led to disastrous consequences for Israel for generations to come.

Not until King David, many years later, will Israel finally evict the Jebusites from Jerusalem, which becomes the City of David (2 Samuel 5:6–9).

Judges 1:21–26 follows a long description of Judah's conquest with reports on two other tribes and their attempts to drive out the Canaanites from their territories. The tribe of Benjamin fails to remove the Jebusites from Jerusalem and so the Jebusites remained living among the people. Scouts from the tribe of Ephraim, here called "the house of Joseph," unwisely agree to allow one citizen of the Canaanite city of Bethel, also known as Luz, to live in exchange for providing them a way into the city. That man starts a new Canaanite city with the same name.

Judges 1 summarizes the early efforts of the tribes of Israel to drive the Canaanites from the land or to destroy them entirely (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). The process starts well with a string of successes by Judah and Simeon in the south. Then the news turns sour as one tribe after another is said to have failed to drive the Canaanites out of their allotted territories. Instead, they occupy certain territories, often allowing inhabitants of the land to live among them.

Judges 1 continues immediately from the death of Joshua (Joshua 24:29–30). It begins a new era for Israel, now referred to as the time of "the judges." In a series of reports, tribe by tribe, the narrator describes Israel's success or failure to drive the deeply wicked Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4) from the land or to destroy them. Judah experiences much success, but it is unable to drive the inhabitants out of one region, at least. Every other tribe either fails utterly to remove the Canaanites, or only gradually grows strong enough to capture the territory.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).