What does Judges 1:11 mean?
ESV: From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher.
NIV: From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).
NASB: Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath-sepher).
CSB: From there they marched against the residents of Debir (Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher).
NLT: From there they went to fight against the people living in the town of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).
KJV: And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:
NKJV: From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.)
Verse Commentary:
Judah continues its campaign to drive out all the wicked Canaanites (Deuteronomy 9:4–5) from its territory in southern Israel (Judges 1:4–10). That campaign is now focused on what is called the "hill country," south of Jerusalem. The ancient city of Hebron and its surrounding area had been promised to Caleb by Joshua.
The writer of Judges will repeat the story of Caleb capturing Hebron (Judges 1:12–15) during an earlier campaign (Joshua 15:15–19). After that, Caleb turned his sights on the nearby city of Debir, formerly known as Kiriath-sepher.
Verse Context:
Judges 1:1–20 describes the campaign of the tribes of Judah and Simeon, to drive out or destroy all the Canaanites from their large territory in southern Israel. It begins with victories over Bezek and Jerusalem. The report rehearses the former victories by Caleb and his family in the hill country. The campaign continues into the desert wilderness of the Negeb, where a group of descendants of Moses' father-in-law settles. Judah dominates the hill country but doesn't entirely evict the wicked Canaanites because of their iron chariots.
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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).
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