16 And the descendants of the Ken'ite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad; and they went and settled with the people.
And Moses said to Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying to the place of which Jehovah said, I will give it unto you: come with us, and we will do thee good; for Jehovah has spoken good concerning Israel. And he said to him, I will not go; but to mine own land, and to my kindred will I go. And he said, Leave me not, I pray thee, because thou knowest where we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou wilt be to us for eyes. And it shall be, if thou come with us, that whatever good Jehovah doeth unto us, so will we do to thee.
And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, and go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. And the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, to Zoar.
And the Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelt in the south, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim, and he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.
But Sis'era fled away on foot to the tent of Ja'el, the wife of Heber the Ken'ite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Ken'ite.
At that time king Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him.
And Moses tended the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock behind the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God -- to Horeb.
And he saw the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Firm is thy dwelling-place, and thy nest fixed in the rock; But the Kenite shall be consumed, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
And Moses sent away his father-in-law, and he departed into his land.
And Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did with the people, and said, What is this thing which thou art doing with the people? why dost thou sit alone, and all the people are standing by thee from morning to evening? And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to enquire of God. When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known [to them] the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou art doing is not good.
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.
And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other [after] their welfare, and went into the tent.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Judges 1
Commentary on Judges 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Book of Judges
Chapter 1
This chapter gives us a particular account what sort of progress the several tribes of Israel made in the reducing of Canaan after the death of Joshua. He did (as we say) break the neck of that great work, and put it into such a posture that they might easily have perfected it in due time, if they had not been wanting to themselves; what they did in order hereunto, and wherein they came short, we are told.
No account is given of Issachar, nor of the two tribes and a half on the other side Jordan.
Jdg 1:1-8
Here,
Jdg 1:9-20
We have here a further account of that glorious and successful campaign which Judah and Simeon made.
Jdg 1:21-36
We are here told upon what terms the rest of the tribes stood with the Canaanites that remained.
Upon the whole matter it appears that the people of Israel were generally very careless both of their duty and interest in this thing; they did not what they might have done to expel the Canaanites and make room for themselves. And,