Judges Chapter 1
This chapter begins after the death of Joshua/Yahusha.
This chapter begins documents how the Hebrews did NOT drive all the Canaanites out of the holy land.
Judges 1:2-7
Together, Judah/Yahudah and Simeon/Simon/Shim'on battled the Canaanites,Perizzites and them in Bezek.
The capture, mutilation and death of Adonibezek/Adoni-Bezeq.
Judges 1:8
"8Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire." (KJV)
Judah takes Jerusalem and sets it on fire.
Judges 1:16
"16And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people." (KJV)
Kenite/Qĕynite was Moses' father in law.
Judges 1:18
"18Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof." (KJV)
Judah takes Gaza.
NOTE: I need to research this some more as I'm certain that other books showed that Gaza was not taken. Verse 19 speaks of the people of the mountain and the people of the valley. It says the Hebrews could not drive out the people of the valley as they had chariots of iron.
Judges 1:20
20And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.(KJV)
The Anakim
Judges 1:21
"21And 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." (KJV)
The Hebrews did NOT drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem.
Judges 1:22-26
The taking of Bethel and Luz. A man from the city of Luz showed the Hebrew spies the entrance of the city of Bethel/Luz. After the city was taken, the man went to the land of the Hittites and built another city and called it Luz.
NOTE: I am curious as to why this was put in the Scripture. There seems to be some significance to this.
Judges 1:27
"27Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land." (KJV)
The tribe of Manasseh did NOT drive out the Canaanites from their land.
Judges 1:29
"29Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them." (KJV)
The tribe of Ephraim did NOT drive out the Canaanites from their land.
Judges 1:30
"30Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries." (KJV)
The tribe of Zebulun did NOT drive out the Canaanites from their land.
Judges 1:31-32
"31Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:" (KJV)
"32But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out." (KJV)
The tribe of Asher did NOT drive out the Canaanites from their land.
Judges 1:33
"33Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them." (KJV)
The tribe of Naphtali did NOT drive out the Canaanites from their land.
Judges 1:34-36
"34And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:" (KJV)
"35But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries." (KJV)
"36And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward." (KJV)
Judges Chapter 2
Judges 2:1-4
"1And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you." (KJV)
"And the Messenger of YHWH came up from Gilgal to Bokim, and said, "I led you up from Mitsrayim and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers, and I said, 'I do not break My covenant with you," (The ISR Scriptures)
"And the Malach-YHWH 711 came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Mitzrayim, and have brought you to the land that I swore to your ahvot; and I said, I will never break My brit with you." (The Restoration Scriptures)
711 - The same Guardian-Metatron that has YHWH's Name speaking in the first person is no doubt Yahshua.
An angel (the Messiah) reiterates his covenant promise to the children of Israel.
The KJV "An angel of the LORD..." seems to be a mistranslation. Depending on one's belief, either 'God the Father' or 'God the Son' brought the children of Israel up out of the land of Egypt/Mitsarim. Since this verse mentions an angel and not God Almighty, it MUST be referring to 'God the Son' or "THE angel of the LORD...".
Judges 2:8
"8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old." (KJV)
Joshua dies at 110 years old.
Judges 2:13
"13And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth." (KJV)
The children of Israel served Baal and Ashtaroth.
Judges Chapter 3
Judges 3:7
7And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
The use of the word groves in this verse does not seem to be appropriate unless the word groves has been mistranslated. The word 'groves' should have been translated to Asherahs. (See Pagan Diety Keys:)
Judges 3:11
11And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.Several times in Scripture, 40 years has been used as a time of purification.
Judges Chapter 4
Judges 4:5
5And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.(KJV)
In Genesis 35:8 the palm tree was an oak tree?!
Judges 4:21
"21Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died." (KJV)
Heber's wife Jael/Ya'ĕl 'nails' Sisera.
Judges Chapter 5
Judges 5:31
31So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.(KJV)
Several times in Scripture, 40 was a number associated with a purification ritual or event. 40 days and 40 nights, 40 years in the wilderness, etc.
Judges Chapter 6
Judges 6:1
"1And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years." (KJV)
The children of Israel did evil in the sight of YHWH and were punished for seven (7) years.
Judges 6:4
"4And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass." (KJV)
It seems the Midianites stopped at Gaza. I wonder why.
Judges 6:11-12
11And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.(KJV)
11And the Messenger of YHWH came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Yo'ash the Abi'ezerite, while his son Gid'on threshed wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the eyes of the Midyanites.(The ISR Scriptures)
An angel appears to Gideon in Ophrah. I think this is YAHSHUA.
12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.(KJV)
12And the Messenger of YHWH appeared to him, and said to him, "YHWH is with you, you mighty brave one!"(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:14
14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?(KJV)
14And YHWH turned to him and said, "Go in this strength of yours, and you shall save Yisra'el from the hand of the Midyanites. Have I not sent you?"(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:16
16And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.(KJV)
16And YHWH said to him, "Because I am with you, you shall stike the Midyanites as one man."(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:17
"17And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me." (KJV)
Gideon asks the angel to show him a sign.
Judges 6:18
18Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.(KJV)
18"Please do not move away from here, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You." And He said, ""I shall stay until you return."(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:20
20And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.(KJV)
20And the Messenger of Elohim said to him, ""Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:21
"21Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight." (KJV)
The angel performs a minor miracle in front of Gideon.
Judges 6:23
23And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.(KJV)
23And YHWH said to him, ""Peace be with you! Do not fear, you do not die."(The ISR Scriptures)
I think this is YAHSHUA speaking.
Judges 6:24
24Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.(KJV)
Jehovahshalom means 'YHWH peace'. Interesting that they used the name Jehovah. I know enough Aramaic to understand that when I see Jeh instead of Jah, The 'J' comes from modern day religions and the 'e' instead of 'a' comes from Aramaic.
Judges 6:36-40
YHWH gives a sign to Gideon. The dew on the fleece or floor.
Judges Chapter 7
Judges 7:2
2And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.(KJV)
Judges 7:9-11
9And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
11And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.(KJV)
Judges Chapter 8
Judges Chapter 8
Judges Chapter 9
Judges 9:45
45And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.(KJV)
Salting the ground almost immediately kills the vegetation.
Judges 9:54
54Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.(KJV)
I find it interesting that even at the brink of imminate death, Abimelech was concerned with how he would be remembered. I think the time to worry about our name is while we are living.
Judges Chapter 10
Judges 10:10
10And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.(KJV)
Judges Chapter 11
Judges 11:39-40
39And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,(KJV)
40That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.(KJV)
This verse speaks to the topic of sex outside of marriage. The Christian church likes to imply that sex outside of marriage is a sin. I am not sure if this is true or not. I suspect it is a custom as I have not read anything from YHWH or YAHUSHUA speaking against it. When Judah had sex with one of the prostitutes outside the city gate, it appears that was a common custom and I see no condemnation for his action from eithr Scripture or the Christian church. Judah was condemned for breaking his vow to his daughter in law but not for having sex with her.
I wonder why they mourned her death for 4 days? I think the typical mourning period was 30 days.
Judges Chapter 12
Judges Chapter 13
Judges 13:1
1And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.(KJV)
Forty years has been used as a time of purification in the past.
Judges 13:3-5
3And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.(KJV)
4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:(KJV)
5For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.(KJV)
Prophesy regarding the birth of Samson.
Samson was under the vow of the Nazarite since birth
I wonder why no alcohol and no haircuts? I can understand the no alcohol, but in Numbers 6:2-3 it says 'nothing from the vine', including dried fruit. So it seems it is not necessarily the alcohol but the vine plant. Hmmm...?
Judges Chapter 14
Judges 14:5-9
5Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
6And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
7And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
8And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
9And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. (KJV)
I do not understand the significance of the honey.
Judges 14:12
12And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments: (KJV)
This should be either the feast of unleavened bread or Sukkout.
Judges Chapter 21
Judges 21:11
11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. (KJV)
Sounds like they only spared the virgin women.
Judges 21:25
25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.(KJV)
Every man doing what was right in his own eyes. Sounds like today.