EXPOSITION. Ver. 8.-Read Fought again.st Jerusalem, some obscurity in this verso, which seems to and_ took it, aml, smote it. It is the continu- tell us that Achsah, on her wedding-day, ation of the narrative of the exploits of when she was going to her husband's hou.se, Judah and Simeon in conquering their re- persuaded him to ask of her father the field, spective lots. viz. that in which the springs of water were, Ver. 9.-The valley, i. e. the Shephelah, or and which were not included in her original lowlands, between the mountains and the dower ; and then goes on to tell us that coast of the Mediterranean, occupied by the .Achsah herself made the request. The Philistines. Septuagint reads, " Othniel urged her to Ver. 10.-Hebron. See Numb. xiii. 22; ask the field of her father," and the Vulgate Josh. xiv. 13-15; xv. 13-19. Hebron has, "Her husband told her to ask her was tbe burial-place of Abraham and Sarah father," and then it follows naturally, "and (Gen. xxiii. 2, &c. ; xxv. 9), of Isaac and she lighted from off her ass," &c. But the Rebekah, and of Jacob and Leah (Gen. Hebrew reading may be right, and it may xxxv. 27-29; xlix. 31; 1. 13), and the be that when her husband, brave in storm- mosque, within whose massive walls the ing a city, but timid in asking a favour, tombs of Abra.ham and the other four above hung back, she, with tho tenacious will of mentioned are still preserved with the ut- 11 woman, sprang off the ass herself, and most reverence, is the most rema.rkable successfully preferred her request. Dean object in the modern city, which is called Stanley identifies (though not with absolute El-Khalil (the friend), after Abraham, the certainty) the " field" thus obtained by frund of God. A very interesting account Achsah with an unusually green valley of the Prince of Wales's visit to the Mosque amidst the dry, barren hills of the south of Hebron in 1862 is given in Dean Stanley's country, lyin_~ south or west of Hebron, 'Sermons in tho East.' Davicl reigned in called Wady .Nunkur, through which Caleb Hebron seven years and six months before and Achsnh must have ridden on their way he transferred the seat of power to J eru- from Hebron to Debir, or Kirjnth-sepher. Ealem (see 2 Sam. ii. 1, &c.; v. 1-5). This valley breaks into a precipitous and Var. 13,-Caleb's younger brother. See still greener ravine, and both the upper and note on eh. iii. 9. lower pastures are wutcred by a cle,\r, bub- Yer. 14.-She moved him, &c. There is bling ri,ulet, whieh rise,; iu the upper THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [cH. I. 8-20,
meadow, and flows to the bottom of the Ver. 18.-Ga,:a, &c. Gaza, Askelon, and ravine below. The name of a village, Dcwitr, Ekron, were nll cities of the Philistines. seems to represent the ancient Debir. But though Judah took these cities, it seems Ver. 16.-Tbe children of the Kenite, &c. he wa.s not able permanently to expel the It appea.ra from this verse that the invitation inhabitants. given by Moses to his "father-in-law," or Ver. 19. -Chariots of iron. The chariots rather "brother-in-law," Hobab, to accom- of the Canaanites were very formidable to pany him and the JsrM!itos to the land of the Israelites, ·who had no means of coping promise, though at first rejected (Numb. x. with them. Tims wo are told of Jabin, king 29, 30), was eventually accepted. Hobab of Canaan, who reigned in Ho.zor, that he nnd his tribe, a branch of the Midianites, had 900 chariots of iron, n.nd mightily calJed E:enites, from an unknown ancestor, oppressed the children of Israel. They were Kain, at first settled in the city of palm later an important part of King Solomon's trees, i. e. Jericho (Deut. =xiv. 3) ; but it army (1 Kings x. 26). See too Josh. xvii. 16. seems that when Judah started on l1is expe- Ver. 20.-Tbey.gave Hebron, &c. Caleb, dition with Simeon to conquer the south the son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite, e.n land. the E:enites went with him. A subse- Edoruitish tribe, was one of the spies sent quent migration of~ 1)ortion of this nomadic up to spy the land, and in doing so he co.me tribe is mentioned (eh. iv .11). Dwelt among to Hebron, and there saw the giants, the the people, i. e. the people of Judah. For sons of Anak (Numb. xiii. 22). When all Arml see Numb. xxi. 1. the spies brought up an evil report of the Yer. li.-Jndah went with Simeon. In land, and by doing so raised a rebellion "l"er. 3 Simenn went with Judah, because the against Moses and Aaron, Caleb the Kenezite, places ,rhich follow were all in J udah's lot ; a.lone with Joshua, stood firm, and, as a but now we read, J1tdah went with Simecn, reward of his faithfulness, received the because Zephath or Hornuih wa.s in Simeon's promise that he and his seed should possess lot (Josh. xix. 4). For Hormah, identified the land on which his feet had trodden. by Robinson (ii. 181) with Es-rufeh, see Accordingly Hebron became the inheritance Numb. xxi. 3. The Hebrew verb for "they of Caleb the Kenezite (see Numb. xiii., utterly destroyed " is the root of the name xiv.; Deut. i 36 ; Josh. xiv. 6-15 ; xv. Hornuih, i e. utter ,J,estructwn. 13, 14).