And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

JUDGES 1:4KJV
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Judges 1:4 (KJV)

What does Judges 1:4 mean?

Judges 1:4 describes how the tribe of Judah went up to fight, and the LORD gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites, allowing them to defeat and kill ten thousand men at Bezek. This verse highlights a specific military success for Judah, showing that their victory was understood as coming from God’s intervention.

The setting is early in the book of Judges, after the death of Joshua, when the tribes of Israel are beginning to take possession of the land of Canaan. The verse is a historical account, not a speech, and it records the first major battle led by Judah against the local inhabitants. The mention of Bezek as the location and the specific number of casualties gives a concrete sense of the scale and seriousness of the conflict.

The Hebrew behind Judges 1:4

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This name for God emphasizes that the victory is attributed directly to Israel’s covenant God, not to military strategy or strength.
  • Delivered (נָתַן, nathan): This word often means "to give" or "to hand over." Here, it stresses that the defeat of the Canaanites and Perizzites was not just a result of Judah’s effort, but something God actively caused.
  • Hand (יָד, yad): In Hebrew, "hand" is a common way to talk about power or control. Saying the enemy was delivered "into their hand" means Judah was given full power over them.

Why Judges 1:4 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the victories of Israel in the land were not just military achievements, but were seen as acts of God’s faithfulness to His promises.
  • The focus on specific groups (Canaanites and Perizzites) and the location (Bezek) helps the reader track the unfolding conquest and the gradual fulfillment of earlier promises made to the ancestors of Israel.
  • By starting the book’s narrative with a clear example of God’s direct involvement, Judges 1:4 sets a tone for the rest of the book, where Israel’s success or failure is closely tied to their relationship with God.

Where else these words appear

“Bezek” Hebrew H966 · used in 3 verses

  • Judges 1:5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
  • 1 Samuel 11:8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

“Perizzites” Hebrew H6522 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
  • Exodus 34:11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
  • Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

“Canaanites” Hebrew H3669 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Numbers 14:45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
  • Judges 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.