Judges 3:1

THE CONCLUSION OF THE PREFACE OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES

"Now these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generation of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof: namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entrance of Hamath. And they were left to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hitittes, the Amorites, and the Perizites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods."

"The nations Jehovah left ... to prove Israel" (Judges 3:1). This passage gives two reasons why the Lord did not drive out all of the Canaanites before Israel, namely: (1) to prove them, whether or not they would obey the Lord; and (2) to teach those ignorant of it, the art of war; (3) A third reason is also given, namely, that of punishing Israel for their disobedience.

The bankruptcy of radical criticism is seen in the fact that Moore declared these reasons to be "a contradiction"[1] of Joshua 1:21, which states simply that the Benjaminites did NOT drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem, implying, of course, that they were simply "not able" to do so. There were doubtless many reasons that lay back of God's decision to leave many of the Canaanites in the Promised Land, and the passages citing one reason here, and another reason there, are not contradictory but supplementary. It was God's displeasure with Israel that was the causal factor in Benjamin's inability to dislodge the Jebusites.

As Dalglish noted, "The nations of Canaan were left by Jehovah as a chastisement of Israel as well as a trial of their faith."[2] The new situation brought about by Israel's disobedience also triggered the necessity for the nation to be schooled in the prosecution of wars which would inevitably follow their apostasy.

"These reasons must not be regarded as contradictory, for it was the manifold result, related directly to the Lord, which occupied the attention of the historian here, rather than a single, all-embracing purpose."[3]

"All the Canaanites ..." (Judges 3:3). All of the nations which are mentioned here as being left by the Lord in Canaan actually include all of the "seven nations" enumerated in Deuteronomy 7:1, except the Gergasites, but, of course, a very large percentage of all these peoples had been defeated by Joshua and removed from the land occupied by Israel. Therefore, it appears certain that Moore's observation is correct that, "These words cannot refer to unconquered Canaanites in Israel's territory, but to a compact (and diverse) population on its borders."[4] Dummelow also restricted the meaning of "the Canaanites" in this passage to those living in the lowlands, the Shephelah, in the Southwest adjacent to the Philistines."[5]

"The five lords of the Philistines" (Judges 3:3). These were the rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. At first, Israel occupied some of these cities (see under Judges 1:18), but these enemies of Israel were able to re-take their territory from Israel as late as the times of Saul, whose kingdom they defeated, killing the monarch himself.

"Mount Baal-hermon" (Judges 3:3). Keil stated that, "This is only another name for Baal-Gad,"[6] and it seems to be a reference to some well-known area in south Israel.

"Unto the entrance of Hamath" (Judges 3:3). "This `Gateway' was afterward known as Coele-Syria and is now called El-Bika. It was often mentioned as the ideal northern boundary of Israel."[7] We find a similar usage of this expression in 2 Kings 14:25.

"To prove Israel ... to know whether they would hearken." (Judges 3:4). LaGard Smith's terse comment on this is fully sufficient: "Israel fails tests"![8] As a college student would probably say it: "They flunked the examination!" That failure is summarized in Judges 3:6.

"They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons and served their gods." (Judges 3:6) This verse marks the conclusion of the preface of the Book of Judges.