A. Faltering Conquest: The Failure That Is Sin (1:1-2:5)

Joshua’s death (1:1-3) suspends Israel between the past fulfilled promises and their continued realization. Will Israel persevere? Yahweh sanctions Judah’s preeminence and promises victory, while Judah promises mutuality and good faith with the other tribes. A victorious Judean campaign marked by tribal cooperation realizes these expectations (vv.4-21). Judean preeminence is confirmed by the confession of a defeated enemy and the burning of Jerusalem (vv.4-8), and is personified by Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, who lives in the apostate, post-Conquest period but represents the faithful Conquest generation (vv.9-15). Intertribal cooperation dominates as Judah keeps faith with the Kenites, Simeon, and Caleb. Judah’s conquest of Philistine cities foreshadows David’s breaking of Philistine power (vv.16-21). Southern failures are excused or laid on Benjamin (1:21; cf. Jos 15:63). Two references (vv.16, 20) associate Judah with Moses, and Judah’s victories closely parallel Joshua’s. Three elements anticipate David: the Davidic cities, Hebron (vv.9-10, 20) and Jerusalem (vv.7-8, 21); Judah’s foreshadowing of David’s achievements; and the failure of Benjamin (Saul’s tribe). Judah links David and his successors to the two heroes embodying God’s past saving work: Moses and Joshua.

Jdg 1:22-36 narrates the deepening failure of the northern tribes. Victory at Bethel (vv.22-26) gives way to victory qualified by a continuing Canaanite presence (vv.27-30). That Asher and Naphtali live surrounded by Canaanites points to deeper failure (vv.31-33). Finally, the Amorites expel the Danites (vv.34-35), whose fate remains unresolved until ch. 18. This failure progresses from south to north, coupling the northern tribes to failure. In contrast with Hebron and Jerusalem in vv.1-21, the names of the two northern royal sanctuaries, Bethel (vv.22-26) and Dan (v.34), bracket this narrative, associating them with the loss of the land. In contrast to southern cooperation, the catalogue of isolated northern tribes discloses no cooperation. The northern failure culminates in an angelic reproof (2:1-5). Although the Hebrews in Jdg 1 evince no intention to break covenant, the angel’s speech brands them disobedient. Compromise never announces itself as it unravels the life of God’s people. The weeping concluding this section augurs ill for the future. Too little, too late, Israel’s sacrifices are vacant gestures. Their only hope lies latent in Judah’s continuation of the work of Moses and Joshua, pointing ahead to David.