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The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
Judges 1:19 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh was with Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
  • KJV And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
  • NKJV So the Lord was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron.
  • NASB Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots.
  • NLT The Lord was with the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The LORD is with Judah to take the hill country, but they fail to drive out the valley dwellers because of their iron chariots. It matters as the first crack of unbelief amid God's presence.

Overview

Though Yahweh is with Judah, the tribe falters before iron chariots, a failure rooted in fear rather than God's inability. The God who is present is more than able, yet Judah's faith wavers at the obstacle. This marks the beginning of the book's tragic theme: partial obedience born of weak trust, in contrast to the complete victory God offers in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 28

  • Ps 60:12With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.
  • Isa 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
  • Judg 1:2“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
  • Isa 41:14–15Do not fear, O worm of Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
  • Rom 8:31What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
  • Matt 14:30–31But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
  • Matt 1:23“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
  • Matt 17:19–20Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
  • Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
  • Eccl 9:11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
  • Josh 1:5No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
  • 2 Sam 5:10And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
  • Josh 1:9Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
  • Exod 14:7–31He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
  • Gen 39:2And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
  • Josh 14:12Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.”
  • Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
  • Judg 6:12–13And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
  • Ps 46:7The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
  • Ps 46:11The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
  • Josh 17:16–18“The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”
  • Isa 8:10Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.”
  • Josh 7:12This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
  • Josh 11:1–9Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
  • Judg 1:27–32At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
  • 2 Kgs 18:7And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.
  • Gen 39:21the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
  • Ps 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Judges videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Judges 1:19YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JudgesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.

How Judges 1:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.