This exposition forms part of the Hillside Bible Commentary (HBC).
Proof-Texts and Cross-References
Gen. 18v13 [1]; Ex. 14v7-29 [6]; Num. 14v42-43 [4]; Deut. 20v1-4 [4]; Jos. 11v1-9 [6], 15v48 [10], 17v1-18 [2|3|4|9]; Jud. 1v2, v18-19 [1|2|3|4|6|7|8|9|15], v22, 2v3, v11-23, 4v1-3 [2|3|9], v12-15 [2|3|9]; 1 Kgs. 20v21 [6]; Ps. 20v7 [6], 68v17 [2]; Jer. 32v27 [15]; Dan. 4v35 [1]; Mt. 19v26 [1]; Rev. 9v9
Significance
EMPLOYED BY ATHEIST AND SKEPTICS AGAINST CHRISTIANS
Atheists often employ Judges Chapter 1 Verse 19 as proof, that God is NOT omnipotent [all-powerful], since He could be defeated by "iron chariots".
In the words of Scrutinizing Scripture:
"The conclusion of Judges 1:19 is clear: God was not able to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, despite this being his will. Daniel was not correct and neither was Jesus. The technical superiority of the inhabitants of the valley proved too much for the children of Judah and for the God that enabled them." [1]
The popularity of this argument resulted in the launch of the counter-apologetics wiki, 'Iron Chariots', in 2006 [9].
EMPLOYED BY MUSLIMS AGAINST CHRISTIANS
Muslims often employ Judges Chapter 1 Verse 19 as proof, that God is NOT omnipotent [all-powerful], since He was "helpless" [4] against "iron chariots".
In the words of Ahmed Eldin:
"... the Biblical God cannot fight with chariots of iron but according with Christians God is powerful BUT when he confronts with chariots of iron, he is helpless. How chariots of iron can stop God Almighty to do what he wills?" [4]
In the words of Adam Clarke (1760/1762-1832), "Were the iron chariots too strong for Omnipotence?" [10] Let us have a closer look.
Transliteration
Hebrew
"וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת-יְהוּדָה, וַיֹּרֶשׁ אֶת-הָהָר: כִּי לֹא לְהוֹרִישׁ אֶת-יֹשְׁבֵי הָעֵמֶק, כִּי-רֶכֶב בַּרְזֶל לָהֶם." (Jud. 1v19, WLC)
Greek
καὶ ἦν κύριος μετὰ Ιουδα καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν τὸ ὄρος ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνάσθησαν ἐξολεθρεῦσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν κοιλάδα ὅτι Ρηχαβ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς (Jud. 1v19, LXX)
Afrikaans
"Maar Juda kon nie die inwoners van die Vlakte verslaan en hulle stede verower nie, want hulle het ysterstrydwaens gehad. Hulle stede was Gasa, Askelon en Ekron, elkeen met sy grondgebied." (NAV1983)
English
"And Jehovah 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." (Jud. 1v19, ASV)
"And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes." (Jud. 1v19, DR)
"And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron." (Jud. 1v19, ESV)
"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." (Jud. 1v19, KJV)
"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." (Jud. 1v19, NASB)
"And the Lord was with Ju'-dah; 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." (Jud. 1v19, NKJV, p.119)
"The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots." (Jud. 1v19, NIV)
"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." (Jud. 1v19, NLT)
"and Jehovah is with Judah, and he occupieth the hill-country, but not to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they have chariots of iron." (Jud. 1v19, YLT)
Paraphrases
"And the Word of Jehovah was in the support of the house of Judah, and they extirpated the inhabitants of the mountains; but afterwards, When They Sinned, they were not able to extirpate the inhabitants of the plain country, because they had chariots of iron." (Jud. 1v19, TJ)
Commentary
or, What Others Believe
JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE WHOLE BIBLE (JGEB)
by John Gill (1697–1771)
"And the Lord was with Judah,.... Encouraging, strengthening, succeeding, and giving the tribe victory over the Canaanites; the Targum is, the Word of the Lord was for the help of the house of Judah: 'and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountains'; the mountainous part of Judea, such as was about Jerusalem, and where Hebron stood, and other cities, see Joshua 15:48, &c. which though fortified both by nature and man, yet God being with them, they were easily subdued: but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley; God forsaking them, because they were afraid of them, for a reason after mentioned, or through slothfulness, and being weary of fighting, or because they fell into some sins, which occasioned the divine displeasure; so the Targum, 'after they had sinned, they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley: 'because they had chariots of iron'; but this was no reason why they could not drive them out, if God was with them, who could as easily have delivered these into their hands, as the inhabitants of the mountains; but is the reason why they were afraid to fight with them, and to attempt to drive them out, and which they themselves gave why they did not." [10]
COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE
by Adam Clarke (1760/1762-1832)
"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 - Strange! were the iron chariots too strong for Omnipotence? The whole of this verse is improperly rendered. The first clause, The Lord was with Judah should terminate the 18th verse, and this gives the reason for the success of this tribe: The Lord was with Judah, and therefore he slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, etc., etc. Here then is a complete period: the remaining part of the verse either refers to a different time, or to the rebellion of Judah against the Lord, which caused him to withdraw his support. Therefore the Lord was with Judah, and these were the effects of His protection; but afterwards, when the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, etc., God was no longer with them, and their enemies were left to be pricks in their eyes, and thorns in their side, as God himself had said. This is the turn given to the verse by Jonathan ben Uzziel, the Chaldee paraphrast: 'And the Word of Jehovah was in the support of the house of Judah, and they extirpated the inhabitants of the mountains; but afterwards, When They Sinned, they were not able to extirpate the inhabitants of the plain country, because they had chariots of iron.' They were now left to their own strength, and their adversaries prevailed against them. From a work called the Dhunoor Veda, it appears that the ancient Hindoos had war chariots similar to those of the Canaanites. They are described as having many wheels, and to have contained a number of rooms. - Ward's Customs." [10]
STUDY GUIDE FOR JUDGES 1
by David Guzik
"e. They had chariots of iron: As impressive as Judah's victory was, it was incomplete; they could not win over nations that had the latest military technology: chariots of iron. i. Of course, this spoke more to Judah's lack of full trust in God than it did to Canaanite military superiority. Chariots were no problem for God's people when they were trusting God (Exodus 14:7-29; Joshua 11:1-8; 1 Kings 20:21); their attitude should have been like in Psalm 20:7 - Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. ii. They believed one promise of God, and not another. They believed that God was with them in the hills, but not in the lowlands. Many believers find it easy to believe one area of God's promises, but not another." [6]
Chuck Smit offered no comment. [5]
Exposition
or, What I Believe
The first few verses of the Book of Judges tell us that Joshua, the son of Nun, had died and that Israel was looking among its tribes to determine who would carry on the fight with the Canaanites that still dwelt in the land.
It was during this time, that God himself declared, that "Judah is to go" (Jud. 1v2), since He "has given the land into their hands" (Jud. 1v2).
After several great victories, Judah continues his battle against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountains and in the valleys (v9). Victory upon victory followed.
But, then we get to verse nineteen, which makes it seem like God was "helpless" [4] against the "iron chariots" of the Canaanites.
RENDERING THE HEBREW PROPERLY
The Book of Judges were originally written in Classical- or Biblical Hebrew. "The original manuscripts did not contain the chapter and verse divisions in the numbered form familiar to modern readers" [11]. These were added much later.
In other words, the original Hebrew version of Judges had no "verse 19".
What we know as "verse 19", was located smack in the middle of verses 18 and 20.
Notice the colon, near the middle of "verse 19"?
In Classical Hebrew, that colon [:] represents "a period" [13], meaning that the first clause of verse 19, "And the LORD was with Judah" (ASV), did in fact belong at the end of verse 18, and NOT the beginning of verse 19.
That would explain why the 1879 New International Version of the Bible, rendered the first clause as, "The LORD was with the men of Judah." [full stop].
En so ook die 1983 Nuwe Afrikaanse Vertaling waarin dit lei, "Die Here was by Juda, en hulle het die Bergland in besit geneem." [punt]
In the words of Adam Clarke (1760/1762-1832):
"The whole of this verse is improperly rendered. The first clause, The Lord was with Judah should terminate the 18th verse, and this gives the reason for the success of this tribe: The Lord was with Judah, and therefore he slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, etc., etc. Here then is a complete period: the remaining part of the verse either refers to a different time, or to the rebellion of Judah against the Lord, which caused Him to withdraw His support." [10]
In other words, the passage does NOT say, that Judah failed to defeat the inhabitants of the valley, even with God's help; but only that they previously took the hill country, but were now unable to take the plains.
THE TRIUMPHS AND FAILURES OF JUDAH
"for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron" (ASV) "but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron" (ESV) "but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron" (KJV/NKJV) "they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots" (NIV) "but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes" (DR) "but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots" (NASB) "But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots" (NLT) "but not to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they have chariots of iron" (YLT)
Some translations here tells us, that "THEY could not" (NASB), that "THEY were unable" (NIV), and that "THEY failed" (NLT).
But the Hebrew text here does not speak of a plural "they" (NASB/NIV/NLT), but of a singular "he" (ASV/ESV).
Consequently, some skeptics have suggested, that "he" here had to refer to God Himself, and NOT Judah, concluding that it was God Himself that was helpless against the "chariots of iron", and not Judah.
In the words of Muslim apologist, Ahmed Eldin:
"The problem with the [NIV] translation and few others along with it is that the Hebrew verse does not say 'they,' nor does it speak in plural! It is speaking in a singular form about GOD Almighty not being able to drive the enemy from the plains" [4]
In his defense, Eldin claimed, that the Biblos Bible Suite "perfectly agreed with the verse referring to GOD Almighty and not the men of Judah" [4]. Yet, contrary to Eldin's claims, the Biblos Bible Suite draws no such conclusion.
The singular "he" in Judges Chapter 1 Verse 19, refers to Judah, who is mentioned no less than eleven times throughout the passage, in Judges Chapter 1 verses 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19 itself:
"And the Lord was with JUDA, and HE possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes." (Jud. 1v19, DR)
It was Judah who was chosen of God (Jud. 1v2). It was Judah who previously defeated the Canaanites at Zephath (Jud. 1v17), Gaza (Jud. 1v18), Askelon (Jud. 1v18) and Ekron (Jud. 1v18). And it was Judah who now could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley.
There exists no hermeneutical principle, or interpretive rule, by which Eldin could defend his position.
In fact, if we apply Eldin's arbitrary hermeneutic to the English Sahih International translation of the Qur'an, we could likewise interpret the "him" of Surah 2:206 as referring to Allah himself, concluding that "Sufficient for [Allah] is Hellfire".
Of course Eldin would point to the context of Surah 2:206, for a proper understanding. And, likewise, we would respond with the context of Judges Chapter 1 Verse 19.
Why couldn't Judah defeat those in the valley?
Our skeptic friends would have everyone believe, that Judah failed, because their God was somewhat "helpless" [4] against the 'iron chariots' of their enemies.
What they, of course, selectively refrain from mentioning is, that the context of Judges Chapter 1 Verse 19 repeatedly explains why God, on a number of occasions, opted to "NOT drive [the enemy] out from before [Israel]" (Jud. 2v3).
That is, because "the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger." (Jud. 2v11-12, NKJV) [10].
But, that's not all, No, they were also disobedient. (Jud. 2v2) They would not drive out the Jebusites. (Jud. 1v21) They refrained from displacing the Canaanites. (Jud. 1v29) They refused to remove the inhabitants of Accho (Jud. 1v31), Achzib (Jud. 1v31), Ahlab (Jud. 1v31), Aphik (Jud. 1v31), Bethanath (Jud. 1v33), Bethshean (Jud. 1v27), Bethshemesh (Jud. 1v33), Dor (Jud. 1v27), Helbah (Jud. 1v31), Ibleam (Jud. 1v27), Kitron (Jud. 1v30), Megiddo (Jud. 1v27), Nahalol (Jud. 1v30), Rehob (Jud. 1v31), Taanach (Jud. 1v27), and Zidon (Jud. 1v31). No, rather greedily, they made them pay tribute. (Jud. 1v28, v30, v33, v35)
That, is why "they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley" (Jud. 1v19, NASB). NOT, because their God was "helpless" [4]. But, because God allowed their enemies to become "as thorns in [their] flesh" (Jud. 2v3), and "their gods ... a snare" (Jud. 2v3).
"And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies." (Jud. 2v14, NKJV, p.120)
In the words of Chaldee paraphrast, Jonathan ben Uzziel:
"And the Word of Jehovah was in the support of the house of Judah, and they extirpated the inhabitants of the mountains; but afterwards, When They Sinned, they were not able to extirpate the inhabitants of the plain country, because they had chariots of iron." (Jud. 1v19, TJ) [2|10]
Chariots were never a problem, while they honoured and trusted God. (Ex. 14v7-29; Deut. 20v1-4; Jud. 4v12-15; Josh. 11v1-9, 17v17-18; 1 Kgs. 20v21) But, the moment they turned to idols, those same chariots became invincible.
Gallery
Bibliography
1. The Problem of Judges 1:19 - God Defeated by Iron Chariots (Scrutinizing Scripture; 6 December 2008) ✔
2. Lope Columna. Can God be Defeated by Iron Chariots? (The Bible Explainer and Revelator; 15 July 2011) ✔
3. Chariots of Iron (Iron Chariots; 19 January 2013) ✔
4. Ahmed Eldin. Is the Biblical God able or unable to confront iron chariots? (Answering Christianity; 19 January 2013) ✔
5. Chuck Smith. Commentary on Judges 1-7 (Blue Letter Bible; 19 January 2013) ✔
6. David Guzik. Study Guide for Judges 1 (Blue Letter Bible; 19 January 2013) ✔
7. H1270: barzel (Blue Letter Bible; 4 February 2013) ✔
8. H7393: rekeb (Blue Letter Bible; 4 February 2013) ✔
9. Iron Chariots (Wikipedia; 4 February 2013) ✔
10. Judges 1:19 (Biblos Bible Suite; 5 February 2013) ✔
11. Chapters and verses of the Bible (Wikipedia; 6 February 2013) ✔
12. Ernst Würthwein. The Text of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 20. ✔
13. Hebrew Punctuation (Wikipedia; 6 February 2013) ✔
14. Judges 1:19 (Mechon Mamre) ✔
15. Is the Lord omnipotent or not? (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry; 9 February 2013) ✔
Revisions
19.01.2013 / 04-07.02.2013 / 09.02.2013