Judges 1:8

8 The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They killed its people with their swords and set the city on fire.

Judges 1:8 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 1:8

Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and
had taken it
Which accounted for their carrying Adonibezek thither. This they had done in the times of Joshua; for when the king of that place was taken and slain by Joshua, it seems that he and Israel went and fought against the city, and took that in which the tribe of Judah had a principal concern; so Kimchi and Ben Gersom interpret it; but Jarchi and Abarbinel are of opinion, that now from Bezek they went up to Jerusalem, and fought against it, and took it; and so others think, because only the children of Judah are mentioned, and not all Israel, who fought together in Joshua's time; nor is there any mention made of its being taken in his time, and yet it seems plain that it was inhabited in part by the children of Judah, ( Joshua 15:63 ) ; some therefore have thought that it was twice taken; that after Joshua had taken it, he and the children of Israel being employed in making conquests in other parts of the land, the Jebusites repossessed it, from whence they were now again in part driven, not wholly; and Josephus says ^F11, the lower part was taken, and all the inhabitants killed, but the upper part was hard to be taken, because of the strength of the walls, and the nature of the place:

and smitten it with the edge of the sword;
the "inhabitants of it", so far as they got possession of it:

and set the city on fire;
some part of it only, for in some part of it dwelt the children of Judah, and in another part the Jebusites.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 2.)

Judges 1:8 In-Context

6 Adoni-bezek fled, but they chased after him, captured him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 He said, "Seventy kings with severed thumbs and big toes used to pick up scraps under my table, so God has paid me back exactly for what I did." They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

8 The people of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They killed its people with their swords and set the city on fire.

9 Afterward, the people of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the highlands, the southern plain, and the western foothills.

10 Judah moved against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron, known before as Kiriath-arba, and they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.