The Meaning of Judges 1:4 Explained

Judges 1:4

KJV: And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

YLT: And Judah goeth up, and Jehovah giveth the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand, and they smite them in Bezek -- ten thousand men;

Darby: Then Judah went up and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Per'izzites into their hand; and they defeated ten thousand of them at Bezek.

ASV: And Judah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Judah  went up;  and the LORD  delivered  the Canaanites  and the Perizzites  into their hand:  and they slew  of them in Bezek  ten  thousand  men. 

What does Judges 1:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Bezek was obviously a stronghold of the Canaanites and Perizzites at this time since the Israelite forces were able to smite them near this town. The word translated "thousand" (Heb. eleph) can also mean "military unit." In Judges 20:10 it refers to a unit of10 men. Consequently the meaning here may be10 military units rather than10 thousand soldiers. [1]

Context Summary

Judges 1:1-15 - Renewing The Conquest
The land had been given. There could be no doubt about that. In the ancient covenant which Jehovah had made with Abram, He said: "Unto thy seed have I given this land." See Genesis 15:18. It had also been conquered and divided by lot, as we learn in Joshua 14:1-5. The portion of Judah is specified in Joshua 15:1-63. But notwithstanding all, each tribe had to possess its own, first by the sword, and ultimately by the plow and the spade.
It is not enough to be assured that "we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus." We must possess our possessions. By faith, and patience, and daily use, we must appropriate the resources which are stored up in Christ Jesus. See Obadiah 1:17; Ephesians 1:3. Let us not be content with the nether springs of ordinary experience, but let us seek the upper springs that arise hard by the throne of God!
"Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!"¦
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 1

1  The acts of Judah and Simeon
4  Adonibezek justly requited
8  Jerusalem taken
10  Hebron taken
11  Othniel has Achsah to wife for taking of Debir
16  The Kenites dwell in Judah
17  Hormah, Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron taken
21  The acts of Benjamin
22  Of the house of Joseph, who take Bethel
30  Of Zebulun
31  Of Asher
33  Of Naphtali
34  Of Dan

What do the individual words in Judges 1:4 mean?

And went up Judah and delivered Yahweh - the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand and they killed at Bezek ten thousand men
וַיַּ֣עַל יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּתֵּ֧ן יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־ הַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י וְהַפְּרִזִּ֖י בְּיָדָ֑ם וַיַּכּ֣וּם בְּבֶ֔זֶק עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת אֲלָפִ֖ים אִֽישׁ

וַיַּ֣עַל  And  went  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
יְהוּדָ֔ה  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וַיִּתֵּ֧ן  and  delivered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י  the  Canaanite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּנְעָן 
Sense: descendant of inhabitant of Canaan n.
וְהַפְּרִזִּ֖י  and  the  Perizzite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פְּרִזִּי  
Sense: a people who inhabited southern Canaan prior to the conquest.
בְּיָדָ֑ם  into  their  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וַיַּכּ֣וּם  and  they  killed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בְּבֶ֔זֶק  at  Bezek 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֶּזֶק  
Sense: the home of Adonibezek, the place where Israel rallied under Saul.
עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: עֶשֶׂר 
Sense: ten.
אֲלָפִ֖ים  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine plural
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
אִֽישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.