Texts in Conversation
Joshua and Judges both blame Canaanite iron chariots for Israel’s failure to conquer the lowlands. Joshua insists the valleys can still be won, while Judges simply records the defeat as final.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Joshua 17:16
Hebrew Bible
15 Joshua replied to them, “Since you have so many people, go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” 16 The descendants of Joseph said, “The whole hill country is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.” 17 Joshua said to the family of Joseph—to both Ephraim and Manasseh: “You have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal allotment. 18 The whole hill country will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it, and it will be entirely yours. You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”
Judges 1:19
Hebrew Bible
18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities. 19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered the hill country, but they could not conquer the people living in the coastal plain because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. 20 Caleb received Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites.
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Notes and References
... The fact that Judah, in contrast to the house of Joseph (compare Joshua 17:16-18), was apparently not called to drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had iron chariots (Judges 1:19) could suggest that the book of Judges is an Israelite (northern) work, and not a Judaean one. ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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