And Judah went up; and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they smote them in Bezek, ten thousand men.
After Joshua died, Israel asked the LORD who should lead the attack on the Canaanites, and He named Judah. Verse 4 gives the result: ten thousand enemies fell at Bezek, and the LORD was the one who handed them over.
God chose the leading tribe Himself. One writer finds the reason in what Judah stands for — praise.
The LORD not only names the champion, but assures success: "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand." We have seen before why Judah is in front. The spirit of "praise" is the spirit of power. It must be so. Praise puts God first. It means devotion to Him, and a joy in obedience that gives courage and enthusiasm. The cause is God's, and it must prosper. If Judah is weak, the whole of Israel must grow weak.
The verse names two of the peoples living in the land. One writer treats their names as pictures of dangers we still meet.
The names here, as everywhere, are surely significant. They stand for those powers of evil which take the ground first and would keep us from enjoying the inheritance God has given us in Christ… The Canaanite is "the trafficker," companion to the talker, who turns the very truth of God into merchandise. The Perizzite is "the countryman," which may suggest great power, nobility, false pride… All these must be cast out. Every alliance with them must be refused outright.
One writer notes that the Perizzites are missing from the list of Canaan's descendants, and draws a conclusion:
This seems to mean that they were not a separate race. They were people who kept away from town life, which the Canaanites mostly loved, and stayed villagers.
God promised the land into Judah's hand, yet Judah asked Simeon to come along. The victory still came. One writer weighs both facts.
God did not disown either tribe. Verse 4 says, "the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand." But war fought on the footing of a human alliance carries, more or less, the mark of where it came from.
Commentators differ on this partnership. Another writer reads the start of the chapter as full of encouragement, and points to what the two tribes did before any fighting began:
Two tribes, Judah and Simeon, wanted to gain their inheritance, and they showed two features we might well want today. First, they depended on God — they asked the LORD what they were to do. Second, they shared together in getting what they wanted… This is the secret of true prosperity before God — there was dependence upon God.
One writer draws the lesson out of the place name and out of the king who ruled there.
Judah and Simeon go together, and God delivers the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hand. They strike down a host ten thousand strong in Bezek. In Bezek they also find Adoni-bezek, whom they pursue and maim, carrying out God's judgment on him for the cruelties he had inflicted on others. He admits it himself — a striking witness to Israel of how and why God was against the Canaanites, and that the One whose judgments they were carrying out was over all. His name goes with the lesson. Bezek means "fettered," and so were the hosts they destroyed. Adoni-bezek means "lord of Bezek," which was no doubt his chief city; but it also means, literally, "a lord in fetters." So it is with the freest of men when they stand against God, and with the mightiest when they are in His hand.
after-note-none:
The Canaanites were more than a political enemy. One writer connects them to a fight that goes on today.
The Canaanites, as anyone with a little teaching knows, were the future enemies of God's chosen people. They were already in the land. They were Satan's tool to shut out those whom God had called, if that were possible, or at least to expose and corrupt them. According to Ephesians 6, they picture our own enemies: the world-rulers of this darkness, the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Our fight is against them.
- Asked — Israel asked the LORD first instead of acting on their own. Writers call this dependence the secret of real prosperity before God.
- Appointed — God named Judah, the tribe that stands for praise, and promised the land into his hand before the fighting began.
- Allied — Judah still called on Simeon. The victory came, but writers note that war built on a human alliance carries the mark of where it came from.
- Delivered — The verse gives the credit to the LORD. Ten thousand fell at Bezek, and the king called "lord of Bezek" ended up a lord in fetters.
- Applied — The Canaanites picture the spiritual powers believers still face. Even the mightiest enemy is in God's hand.
And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
Here the war for the land narrows to one man. Judah and Simeon hunt down the ruler of Bezek and defeat his Canaanite and Perizzite forces. Commentators read the verse on two levels: a real battle won by God's power, and a lesson hidden in two names.
The name "Adoni-bezek" means the lord, or master, of Bezek. One writer finds a second sense in the word, one that turns the title upside down:
His name goes with the lesson. Bezek means "fettered," and so were these armies they destroyed. Adoni-bezek means "lord of Bezek," no doubt his chief city — but it also means, literally, "a lord in fetters." So it is with the freest, when in opposition to God, and with the mightiest, in His hand.
Commentators differ on the meaning of the name. Another reads Bezek as "lightning," which changes the picture of the enemy but not the outcome:
Bezek, meaning "lightning," looks like a fearsome enemy, but the power of God is greater.
Before the fighting began, Judah had asked his brother tribe Simeon to come with him. One writer sees that move as a small crack in his confidence:
Judah seems to mistrust his own strength. Instead of finding his resource in the God of Israel, he seeks it in Simeon, and in reality lacks confidence in the Lord. True, he does not ally himself with the enemies of God. If his faith fails, he turns to his brother Simeon, only to his brother. But still, under the excuse of pushing forward the work of God, we see in principle the first sign of human associations and alliances.
God still gave the victory. Yet the same writer sees the method leave its mark on the result:
It was not that God disowned either tribe. Verse 4 says, "the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand." But a war fought on the basis of a human alliance carries more or less the mark of where it came from.
They caught Adoni-bezek but did not kill him. They cut off his thumbs and big toes instead — the very thing he had done to others. One writer weighs this against God's command, and draws a lesson about sin in ourselves:
They captured its king, Adoni-Bezek ("lord of Bezek"), as he was fleeing. But instead of putting him to death as God had ordered, they compromised: they cut off his thumbs and big toes. … God had decreed this because of the demon worship these Canaanites had given themselves up to. That demonic influence would not be stamped out by merely maiming the ungodly king. These things teach us to show no mercy to sin. We are to "put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5).
This half-measure sets the pattern for the rest of the chapter. Another writer traces the slide step by step:
It is only a partial maiming of an enemy instead of his complete destruction. As you go on you find everything done in part only. At first they simply put the enemy to flight. Then they can no longer do that, and the enemy is driven into the mountain strongholds to live there alone. Then, a little further on, they cannot do even that; they make the enemies of God pay them tribute. … The next step shows no power even for this; they live among them. And lastly, they could not drive them out of the rich valleys, the choice pastures.
Adoni-bezek's own words explain his defeat. He had maimed other kings the same way, and he named what happened to him as God's repayment:
In Jerusalem and its people has been shown, and will yet be shown, that stern law: "whatever one sows, that will he also reap." … Such treatment of a beaten enemy seems dishonourable and cruel. But the reason for it is not hidden from us: as he had treated others, so he was treated. He at once admits that his punishment is just, and in that state of self-judgment they bring him to Jerusalem.
Another writer turns that admission on a long-standing objection:
Unbelievers have often found fault with the wiping out of the Canaanites. The confession of Adoni-Bezek answers these objections. "As I have done, so God has repaid me." Their punishment was just and well deserved.
- Promise — The Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. The win at Bezek was God's doing, not proof of Judah's strength.
- Alliance — Judah still reached for Simeon's help. God gave the victory anyway, but the way a battle is fought leaves its mark.
- Compromise — A maimed king is not a dead king. Sin left crippled but alive is sin left alive.
- Harvest — Adoni-bezek had cut off thumbs and toes; he lost his own, and said God had repaid him. He reaped what he sowed — and his own confession answers the charge that God was cruel.
- Decline — Half-finished work sets the pattern for what follows. First flight, then tribute, then living among the enemy, then losing the best of the land.
And Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
A Canaanite king runs from a lost battle. Israel's men catch him and, instead of killing him, cripple his hands and feet. Two questions follow: why this punishment, and why did Israel choose it when God had commanded something else?
His name is a title, and it ends up describing what happened to him.
In Bezek they find Adoni-bezek. They chase him down and maim him, carrying out God's judgment on him for the same kind of cruelties he had inflicted on others. He himself admits this is what it is. That is a remarkable witness to Israel of how and why God was against the Canaanites, and that He whose judgments they were carrying out was over all. His name goes with the lesson. Bezek means "fettered," and so were these armies that they destroyed. Adoni-bezek means "lord of Bezek," no doubt his chief city, but the name also means, literally, "a lord in fetters." So it is with the freest man when he stands against God, and with the mightiest man in His hand.
The mutilation looks arbitrary until you see what it took from a soldier.
In ancient times people fully recognised the special place and usefulness of the thumb of the hand and the big toe of the foot. The Bible tells us about a great king, Adoni-bezek. He lost a battle, and as he tried to escape they caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes... Without thumbs and big toes a warrior could not fight, and getting away from the enemy became very hard.
The punishment fit the crime, but it did not fit God's command.
The allies seize Adoni-bezek and "cut off his thumbs and his big toes" (v. 6). This was not what God had commanded long ago. It was not what Joshua did to the kings of Jericho, Ai, Jerusalem and Makkedah, or to all the kings of the mountain and the plain. To mutilate the enemy was simply human retaliation. Adoni-bezek had done the same to humble his own enemies. He kept them at his court, because their presence added to his glory as conqueror.
Another writer explains why maiming could never be enough.
They captured its king, Adoni-Bezek ("lord of Bezek") as he fled. God had ordered them to put him to death, but they compromised and cut off his thumbs and big toes (vv. 5-6). He had done the same to 70 kings whom he had brought under his rule, and now he says that God has repaid him in kind... God had decreed his death because of the demon worship these Canaanites had given themselves up to. Maiming this wicked king would not stamp out that demon influence. These things teach us to show no mercy to sin. We are to "put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5). Yet Adoni-Bezek died, so God intervened to carry out the proper sentence against him.
Half-measures at the start of the book set the pattern for everything that follows.
It is only a partial mutilation of an enemy instead of his absolute destruction. As you go on you find everything done in part only. At first they simply put the enemy to flight. Then they can no longer do even that, and they only drive the enemy into the mountain strongholds to live there alone. Then you find, a little further on, that they are not able to do even that; they actually make the enemies of God pay them tribute. The next step shows no power even for this: they live among them. Last of all, they cannot drive them out of the rich valleys, the choice pastures. The children of Israel have to live in the mountains, and the enemy has the best of all the land. What a progress that is!
The maimed king had his own explanation for what had happened to him.
Such treatment of a fallen foe seems both unchivalrous and cruel, but the reason for it is not hidden from us: as he had treated others, so was he treated. He immediately acknowledges the justice of his punishment, and in that state of self-judgment is brought to Jerusalem.
Notice who he credits for it — not Judah, and not bad luck.
Note this. Adoni-bezek went through the ordeal of having his thumbs and his big toes cut off, which left him badly crippled. He traced what had happened to him back to God: "as I have done, so God has repaid me." The boomerang he had often thrown at others had hit himself. It is always so.
- Lord in fetters — his name meant "lord of Bezek," and Bezek means "fettered." The mightiest man becomes a captive once he stands against God.
- Boomerang — he had crippled seventy kings. The weapon he threw at others came back on him, and he named God as the one repaying him.
- Compromise — God had ordered death. Israel cut off thumbs and toes instead: human retaliation in place of obedience.
- Half-measures fail — maiming leaves the evil alive. Sin in us needs the same treatment: put it to death, do not just disable it.
- The slide — this half-job starts a long decline. Israel first routs the enemy, then only taxes them, then lives among them, and ends up in the hills while the enemy keeps the best land.
And Adoni-Bezek said, Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gleaned under my table as I have done, so God has requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
Adoni-bezek was a Canaanite king, caught as he fled. His only recorded words are a confession: his punishment matched his own cruelty to seventy other kings. The verse raises two hard questions at once — was God behind this, and was Israel right to do it?
The striking thing is not the cruelty but who names God in it.
Adoni-bezek went through the ordeal of having his thumbs and his great toes cut off. It left him badly crippled. Yet he traced what had happened to him back to God — "God has repaid me." The boomerang he had often thrown at others had struck him. This is always so.
Why the thumbs and big toes? They were what a fighting man needed most:
In ancient times people knew well the special place and usefulness of the thumb of the hand and the big toe of the foot… Without thumbs and big toes a warrior could not fight, and escape from the enemy would be extremely difficult.
One commentator answers a long-standing charge against God with the words of a Canaanite himself.
Adoni-Bezek suffers the same treatment that he in his wickedness had given to others. Unbelievers have often found fault with the extermination of the Canaanites. The confession of Adoni-Bezek answers these objections: "As I have done, so God has repaid me." Their punishment was just and well deserved.
Judah and Simeon were not only winning a war. One commentator finds a witness to Israel in the whole scene, down to the king's name.
They pursue and maim him, carrying out God's judgment on him for cruelties of this same kind inflicted on others. He himself admits this is what it is. It was a remarkable witness to Israel of how and why God was against the Canaanites. It also showed that the One whose judgments they were carrying out was over all. His name goes with the lesson. Bezek means "fettered," and so were the hosts they destroyed. Adonibezek means "lord of Bezek," which was his chief city — but the name also means "a lord in fetters." So it is with the freest of men when they oppose God, and with the mightiest, in His hand.
Not everyone reads Israel's action as obedience. One writer calls the maiming a human choice, not God's command. He also finds the beaten king more open than God's own people.
This was not what God commanded long ago… To mutilate the enemy was nothing more than human retaliation. Adoni-bezek had likewise used this way of humbling his enemies. But he kept them at his court, since their presence added to his glory as conqueror. We see similar things in the history of the church. How often she has made a display of past victories to exalt herself in her own eyes and in the eyes of others. The conscience of a humbled enemy is often more open than that of the people of God in prosperity.
Another writer sees a compromise. Judah settled for less than God had ordered, and God finished what Israel left half done.
Instead of putting him to death, as God had ordered, they compromised by cutting off his thumbs and big toes. His own words in verse 7 are his condemnation… God had decreed this death because of the demon worship these Canaanites had given themselves over to. Maiming the ungodly king would never stamp out that demon influence. These things teach us that we are to show no mercy to sin… Yet Adoni-Bezek died, so God stepped in to carry out the proper sentence against him.
They take him to Jerusalem to die. That city's own history shows the same rule.
In the history of Jerusalem and its people we see that stern law shown, and it will be shown again: "whatever one sows, that will he also reap."… Such treatment of a fallen enemy seems both dishonourable and cruel. But the reason for it is not hidden from us: as he had treated others, so he was treated. He admits at once that his punishment is just. In that state of self-judgment they bring him to Jerusalem.
- Sown — Seventy maimed kings under his table were seed; the harvest came back to the sower's own hands and feet.
- Owned — He names God as the one repaying him. The condemned man agrees with his own sentence.
- Answered — A Canaanite king's own words answer the charge that God was unjust to the Canaanites.
- Fettered — "Lord of Bezek" ends as a lord in fetters. The freest and mightiest man is still in God's hand when he sets himself against Him.
- Half-done — Commentators differ on Judah's part: human retaliation, or a compromise short of God's order. Both warn that a maimed enemy left alive is no finished victory.