9 After that the children of Judah went down to make war on the Canaanites living in the hill-country and in the south and in the lowlands. 10 And Caleb went against the Canaanites of Hebron: (now in earlier times Hebron was named Kiriath-arba:) and he put Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai to the sword.

Othniel Conquers Debir and Receives Achsah

11 And from there he went up against the people of Debir. (Now the name of Debir in earlier times was Kiriath-sepher.) 12 And Caleb said, I will give Achsah, my daughter, as wife to the man who overcomes Kiriath-sepher and takes it. 13 And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for his wife. 14 Now when she came to him, he put into her mind the idea of requesting a field from her father: and she got down from her ass; and Caleb said to her, What is it? 15 And she said to him, Give me a blessing; because you have put me in a dry south-land, now give me springs of water. So Caleb gave her the higher spring and the lower spring.

The Extent of the Conquests of Judah and Benjamin

16 Now Hobab the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, had come up out of the town of palm-trees, with the children of Judah, into the waste land of Arad; and he went and was living among the Amalekites; 17 And Judah went with Simeon, his brother, and overcame the Canaanites living in Zephath, and put it under the curse; and he gave the town the name of Hormah. 18 Then Judah took Gaza and its limit, and Ashkelon and its limit, and Ekron and its limit. 19 And the Lord was with Judah; and he took the hill-country for his heritage; but he was unable to make the people of the valley go out, for they had war-carriages of iron. 20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said; and he took the land of the three sons of Anak, driving them out from there.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 1:9-20

Commentary on Judges 1:9-20

(Read Judges 1:9-20)

The Canaanites had iron chariots; but Israel had God on their side, whose chariots are thousands of angels, Joshua 15:16-19. The Kenites had settled in the land. Israel let them fix where they pleased, being a quiet, contented people. They that molested none, were molested by none. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.