1:19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered 2 the hill country, but they could not 3 conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. 4
1 tn Heb “The men of Judah captured Gaza and its surrounding territory, Ashkelon and its surrounding territory, and Ekron and its surrounding territory.”
2 tn Or “seized possession of”; or “occupied.”
3 tc Several textual witnesses support the inclusion of this verb.
4 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.