Judges 1:19
And the Lord was with Juda, and he possessed the hill country: but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the valley, because they had many chariots armed with scythes.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Fuitque Dominus cum Juda, et montana possedit : nec potuit delere habitatores vallis, quia falcatis curribus abundabant.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἦν Κύριος μετὰ Ἰούδα· καὶ ἐκληρονόμησεν τὸ ὄρος, ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνάσθησαν ἐξολεθρεῦσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν κοιλάδα, ὅτι Ῥηχὰβ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיְהִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֶתּ יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖רֶשׁ אֶת הָהָ֑ר כִּ֣י לֹ֤א לְהוֹרִישׁ֙ אֶת יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָעֵ֔מֶק כִּי רֶ֥כֶב בַּרְזֶ֖ל לָהֶֽם
Haydock's commentary
Was not able, &c. Through a cowardly fear of their chariots armed with hooks and scythes, and for want of confidence in God. (Challoner)
Hebrew does not say expressly that Juda could not: quia non ad expellendum, &c. He had not the courage or the will. With God's assistance, what had he to fear? Were these Philistines with their chariots, more terrible than the giants in their fortresses?
Scythes. Hebrew receb barzel, "chariots of iron." (Calmet)
The Roman and Alexandrian Septuagint have "Rechab was opposed to them." (Haydock)
The edition of Basil adds, "and they had chariots of iron," as St. Augustine (q. 5,) reads. A double translation is thus given. (Calmet)
These chariots were calculated to cut down all that came in contact with them. (Curt. iv.) (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.