Judges 1 · Verse 16

Judges 1:16

And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
Judges 1:16, King James Version

Judges 1:16 in other translations

BSBNow the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.
WEBThe children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
ASVAnd the children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people.
YLTAnd the sons of the Kenite, father-in-law of Moses, have gone up out of the city of palms with the sons of Judah to the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad, and they go and dwell with the people.
DARBYAnd the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, had gone up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people.
BBENow 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;
WebsterAnd the children of the Kenite, Moses's father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm-trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

What does Judges 1:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
16. the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah--called "the Kenite," as probably descended from the people of that name (Nu 24:21, 22). If he might not himself, his posterity did accept the invitation of Moses (Nu 10:32) to accompany the Israelites to Canaan. Their first encampment was in the "city of palm trees"--not Jericho, of course, which was utterly destroyed, but the surrounding district, perhaps En-gedi, in early times called Hazezon-tamar (Ge 14:7), from the palm-grove which sheltered it. Thence they removed for some unknown cause, and associating themselves with Judah, joined in an expedition against Arad, in the southern part of Canaan (Nu 21:1). On the conquest of that district, some of this pastoral people pitched their tents there, while others migrated to the north (Jud 4:17).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 The children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law - For an account of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, see Exodus 18:1-27 (note); Num 10:29 (note), etc. The city of palm trees - This seems to have been some place near Jericho, which city is expressly called the city of palm trees, Deu 34:3; and though destroyed by Joshua, it might have some suburbs remaining where these harmless people had taken up their residence. The Kenites, the descendants of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, were always attached to the Israelites: they remained with them, says Calmet, during their wanderings in the wilderness, and accompanied them to the promised land. They received there a lot with the tribe of Judah, and remained in the city of palm trees during the life of Joshua; but after his death, not contented with their portion, or molested by the original inhabitants, they united with the tribe of Judah, and went with them to attack Arad. After the conquest of that country, the Kenites established themselves there, and remained in it till the days of Saul, mingled with the Amalekites. When this king received a commandment from God to destroy the Amalekites, he sent a message to the Kenites to depart from among them, as God would not destroy them with the Amalekites. From them came Hemath, who was the father of the house of Rechab, 1Chr 2:55, and the Rechabites, of whom we have a remarkable account Jer 35:1, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

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

The Canaanites had iron chariots; but Israel had God on their side, whose chariots are thousands of angels, Psa 68:17. Yet they suffered their fears to prevail against their faith. About Caleb we read in Jos 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…

Read the full comment on Judges 1:9-20 →

Judges 1:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּבְנֵ֣יu.ve.Neiand [the] descendants ofH1121
קֵינִי֩kei.Ni[the] KeniteH7017
חֹתֵ֨ןcho.Ten[the] father-in-law ofH2859
מֹשֶׁ֜הmo.ShehMosesH4872
עָל֨וּ'a.Luthey went upH5927
מֵעִ֤ירme.'Irfrom [the] city ofH5899
הַתְּמָרִים֙ha.te.ma.Rimthe palm treesH5899
אֶת\־'et-withH854
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] descendants ofH1121
יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
מִדְבַּ֣רmid.Bar[the] wilderness ofH4057
יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.SherwhichH834
בְּנֶ֣גֶבbe.Ne.gev[is] in [the] NegevH5045
עֲרָ֑ד'a.RadAradH6166
וַיֵּ֖לֶךְvai.Ye.lekhand he wentH1980
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁבvai.Ye.shevand he dweltH3427
אֶת\־'et-withH854
הָעָֽם\׃ha.'Amthe peopleH5971

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 1:16

  • Numbers 10:29-32

    And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

  • Judges 4:11

    Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

  • 1 Samuel 15:6

    And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

  • Numbers 21:1

    And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

  • Deuteronomy 34:3

    And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

  • Judges 3:13

    And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

  • Judges 4:17

    Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

  • Exodus 4:18

    And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

  • Numbers 24:21-22

    And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:16

    At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

  • Exodus 18:27

    And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

  • Exodus 18:12

    And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the Kenite.
4:11,17; Nu 10:29-32; 24:21,22; 1Sa 15:6; 1Ch 2:15; Jer 35:2
Moses.
Ex 3:1; 4:18; 18:1,7,12,14-17,27; Nu 10:29
city of palm.
3:13; De 34:3; 2Ch 28:16
which.
Nu 21:1; Jos 12:14
they went.
Nu 10:29-32; 1Sa 15:6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 1:15

    And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

  • Judges 1:16

    And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

  • Judges 1:17

    And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

Read all of Judges 1

Judges 1:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y los hijos de Cineo, suegro de Moisés, subieron de la ciudad de las palmas con los hijos de Judá al desierto de Judá, que está al mediodía de Arad: y fueron y habitaron con el pueblo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les fils du Kénien, beau-père de Moïse, étaient montés de la ville des palmiers, avec les fils de Juda, au désert de Juda, qui est au midi d’Arad; et ils allèrent et habitèrent avec le peuple.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Kinder des Keniters, des Schwagers Moses, waren mit den Kindern Juda aus der Palmenstadt heraufgezogen in die Wüste Juda, die im Süden von Arad liegt; und sie gingen hin und wohnten bei dem Volke.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Filii autem Cinæi cognati Moysi ascenderunt de civitate palmarum cum filiis Juda, in desertum sortis ejus, quod est ad meridiem Arad, et habitaverunt cum eo.