“Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
Here, I. The children of Israel consult the oracle of God for direction which of all the tribes should first attempt to clear their country of the Canaanites, and to animate and encourage the rest. It was after the death of Joshua.
Commenting on Judges 1:1-8
And the Lord said,.... By an articulate voice, which it is probable was the usual way of answering by Urim and Thummim: Judah shall go up; not Judah in person, who was long ago dead, but the tribe of Judah; it was the will of the Lord that that tribe should engage first with the Canaanites, being the principal one, and the most numerous, powerful...
the Lord said, Judah shall go up--The predicted pre-eminence (Gen 49:8) was thus conferred upon Judah by divine direction, and its appointment to take the lead in the ensuing hostilities was of great importance, as the measure of success by which its arms were crowned, would animate the other tribes to make similar attempts against the Canaanites within their respective territories.