How often does “go up” appear in Judges 1—2?
This verb occurs six times in Judges 1:1–2:5, translated variously as go up
(Judges 1:1, Judges 1:2), went up
(Judges 1:16; Judges 2:1), and come up
(Judges 1:3, Judges 1:4, ?). Widely recognized is the structural significance of the verb’s occurrence at critical junctures in the narrative: Judges 1:1, Who shall go up…?
; Judges 1:4, Judah went up
; ?, The house of Joseph went up
; and Judges 2:1, The angel of the Lord went up.
1
1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”