And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
The Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain. The war was of the Lord, whose omnipotent power would have ensured their success in every encounter, whether on the mountains or the plains, with foot soldiers or cavalry. It was distrust-the want of a simple and firm reliance on the promise of God-that made them afraid of the iron chariots (see the note at Joshua 11:4-9). It has been alleged from this passage, by many sceptical writers, that the Israelites regarded the God of Israel as a local deity, who was superior to the gods of their enemies in some, but not in all, instances. The allegation is groundless; for the proper antecedent to "he drave" is not "the Lord" (Yahweh) but Judah. And thus there is no absurdity in the statement; for, although "the Lord" did greatly aid the arms of Judah, He might be pleased, in perfect consistency, to withhold that aid in cases where they showed a want or weakness of faith.
Chariots of iron. The Canaanite war chariots were probably, like the Assyrian, made of wood, largely tipped with iron ('Nineveh and its Remains,' 2:, p. 349, note).