Judges 1:8

Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it. The capture of the important city Jerusalem, which ranks among the early incidents of the war of invasion (Joshua 15:63), is here noticed to account for its being in the possession of the Judahites. It appears, however, that it was only the southern part of the city that the men of Judah succeeded in taking. The fortress, as well as the northern part, remained in the possession of the Jebusites (Judges 1:21: cf. 2 Samuel 5:6). The sequel of this chapter, together with the whole of the next, is occupied with a general review of the proceedings subsequent to the invasion, so as to be a suitable introduction to the ensuing history.