Judgeschapter 2

An Angel Appears to the Israelites — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

A.The angel at Bochim, the place of weepingvv. 1-5

1 Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.” 4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 So they called that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.

B.A generation arises that knew not Jehovahvv. 6-10

6 After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel.

C.The cycle named: sin, oppression, cry, deliverervv. 11-23

11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, 13 for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed. 16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17 Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.” 23 That is why the LORD had left those nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

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Chapter summary

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The angel of Jehovah goes up from Gilgal to Bochim and delivers the verdict on chapter 1: because Israel made covenants with the land's inhabitants and did not break down their altars, 'they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.' The people weep, hence Bochim, weepers. Joshua's generation is buried, and there arises another generation that knew not Jehovah nor his work. Here the book states its own machinery: they served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, Jehovah gave them into the hand of spoilers, he raised up judges to save them, and when the judge died they turned back and dealt more corruptly than their fathers.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Samuel — Judges overview

A. 1–5 The angel at Bochim, the place of weeping
B. 6–10 A generation arises that knew not Jehovah
C. 11–23 The cycle named: sin, oppression, cry, deliverer

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Joshua 244 verses
- Joshua 24:28Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
- Joshua 24:29Some time later, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
- Joshua 24:30And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
- Joshua 24:31Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel.
- Read Joshua 24 →
Joshua 233 verses
- Joshua 23:13know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
- Joshua 23:15But just as every good thing the LORD your God promised you has come to pass, likewise the LORD will bring upon you the calamity He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you.
- Joshua 23:16If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”
- Read Joshua 23 →
Psalms 1063 verses
- Psalms 106:36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
- Psalms 106:40So the anger of the LORD burned against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance.
- Psalms 106:43Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.
- Read Psalms 106 →
Judges 23 verses
- Judges 2:3So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”
- Judges 2:7And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel.
- Judges 2:14Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
- Read Judges 2 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Exodus 202 verses
- Exodus 20:2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Exodus 20:5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Read Exodus 20 →
Leviticus 262 verses
- Leviticus 26:14If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments,
- Leviticus 26:42then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
- Read Leviticus 26 →
Jeremiah 22 verses
- Jeremiah 2:5This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me, and followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?
- Jeremiah 2:36How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
- Read Jeremiah 2 →
Judges 62 verses
- Judges 6:1Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
- Judges 6:24So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- Read Judges 6 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.