Judges2

Judges chapter two begins with an angel of the LORD rebuking Israel at Bochim for failing to obey His covenant by not driving out the land's inhabitants and throwing down their altars. The people wept and sacrificed, but after Joshua and his generation died, a new generation arose that knew not the LORD. This led to widespread idolatry, provoking God's anger and His delivering them into the hands of their enemies. Though God raised up judges to deliver them, Israel repeatedly returned to their corrupt ways after each judge's death.
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The Angel's Rebuke at Bochim

1
And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. ​
2
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? ​
3
Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. ​
4
And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
5
And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. ​

Death of Joshua and a Faithful Generation

6
And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. ​
7
And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. ​
8
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10
And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. ​

Israel's Apostasy and Divine Punishment

11
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: ​
12
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. ​
13
And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. ​
15
Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

The Cycle of Oppression and Deliverance

16
Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. ​
17
And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. ​
18
And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. ​
19
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. ​

Remaining Nations Become a Test

20
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; ​
21
I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22
That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. ​
23
Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. ​

Study Notes for Judges 2

Verse 1

The 'angel of the LORD' (often interpreted as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ or the Divine Messenger) speaks with divine authority, referencing the unconditional covenant made at the Exodus.

Verse 2

The command to avoid treaties and destroy altars was crucial for maintaining Israel's distinct identity and monotheism, as stipulated in the Mosaic Law (Exodus 23:32).

Verse 3

This is a crucial statement of divine judgment. Because Israel failed to fulfill its obligations, God allows the remaining Canaanites to become a source of affliction ('thorns') and temptation ('snare').

Verse 5

The place is named 'Bochim,' meaning 'weepers,' memorializing the spot where the people confessed their guilt and mourned their failure, though this repentance proved temporary.

Verse 6

This verse begins the transition from the successful conquest narrative (Joshua) to the failure narrative (Judges), establishing the setting for the subsequent decline.

Verse 7

The faithfulness of this initial generation stemmed from their personal experience of the powerful miracles of the Exodus and Conquest, contrasting sharply with their descendants.

Verse 10

This verse pinpoints the theological problem of the entire book: the failure to transmit the knowledge of Yahweh and His saving acts to the next generation, leading to spiritual ignorance.

Verse 11

'Doing evil in the sight of the LORD' is the recurring theological phrase used by the historian to describe covenant disobedience, specifically the worship of foreign deities (Baalim).

Verse 12

The rejection of Yahweh in favor of local Canaanite fertility gods (Baal and Ashtaroth) constituted the ultimate breach of the covenant, violating the First Commandment.

Verse 14

The result of apostasy is immediate divine judgment. God delivers them into the hands of 'spoilers' (raiders or neighboring enemies), initiating the cycle of sin and suffering.

Verse 16

This verse introduces the central mechanism of the book: God raising up temporary military and spiritual leaders (judges) as instruments of salvation in response to Israel’s distress.

Verse 17

The phrase 'went a whoring after other gods' is powerful prophetic imagery, describing idolatry as spiritual adultery, emphasizing the deep betrayal inherent in breaking the covenant bond.

Verse 18

God's intervention through the judges stemmed from His compassion ('it repented the LORD') in response to the people's groaning, demonstrating divine mercy overriding strict justice.

Verse 19

This verse highlights the downward spiritual spiral. Upon the judge's death, the people immediately relapsed, becoming 'more corrupted' than the preceding generation.

Verse 20

God reaffirms the judgment declared in verses 2-3. Since the people failed to obey the covenant, the judgment—leaving the Canaanites in place—will stand.

Verse 22

The purpose of sparing the nations is clearly stated: to 'prove Israel,' acting as a test of their faithfulness and obedience to the covenant way of life established by Moses and Joshua.

Verse 23

The remaining nations were not simply a leftover task but a deliberate divine choice designed to test the loyalty and spiritual maturity of the new, disobedient generation.

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