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Judges Chapter
Two
Judges 2
Outlines
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 2
This
chapter gives an account of an angel of the Lord appearing and rebuking the
children of Israel for their present misconduct, Judges 2:1; of
their good behaviour under Joshua, and the elders that outlived him, Judges 2:6; and of
their idolatries they fell into afterwards, which greatly provoked the Lord to
anger, Judges 2:11; and of
the goodness of God to them nevertheless, in raising up judges to deliver them
out of the hands of their enemies, of which there are many instances in the
following chapter, Judges 2:16; and
yet that how, upon the demise of such persons, they relapsed into idolatry
which caused the anger of God to be hot against them, and to determine not to
drive out the Canaanites utterly from them, but to leave them among them to try
them, Judges 2:19.
Judges 2:1 Then
the Angel of the Lord
came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought
you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never
break My covenant with you.
YLT
1And a messenger of Jehovah
goeth up from Gilgal unto Bochim,
And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim,.... The
Targum calls him a prophetF25So Maimonides, Moreh Nevochim, par. 1.
c. 15. & par. 2. c. 6. ; and the Jewish commentators in general interpret
it of PhinehasF26The Rabbins in Maimon. Moreh Nevochim, par. 2. c.
42. ; and that a man is meant is given into by others, because he is said to
come from a certain place in Canaan, and not from heaven, and spoke in a public
congregation, and is not said to disappear; but neither a man nor a created
angel is meant, or otherwise he would have spoken in the name of the Lord, and
have said, "thus saith the Lord", and not in his own name; ascribing
to himself the bringing of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and swearing to
them, and making a covenant with them, and threatening what he would do to them
because of their sin; wherefore the uncreated Angel, the Angel of the covenant,
is meant, who brought Israel out of Egypt, was with them in the wilderness, and
introduced them into the land of Canaan, and appeared to Joshua as the Captain
of the Lord's host at or near Gilgal, Joshua 5:13; and
because he had not appeared since, therefore he is said to come from thence to
a place afterwards called Bochim, from what happened at this time:
and said, I made you to go out of Egypt; that is,
obliged Pharaoh king of Egypt to let them go, by inflicting plagues upon him
and his people, which made them urgent upon them to depart:
and I have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your
fathers; into the land of Canaan, now for the most part conquered, and
divided among them, and in which they were settled:
and I said, I will never break my covenant with you; if the
covenant between them was broken, it should not begin with him, it would be
their own fault; all which is mentioned, as so many instances of divine
goodness to them, and as so many aggravations of their sins against God.
Judges 2:2 2 And you shall make no
covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’
But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?
YLT
2and saith, `I cause you to
come up out of Egypt, and bring you in unto the land which I have sworn to your
fathers, and say, I do not break My covenant with you to the age; and ye -- ye
make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land -- their altars ye break
down; and ye have not hearkened to My voice -- what [is] this ye have done?
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land,.... This the
Lord charged them not to do, when he covenanted with them, and assured them of
bringing them into the land; and yet they had done it, as some instances in the
preceding chapter show, which were the occasion of the angel's coming to them
to rebuke them, see Deuteronomy 7:2,
you shall throw down their altars; this they aught to have
done as soon as they were come into the land, and possessed of the places where
they were erected, to show their detestation of idolatry, and to prevent the
use of them to idolatrous purposes, see Deuteronomy 7:5,
but ye have not obeyed my voice; the command of God, but
on the contrary had made leagues and covenants with several inhabitants of the
land, allowing them to dwell among them on paying a certain tax or tribute to
them; and had suffered their altars to continue, and them to sacrifice upon
them to their idols, according to their former customs:
why have ye done this? transgressed the
commandment of God in the instances mentioned. It showed the wickedness of
their hearts, their ingratitude to God, who had done such great things for
them, and their proneness to idolatry, and liking of it.
Judges 2:3 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I
will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side,[a] and their
gods shall be a snare to you.’”
YLT
3And I also have said, I do
not cast them out from your presence, and they have been to you for
adversaries, and their gods are to you for a snare.'
Wherefore I also said,.... Supposing, or on
condition of their being guilty of the above things, which was foreseen they
would:
I will not drive them out from before you; the seven
nations of the Canaanites entirely, and which accounts for the various
instances related in the preceding chapter; where it is observed, that they
could not, or did not, drive the old inhabitants out of such and such places,
because they sinned against the Lord, and he forsook them, and would not assist
them in their enterprises, or them to their sloth and indolence:
but they shall be as thorns in your sides: very
troublesome and afflicting, see Numbers 33:55; or
for straits, as the Septuagint, or be such as would bring them into
tribulation, and distress them, as the Targum; so they often did:
and their gods shall be a snare unto you; which they
suffered to continue, and did not destroy them, as they ought to have done;
they would be, as they proved, ensnaring to them, and whereby they were drawn
to forsake the worship of the true God, and bow down to them, as we read in
some following verses.
Judges 2:4 4 So it was, when the Angel
of the Lord
spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up
their voices and wept.
YLT
4And it cometh to pass, when
the messenger of Jehovah speaketh these words unto all the sons of Israel, that
the people lift up their voice and weep,
And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words
unto all the children of Israel,.... This being either one of the three
solemn feasts, when all the males appeared at the tabernacle of the Lord; or
else here was now a solemn convention of all the tribes to inquire of the Lord
the reason why they were not able to drive out the Canaanites in some places,
and why they prevailed over them in many:
that the people lift up their voice, and wept; being
affected with what the angel said, and convicted in their consciences of their
sins, and so fearing the bad consequences thereof, they wept because of the
sins they had been guilty of, and because of the evils that were like to befall
them on account of them.
Judges 2:5 5 Then they called the name
of that place Bochim;[b] and they
sacrificed there to the Lord.
YLT
5and they call the name of
that place Bochim, and sacrifice there to Jehovah.
And they called the name of that place Bochim,.... Which
signifies "weepers", from the general lamentation of the people,
which before had another name; very probably it was Shiloh itself since all
Israel was gathered together, the tabernacle being now at Shiloh, and also
because sacrifices were offered up, as follows:
and they sacrificed there unto the Lord; to atone for
the sins they had committed; and if they did this in the faith of the great
sacrifice of the Messiah, they did well; however, so far there was an
acknowledgment of their, guilt, and a compliance with the appointments of God
directed to in such cases.
Judges 2:6 6 And when Joshua had
dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance
to possess the land.
YLT
6And Joshua sendeth the
people away, and the sons of Israel go, each to his inheritance, to possess the
land;
And when Joshua had let the people go,.... This is
not to be connected with what goes before, as if that was done in Joshua's
lifetime; for during that, as is after testified, the people of Israel served
the Lord; whereas the angel, in the speech to them before related, charges them
with disobeying the voice of the Lord, making leagues with the inhabitants of
the land, and not demolishing their altars, all which was after the death of
Joshua; but this refers to a meeting of them with him before his death, and his
dismission of them, which was either when he had divided the land by lot unto
them, or when he had given them his last charge before his death, see Joshua 24:28; and
this, and what follows, are repeated and introduced here, to connect the
history of Israel, and to show them how they fell into idolatry, and so under
the divine displeasure, which brought them into distress, from which they were
delivered at various times by judges of his own raising up, which is the
subject matter of this book:
the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to
possess the land; as it was divided to the several tribes and their families;
which seems to confirm the first sense given, that this refers to the
dismission of the people upon the division of the land among them.
Judges 2:7 7 So the people served the Lord all the days
of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all
the great works of the Lord
which He had done for Israel.
YLT
7and the people serve
Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged
days after Joshua, who saw all the great work of Jehovah which He did to
Israel.
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. In Egypt, at the Red sea,
in the wilderness, at the river Jordan, and in the land of Canaan; See Gill on Joshua 24:31. The
JewsF1Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 580. sect. 2. say, the elders died
on the fifth of Shebet, which answers to part of January and part of February,
on which account a fast was kept on that day.
Judges 2:8 8 Now Joshua the son of Nun,
the servant of the Lord,
died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
YLT
8And Joshua son of Nun,
servant of Jehovah, dieth, a son of a hundred and ten years,
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died,
being an hundred and
ten years old. See Gill on Joshua 24:29.
Judges 2:9 9 And they buried him within
the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on
the north side of Mount Gaash.
YLT
9and they bury him in the
border of his inheritance, in Timnath-Heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on
the north of mount Gaash;
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in
Timnathheres,.... In Joshua 24:30; it is
called Timnathserah, the letters of "serah" being here inverted, make
"heres", which sometimes is used for the sun, Job 9:7; and
therefore some observe, that the whole name signifies the figure of the sun,
which the Jews say was put on his monument, in commemoration of the miracle of
the sun standing still at his request, and had this inscription on
it,"this is he that caused the sun to stand still;'but this is not very
probable, since it might have had a tendency to idolatry, the sun being what
was the first object of idolatrous worship among the Heathens, and had the greatest
show of reason for it:
in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash; See Gill on Joshua 24:30.
Judges 2:10 10 When all that generation
had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did
not know the Lord
nor the work which He had done for Israel.
YLT
10and also all that
generation have been gathered unto their fathers, and another generation riseth
after them who have not known Jehovah, and even the work which He hath done to
Israel.
And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers,.... Were dead
and buried, that is, the greatest part of those that were contemporaries with
the elders that outlived Joshua; for they might not be all dead, at least not
all that came out of Egypt, and still less all that came into the land of
Canaan; for, according to the computation of Ben Gersom, the time of Joshua and
the elders were but twenty seven years; and there were no more than sixty seven
years from their coming out of Egypt to this time; and no doubt there were men
living of eighty years of age and more, but these might be but few:
and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the
Lord; so as to love, fear, serve, and worship him; did not own him to
be the one only living and true God, otherwise they must know him nationally,
being educated in the true religion:
nor yet the works which he had done for Israel; some of them,
as before observed, might have seen the works and wonders of the Lord for
Israel, at their first coming out of Egypt; though not being wise, as the above
writer observes, it had no effect upon them, to keep them from doing evil in
the sight of God; and they all of them had been informed of them, and many had
seen, and must have had personal knowledge of what was done for them at their
coming into the land of Canaan; but not a practical knowledge, or such as had
any influence upon them, to preserve them from idolatry.
Judges 2:11 11 Then the children of
Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals;
YLT
11And the sons of Israel do
the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim,
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord,.... Openly
and publicly, boldly and impudently, in the very face of God, and amidst all
the good things they received from him, which were aggravating circumstances of
their sins; what the evil was they did is next observed:
and served Baalim; the idol Baal, as the Arabic version, of
which there were many, and therefore a plural word is used; to which the
apostle refers 1 Corinthians 8:5;
for the word signifies "lords", and there were Baalpeor, Baalzebub,
Baalberith, &c. and who seem to have their name from Bal, Bel, or Belus, a
king of Babylon after Nimrod, and who was the first monarch that was deified,
the Jupiter of the Heathens. Theophilus of AntiochF16Ad Autolyc. l.
3. p. 138, 139. Vid. Lactant. de fals. Relig. l. 1. c. 23. says, that,
according to the history of Thallus, Belus the king of the Assyrians, whom they
worshipped, was older than the Trojan war three hundred twenty two years; and
that some call Cronus or Saturn Bel and Bal; by the Assyrians called Bel, and
in the Punic or Phoenician language BalF17Servius in Virgil. Aeneid.
1. prope finem. .
Judges 2:12 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other
gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them,
and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.
YLT
12and forsake Jehovah, God of
their fathers, who bringeth them out from the land of Egypt, and go after other
gods (of the gods of the peoples who [are] round about them), and bow
themselves to them, and provoke Jehovah,
And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers,.... The
covenant God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their more
immediate ancestors; his worship they forsook, neglected his tabernacle, and
the service of it:
which brought them out of the land of Egypt; out of
wretched misery and bondage there, with an high hand, and outstretched arm; and
led them through the wilderness, and provided for them there, and brought them
into the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey; but all these
mercies were forgotten by them:
and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were
round about them: the gods of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, of the Egyptians,
and of the Moabites, Amorites, and Edomites, that were round about them, on the
borders of them; instead of one God they worshipped many, even all in or about
the land of Canaan; so much given were they to idolatry:
and bowed themselves unto them; giving them all
religious worship and honour they were capable of:
and provoked the Lord to anger; nothing is more
provoking to him than idolatry; he being a jealous God, and will not bear any
rival in worship, nor his glory to be given to another, to a strange god.
Judges 2:13 13 They forsook the Lord and served
Baal and the Ashtoreths.[c]
YLT
13yea, they forsake Jehovah,
and do service to Baal and to Ashtaroth.
And they forsook the Lord,.... The worship of the
Lord, as the Targum; this is repeated to observe the heinous sin they were
guilty of, and how displeasing it was to God:
and served Baal and Ashtaroth; two images, as the
Arabic version adds; Baal, from whence Baalim, may signify the he deities of
the Gentiles, as Jupiter, Hercules, &c. and Ashtaroth their female deities,
as Juno, Venus, Diana, &c. the word is plural, and used for flocks of
sheep, so called because they make the owners of them rich; and Kimchi and Ben
Melech say these were images in the form of female sheep. Perhaps, as Baal may
signify the sun, so Ashtaroth the moon, and the stars like flocks of sheep about
her. Ashtaroth was the goddess of the Zidonians, 1 Kings 11:5; the
same with Astarte, the wife of Cronus or Ham, said to be the Phoenician or
Syrian Venus. So Lucian saysF18De Dea Syria. there was a temple in
Phoenicia, belonging to the Sidonians, which they say is the temple of Astarte;
and, says he, I think that Astarte is the moon; and Astarte is both by the
PhoeniciansF19Sanchoniatho apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 1. p.
38. and GreciansF20Suidas in voce ασταρτη. said to be
Venus, and was worshipped by the Syrians also, as Minutius FelixF21In
Octavio, p. 6. and TertullianF23Apolog. c. 24. affirm; the same with
Eostre, or Aestar, the Saxon goddess; hence to this day we call the passover
EasterF24Vid. Owen. Theologoumen, l. 3. c. 4. p. 192. , being in
Eoster-month; and with Andraste, a goddess of the ancient BritainsF25lb.
c. 11. p. 244. . There were four of them, and therefore the Septuagint here
uses the plural number Astartes; so called either from Asher, being reckoned
"blessed" ones, or from Asheroth, the groves they were worshipped in;
or from עש, "Ash", and תור,
"Tor", the constellation Taurus or the bull; so Astarte by
Sanchoniatho is said to put upon her head the head of a bull, as the token of
her sovereignty; See Gill on Genesis 14:5.
Judges 2:14 14 And the anger of the Lord was hot
against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled
them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they
could no longer stand before their enemies.
YLT
14And the anger of Jehovah
burneth against Israel, and He giveth them into the hand of spoilers, and they
spoil them, and He selleth them into the hand of their enemies round about, and
they have not been able any more to stand before their enemies;
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel,.... For the
idolatries they were guilty of; it burned within him, it broke forth, and was
poured out like fire on them, and consumed them; see Nahum 1:6,
and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them; that rifled
their houses, and plundered them of their goods and substance:
and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about; the is,
delivered them into their hands, who carried them captive, where they were as
men sold for slaves; see Psalm 44:12; and
this was in just retaliation, that as they had said themselves to work
wickedness, the Lord sold them into the hands of their enemies for their
wickedness; and, as they had followed the gods of the people round about them,
so he delivered them up, into the hands of their enemies round about them, as
the Mesopotamians, Moabites, Midianites, Philistines, and Ammonites:
so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies; but turned
their backs on them, and fled whenever engaged in war with them.
Judges 2:15 15 Wherever they went out,
the hand of the Lord
was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to
them. And they were greatly distressed.
YLT
15in every [place] where they
have gone out, the hand of Jehovah hath been against them for evil, as Jehovah
hath spoken, and as Jehovah hath sworn to them, and they are distressed --
greatly.
Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them
for evil,.... They prospered not in any business they undertook, or put
their hands unto; or in any expedition they went upon, or when they went out to
war, as Kimchi, Ben Melech, and Abarbinel explain the phrase: the battle went
against them, because God was against them; his hand was against them, and
there was no resisting and turning that back; and this sense seems to agree
with what goes before and follows after; though in some Jewish writingsF1Seder
Olam Rabba, c. 12. p. 34. it is explained of those that went out of the land to
escape the calamities of it, and particularly of Elimelech and his two sons,
Mahlon and Chilion, 1:1,
as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them; having
ratified and confirmed his threatening with an oath, that if they served other
gods, he would surely bring upon them all the curses of the law; see Deuteronomy 29:12,
and they were greatly distressed; by the Canaanites they
suffered to dwell among them, who were pricks in their eyes, and thorns in
their sides, as had been threatened them; and by the nations round about them,
who came in upon them, and plundered them, and carried them captive.
Judges 2:16 16 Nevertheless, the Lord raised up
judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
YLT
16And Jehovah raiseth up
judges, and they save them from the hand of their spoilers;
Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges,.... Who are
particularly mentioned by name, and their exploits recorded, in some following chapters,
and from whom the book in general has its name: these were men that God raised
up in an extraordinary manner, and spirited and qualified for the work he had
to do by them; which was to deliver the people of Israel out of the hands of
their oppressors, and restore them to their privileges and liberties, and
protect them in them, and administer justice to them; which was a wonderful
instance of the goodness of God to them, notwithstanding their many provoking
sins and transgressions:
which delivered them out of the hands of those that spoiled them; who took away
their goods and cattle from them, and carried their persons captive: these were
the instruments of recovering both again, just as Abraham brought again Lot and
all his goods.
Judges 2:17 17 Yet they would not listen
to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to
them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in
obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.
YLT
17and also unto their judges
they have not hearkened, but have gone a-whoring after other gods, and bow
themselves to them; they have turned aside [with] haste out of the way [in]
which their fathers walked to obey the commands of Jehovah -- they have not
done so.
And yet they would not hearken unto their judges,....
Afterwards, or not always; but when they admonished them of their sins, and
advised them to walk in the good ways of God, and serve him only; they turned a
deaf ear to them, and went on in their own ways, which is a sad aggravation of
their iniquities:
but they went a whoring after their gods, and bowed themselves
unto them; committing spiritual adultery, for such idolatry is, and is
often so represented in Scripture; for by it they broke the covenant God made
with them, which had the nature of a matrimonial contract, and in which God was
an husband to them; and therefore serving other gods was rejecting him as such,
and committing whoredom with others; than which nothing was more provoking to
God, jealous of his honour and glory:
they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in; as soon as
ever Joshua and the elders were dead, they departed from the God of their
fathers, and the way in which they worshipped him; and so likewise quickly after
they had been delivered by the judges, or however as soon as they were dead:
obeying the commandments of the Lord; serving him
at his tabernacle, according to the laws, commands, and ordinances he gave to
Moses, which is to be understood of their fathers:
but they did not so; did not walk
in the same way, nor serve the Lord, and obey his commands, as their fathers
did; but all the reverse.
Judges 2:18 18 And when the Lord raised up
judges for them, the Lord
was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the
days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by
their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.
YLT
18And when Jehovah raised up
to them judges -- then was Jehovah with the judge, and saved them out of the
hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repenteth Jehovah,
because of their groaning from the presence of their oppressors, and of those
thrusting them away.
And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the
judge,.... Every one of them that he raised up; as he stirred up their
spirits for such service, to judge his people, and qualified them for it, he
assisted and strengthened them, and abode by them, and succeeded them in
whatsoever they engaged for the welfare of the people; the Targum is,"the
Word of the Lord was for the help of the judge:"
and delivered them out of the hands of their enemies all the days
of the judge; so long as a judge lived, or continued to be their judge, they
were protected by him, and preserved from falling into the hands of their
enemies:
for it repented the Lord because of their groanings, by reason of
them that oppressed them and vexed them; the Lord being merciful
had compassion upon them, when they groaned under their oppressions, and cried
unto him, then he received their prayer, as the Targum, and sent them a
deliverer; and so did what men do when they repent of a thing, change their
conduct; thus the Lord changed the outward dispensation of his providence
towards them, according to his unchangeable will; for otherwise repentance,
properly speaking, does not belong unto God: the Targum is,"he turned from
the word he spake;'the threatening he had denounced.
Judges 2:19 19 And it came to pass, when
the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their
fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did
not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
YLT
19And it hath come to pass,
at the death of the judge -- they turn back and have done corruptly above their
fathers, to go after other gods, to serve them, and to bow themselves to them;
they have not fallen from their doings, and from their stiff way.
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead,.... Any one
of them, the first and so all succeeding ones:
that they returned; to their evil
ways and idolatrous practices, from which they reformed, and for which they
showed outward repentance during the life of the judge; but he dying, they
returned again to them:
and corrupted themselves more than their fathers; in Egypt and
in the wilderness; or rather than their fathers that lived in the generation
after the death of Joshua; and so in every generation that lived before a judge
was raised up to deliver them out of the evils brought upon them; the children
of those in every age successively grew worse than their fathers:
in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; not content
with the idols their fathers served, they sought after and found out others,
and were more constant and frequent in their worship and service of them, and
increased their sacrifices and acts of devotion to them:
they ceased not from their own doings; or, "did
not let them fall"F2לא הפילו "non Cadere faciebant", Pagninus, Montanus,
Vatablus, Drusius. ; but retained them, and continued in the practice of them,
being what they were naturally inclined unto and delighted in:
nor from their stubborn way; which they were bent
upon, and determined to continue in: or "their hard way"F3מדרכם הקשה "de via sua
dura", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius. ; which their hard
hearts had chosen, and they obstinately persisted in, being obdurate and
stiffnecked; and which, in the issue, they would find hard, troublesome, and
distressing to them, though at present soft and agreeable, and in which they
went on smoothly; but in time would find it rough and rugged, offensive,
stumbling, and ruinous; or it may signify a hard beaten path, a broad road
which multitudes trod in, as is the way of sin.
Judges 2:20 20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot
against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant
which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,
YLT
20And the anger of Jehovah
doth burn against Israel, and He saith, `Because that this nation have
transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not
hearkened to My voice –
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel,.... As at
first, so whenever they fell into idolatry; see Judges 2:14,
and he said, because this people have transgressed my covenant
which I commanded their fathers; made at Sinai, in which they were enjoined
to have no other gods before him:
and have not hearkened to my voice; in his commands, and
particularly what related to his worship and against idolatry.
Judges 2:21 21 I also will no longer
drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,
YLT
21I also continue not to
dispossess any from before them of the nations which Joshua hath left when he
dieth,
I also henceforth will not drive out and from before them,.... At least
not as yet, not very soon nor hastily, as in Judges 2:23,
of the nations which Joshua left when he died; that is,
unsubdued; which was owing either to the infirmities of old age coming upon
him, which made him incapable of engaging further in war with the Canaanites;
or to the sloth and indolence of the people, being weary of war, and not caring
to prosecute it; or to want of men to cultivate any more land, and people other
cities, than what they were possessed of; and chiefly this was owing to the
providence of God, who had an end to answer hereby, as follows.
Judges 2:22 22 so that through them I may
test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in
them as their fathers kept them, or not.”
YLT
22in order to try Israel by
them, whether they are keeping the way of Jehovah, to go in it, as their
fathers kept [it] or not.'
That through them I may prove Israel,.... Afflict
them by them, and so prove or try them, their faith and patience, which are
tried by afflictions; and such were the Canaanites to them, as afflictions and
temptations are to the spiritual Israel of God; or rather, whether they would
keep in the ways of God, or walk in those the Canaanites did, as follows:
whether they will keep the way of the Lord, as their fathers did
keep it, or not; whether they would worship the true God their fathers did, or
the gods of the Canaanites; not that the Lord was ignorant of what they would
do, and so made the experiment; but that the sincerity and faithfulness, or
insincerity and unfaithfulness of their hearts, might appear to themselves and
others.
Judges 2:23 23 Therefore the Lord left those
nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the
hand of Joshua.
YLT
23And Jehovah leaveth these
nations, so as not to dispossess them hastily, and did not give them into the
hand of Joshua.
Therefore the Lord left these nations, without driving them out
hastily,.... Left them unsubdued, or suffered them to continue among the
Israelites, and did not drive them out as he could have done; which was
permitted, either that it might be seen and known whether Israel would give
into the idolatry of these nations or not, Judges 2:22; of
which there could have been no trial, if they and their idols had been utterly
destroyed; or because the children of Israel had transgressed the covenant of
the Lord, therefore he would drive no more of them out, but leave them to
afflict and distress them, and thereby prove and try them, Judges 2:20; both
senses may very well stand, but the former seems rather to agree with what
follows:
neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua; having an end
to be answered by them, before suggested, namely, to prove and try Israel; and,
for a like reason, the indwelling sin and corruptions of God's people are
suffered to remain in them, for the trial of their graces, and that the power
of God in the support and deliverance of them might appear the more manifest.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)