Judges 2:16-18

16 Then the LORD raised up judges,^[a] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.

17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the LORD’s commands.

18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

Judges 2:16-18 Meaning and Commentary

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, Jud 2:1-5; of their good behaviour under Joshua, and the elders that outlived him, Jud 2:6-10; and of their idolatries they fell into afterwards, which greatly provoked the Lord to anger, Jud 2:11-15; 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, Jud 2:16-18; 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, Jud 2:19-23.

Cross References

• 1. Ruth 1:1; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Samuel 7:6,15; 2 Samuel 7:11; 1 Chronicles 17:10; Acts 13:20
• 2. 1 Samuel 11:3; Psalms 106:43
• 3. S Exodus 34:15; S Numbers 15:39
• 4. S Psalms 4:2
• 5. Nehemiah 9:28; Psalms 106:36
• 6. Deuteronomy 9:12
• 7. ver 7
• 8. 1 Samuel 7:3; 2 Kings 13:5; Isaiah 19:20; Isaiah 43:3,11; Isaiah 45:15,21; Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 63:8
• 9. S Deuteronomy 32:36; Joshua 1:5
• 10. S Exodus 2:23; Psalms 106:44
• 11. S Numbers 10:9

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "leaders" ; similarly in verses 17-19