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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)