What does Judges 10:9 mean?

Israel abandoned and ignored the Lord their God (Judges 10:6). They threw themselves into the worship and service of the Baals, the Ashtaroth, and all the false gods of the nations around them. In response, following the typical pattern of the book of Judges (Judges 2:11–19), God responded by letting the people fall under oppression from outsiders. Here, after the work of the judges Tola and Jair (Judges 10:1–5), this involved the nations of Ammon and Philistia (Judges 10:7). This chapter deals with the Ammonite oppression.

The Ammonites have crushed the people in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. They have not stopped there, however. Now they are attacking the territories of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Most of the action in the recent chapters of Judges has taken place in the northern part of the country. These attacks are coming to the people in central Israel. Every part of Israel will feel the wrath of God through the severe distress of their enemies.

Eventually, after nearly two decades, the suffering will become so harsh that the people will cry out to the Lord in a way they have rarely done.