What does Judges 2:8 mean?

Moses' lieutenant Joshua, the son of a man named Nun, turned out to be one of Israel's great leaders. Though he felt insecure at first about stepping into Moses' position, he obeyed the Lord's command to be strong and to have good courage. He led the people to obey the Lord in all things (Joshua 1:7–9). Joshua had made some mistakes, but under his faithful-to-the-Lord leadership, Israel had been strong. The people had followed Joshua's example, for the most part, and had remained faithful to the Lord themselves (Judges 2:6–7).

Eventually, though, Joshua died at the age of 110 years old. Moses had lived to 120 years old. The lifespans reported in the Scriptures are growing shorter over time.

Joshua's death has already been recorded in Scripture (Joshua 24:29–31), along with Israel's disobedient failure to take over the Promised Land (Judges 1). Here, after recording a rebuke from God (Judges 2:1–6), the writer provides a reminder of how Israel has fallen from her intended purpose.