Judges 10:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,

NIV: he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites,

NASB: And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the sons of Ammon.

CSB: So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites.

NLT: So the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites,

KJV: And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

NKJV: So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon.

After the two secondary judges of Tola and Jair (Judges 10:1–5), the people of Israel seem to have thrown off all restraint. They dove headlong into the worship of all the gods of the peoples in and around the land of Canaan (Judges 10:6). This included not only the seemingly ever-present Baals and Ashtaroth (Judges 3:7; 8:33), but also the gods of the nations around them. The only God they stopped serving was the One True God, the Lord.

The Lord sees that His people have deliberately plunged into this great evil once more, even beyond their previous errors. The symbolism of God's anger being "kindled" evokes the concept of His wrath as fire (Psalm 78:21; Hebrews 12:29). Blatant rebellion and sin metaphorically "add fuel" to His anger. So, the Lord follows up on His promise not only to remove His protection but to actively hand His people over to their enemies (Deuteronomy 30:15–19; Judges 2:1–3). He allows them to fall under oppression by not one, but two nations: the Philistines and the Ammonites. These were both bitter enemies of Israel at various times throughout history.

Clearly, in this moment in Israel's history, God is angry. His anger toward His people will not be easily cooled. Without contradiction, it's also true that God loves His people and acts in love towards them. Only suffering at the hands of their enemies will turn them back, eventually, to the One True God who provides for them. To be restored to a path towards life and goodness, the stubborn nation of Israel must experience discipline. The text uses the term "sold" to depict God giving the people over in this way.

Judges 10:6–16 shows the downward spiral repeated in the book of Judges sinking ever lower. The Israelites once again forsake the Lord, this time serving all the gods of Canaan and the surrounding regions. God hands them over to both the Ammonites and the Philistines. When the people cry out to the Lord eighteen years later, confessing their sin, He initially refuses to save them. This has the desired effect of jarring Israel to action. The people repent, anyway, serving the Lord and getting rid of their idols.

Two more judges, Tola and Jair, rescue Israel for a time. Little detail is given about either. Once again, the people return to idolatry and depraved sins (Deuteronomy 12:29–31). In response, God submits His people to the Ammonites and Philistines. After eighteen years, they confess and beg for mercy. God bluntly refuses, this time. And yet, Israel shows humble repentance, getting rid of their idols. As God prepares to save the people, an army of Israelites in Gilead gathers to face an army of Ammonites. But the Israelite army lacks a leader.

After Gideon rescued Israel (Judges 6—8), his son, Abimelech, murdered his siblings and became a despotic ruler (Judges 9). That ended with further tragedy and bloodshed. Judges 10 begins with a brief description of two judges who ruled after the time of Abimelech. Then Israel falls further than ever into the worship of false gods. Nearly two decades after God turns the people over to their enemies, they confess their sinfulness. The Ammonites encamp against Israel in Gilead. The leaders of Gilead search for someone to lead them in battle. Chapter 11 details the call and success of the next judge, Jephthah.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).