Judges 2:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."

NIV: And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’ "

NASB: Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from you; but they will become like thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.’?'

CSB: Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you."

NLT: So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.'

KJV: Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

NKJV: Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ”

God is appearing in some physical, visible form. This might be as a generic human being, or even as a pre-incarnate presence of God the Son. These appearances are often described as "the angel of the Lord." He has come to rebuke the people of Israel for failing to keep their covenant with Him (Judges 2:1–2). They have disobeyed by not driving out the Canaanites from the Promised Land. They have not torn down the altars to false gods. They have made covenants with the people, instead.

God had warned Israel from the beginning what the consequences of this would be: "You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you" (Exodus 23:32–33).

That's why God wanted Israel to completely rout and destroy the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 20:16–17), to keep His people from getting drawn into the worship of their gods: "…that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Now the Lord declares that He will not work to remove the evil Canaanites. Instead, they will remain and become a source of great misery. Likewise, their false religion will become a disastrous temptation for Israel. The next few centuries will be much more difficult, much more tragic, than if they had obeyed the Lord. These hardships make up much of the content of the rest of the book of Judges.

Judges 2:1–5 reveals the conclusion to the reports from chapter one: the tribes of Israel did not drive the Canaanites from the Promised Land. The angel of the Lord appears to the people, speaking as the Lord. He reminds them how He has done good for them, and empowered them, yet they have broken their covenant with Him. Now, the wicked and ungodly Canaanites will become thorns and their false gods will ensnare Israel. The people weep and make sacrifices to the Lord. However, as the rest of the book of Judges shows, their weeping doesn't lead to any meaningful change.

The tribes of Israel committed great sin when they failed to drive the depraved, wicked Canaanites from the land. God rebukes them harshly, warning them of the consequences to follow. The people weep and offer sacrifices. And yet, the generations after Joshua abandon God. They worship false gods and perform heinous sins. The Lord burns with anger and uses Israel's enemies as punishment. When the suffering becomes intense, God rescues Israel through a human "judge." When the judge dies, the people return to their sin, deeper even than before.

Judges 2 follows reports about the failure of Israel to drive the Canaanites from each tribes' territories. Despite being rebuked by God, the generations after Joshua eventually abandon the Lord to worship the gods of the Canaanites: the Baals and the Ashtaroth. This establishes a pattern to be repeated in the chapters to come. Israel will worship Canaan's gods. God punishes the people through their enemies. God saves the people through a human judge. When the judge dies, the people return to their sin. This cycle continues throughout the rest of the book of Judges.

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).