Judges 3:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.

NIV: (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):

NASB: only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it previously).

CSB: This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before.

NLT: He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.

KJV: Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

NKJV: ( this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it),

The Lord said He would leave specific nations to exist in and around Israel. The presence of these wicked cultures would "test" the Israelites to see if they will be faithful to Him. As God is all-knowing, this testing is more of a "demonstration," proving that which the Lord already sees. He warned the people of Israel not to let the depraved Canaanite culture survive (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). When the people disobeyed, God chose to use their own sin as a source of punishment. God will use these nations to attack and harm Israel to see if they will begin to obey Him once more.

The purpose, then, is to "teach war" to new generations of Israelites who have not had to rely on God during war as the previous generations did. In this context, the writer does not mean teaching strategies of attack and defense, or the methods of subduing an enemy. God literally means to teach the Israelites to trust Him, to obey Him, and to rely on Him, as they experience what it means to be at war.

Judges 3:1–6 names the nations the Lord leaves in existence in and around the Promised Land. These nations will plague future generations of Israelites to see if they will be faithful. Some of these represent unconquered territories whose inhabitants will raid and oppress Israel: the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites. Groups living amongst the captured regions will tempt Israel in different ways. These are listed as Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite peoples. Starting with the very first generation after Joshua, the people betray God, intermarrying with these depraved nations and serving their gods.

God leaves several Canaanite nations in and around the Promised Land to test Israel's reliance on Him. Some live among the people, others are part of unconquered territories. The Israelites immediately ignore God's commands and begin serving other gods. First, the Lord subjects them to Mesopotamia. After eight years, the first judge, Othniel, leads them to victory and peace. Israel again rebels and is conquered by Moab for 18 years. Ehud's brutal assassination of the Moabite king sparks another period of freedom and peace. In a single brief statement, the obscure Shamgar is celebrated for his victory.

After Israel's failure to complete their mission, as described in chapters 1 and 2, chapter 3 begins by describing the idolatrous nations God left intact to test Israel. In the first of many such cycles, the people sin, are conquered, then are rescued by a "judge." This chapter describes the victories of Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Chapter 4 mentions the first of the truly famous names among the judges, describing the careers of Deborah and Barak. This is followed in chapter 6, which introduces Gideon.

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).

Accessed 11/22/2024 12:49:59 AM