Judges 10:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him.

NIV: Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served him,

NASB: Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; so they abandoned the Lord and did not serve Him.

CSB: Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.

NLT: Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They served the images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. They abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all.

KJV: And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

NKJV: Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.

The overall pattern of the book of Judges now begins again (Judges 2:11–19). Tragically, each circle brings the nation lower into sin, their deliverer is less virtuous, and their rescue is less secure. This time, the people not only turn to a particular god or idols of Canaan, but they also apparently embrace all of them at once.

The list of false deities God's people served in this era includes familiar titles such as "the Baals" and "the Ashtaroth" (Judges 3:7; 8:33). This time, though, the Israelites add to their worship pantheon the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites (Genesis 19:36–38; Judges 3:13), and the Philistines (Genesis 10:13–14; Exodus 13:17). This means the people fully integrated themselves into all the worship practices of their friends and neighbors in Canaan.

To follow any god but the One True God already means abandoning His truth and His will (Exodus 20:1–6). Adding idols to one's religion is incompatible with faith in the God of Israel. Even if Israel tried to maintain worship of the Lord in addition to their idolatry, it would still be an abandonment of Him. For all practical purposes, the people of Israel entirely exchanged their worship of God for worship of idols.

As with the other times Israel fell into evil, it's natural to ask, "Why would they do this again?" In part, they probably hoped the gods of Canaan might do something for them which they believed the God of Israel could not or would not do. Further, they wanted to be like the people of Canaan. They wanted to fit in with their surrounding culture and to participate in the lifestyle of the people around them. In this case, integration included all the sexually immoral and violent practices that came with the worship of demonic false gods (Deuteronomy 12:29–31; 18:9–14).

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).