Judges 2:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,

NIV: The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, 'I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you,

NASB: Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, 'I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,

CSB: The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your ancestors. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you.

NLT: The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, 'I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you.

KJV: And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

NKJV: Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.

The previous chapter ended by listing the many tribes of Israel, followed by the words "did not drive out the inhabitants." God had commanded Israel to purge the wicked Canaanites and devote them to complete destruction (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). God's reason for this was the deep danger of Canaanite religion, and the temptation for Israel to imitate their evil (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Scripture does not give explicit reasons why Israel failed to complete their mission. Context provides a few possibilities. Israel may have encountered resistance, at first, and simply given up. It was likely easier to let the locals stay than go to war with them. Some might have been so intrigued with Canaanite culture that they didn't want to eliminate it. The reports in chapter 1 did not give a reason, aside from the few mentions of the Canaanites resisting and pushing the Israelites back.

Whatever the reason, God has associated Israel's lack of follow-through as disobedience. In the event depicted here, it seems representatives from Israel are gathered. The angel from the Lord arrives to speak to them at a place which will soon be named Bochim (Judges 2:5). Some scholars believe this to be near Bethel (Genesis 28:19).

Scholars speculate about the exact identity of the angel from the Lord. Since this figure speaks as the Lord, with "I" statements, many scholars suggest that this is a "theophany:" when God appears in some human form. When this form is associated with the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, such an event is called a "Christophany."

The Angel is said to have come up from Gilgal. No explanation is given for why this Person should have been in Gilgal, where Israel first camped after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19). Most likely, this is symbolic, as God is appearing to deliver a devastating message about Israel's disobedience. That begins with a reminder about how the Lord rescued them from slavery in Egypt. God brought them into the Promised Land.

God points out that He has done great things for the people of Israel. He promised to never break His covenant with them. He also guaranteed the nation wonderful benefits—but only if they continued to obey His very specific instructions (Judges 2:2). Israel's suffering in the centuries to come will be a direct result of their refusal to honor God's covenant agreement.

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).