Judges 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

NIV: because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

NASB: They abandoned the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

CSB: for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.

NLT: They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth.

KJV: And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

NKJV: They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Israel failed to heed God's warnings (Deuteronomy 20:16–18). As expected, their choice to live side-by-side with the depraved Canaanites meant a corruption of their spiritual lives. The people of Israel began to imitate the wicked practices of the Canaanites. This included worship of deities referred to using names such as Baal and Ashtaroth.

In Semitic languages, the term ba'al implies a master or lord. Used in a religious context, it can either mean one of many idols (Judges 2:11) or a specific fertility deity, which the Bible refers to simply as Baal. The female equivalent to these Baals were the Ashtaroth, likely related to the pagan goddess Astarte (Judges 2:13).

Scholars and historians describe many variations between these gods. In the most common version, Baal was the god of fertility and war. He was understood to have a sexual relationship with his female consort, Ashtoreth. The result of their sexual encounters was thought to bring fertility to those who worshiped them, along with abundant crops and herds and the financial security which they brought.

Worship of these Canaanite deities involved depraved practices such as temple prostitution. As is common even today, sexual temptations and the promise of greater wealth are powerful lures, drawing people away from faith in God. In some instances, worship of Canaanite idols included human and child sacrifice. The temptation to sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of prosperity is faced by modern culture, as well, in the form of aborting the unborn.

Judges 2:11–15 summarizes the source of Israel's troubles in the book of Judges. This passage describes the rebellion of Israel against Yahweh after the time of Joshua. They abandon faithfulness to God and worship the gods of the Canaanites. Names associated with those false gods include Baal and Ashtaroth. As He promised, the Lord allows the faithless Israelites to be attacked and plundered. They suffer until they are in terrible distress. As the following passage describes, this is followed by God sending a rescuer—referred to as a "judge." Yet, when that rescuer is gone, Israel returns to their sin (Judges 2:16–19). This cycle will continue for centuries.

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).