Judges 2:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.

NIV: Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the LORD's commands.

NASB: Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they committed infidelity with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do the same as their fathers.

CSB: but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord's commands. They did not do as their ancestors did.

NLT: Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

KJV: And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

NKJV: Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.

The writer of the book of Judges is describing a pattern that will repeat throughout the chapters ahead. The Israelites will abandon the Lord and worship other gods. The Lord's anger will burn, and He will use the nations of Canaan to punish His own people. Once His people are in great distress, the Lord will raise up human rescuers—"judges"—to save the people from their attackers.

Each time a judge arises to rescue the people, they temporarily turn back to God. Unlike previous generations who mostly obeyed the Lord's commandments, and sometimes drifted into serious sin, the Israelites living in Canaan will mostly reject God. As this verse emphasizes, Israel will not maintain spiritual faithfulness.

Those reading the Old Testament for the first time are often shocked by the harsh, almost rancid language used to describe sins such as idolatry. In many cases, Scripture refers to the word "whore:" an aggressively negative term associated with prostitution or depraved sexuality. The original Hebrew word is zānāh. Some translations politely render this as "played the harlot." There is a purposeful sense of God's distaste—even disgust—in such descriptions.

Such terms connect to the Bible's perception of spiritual adultery, especially as it relates to Israel's relationship with God. God's intent was to have a committed, one-on-one relationship with Israel. He made a covenant with the nation comparable to a marriage. He would do good for them so long as they were faithful and obedient to Him. When Israel worshiped and served other gods, the Lord's anger is described as righteous indignation. This is very deliberately compared to the wrath of a spouse whose partner is having sex with others.

Judges 2:16–23 describes the pattern developed and repeated after the death of Joshua. The Israelites begin with freedom and faithfulness towards God. Then they fall into idolatry and sin. In response, they are overcome by their enemies. When the suffering of the Israelites becomes great, God raises up judges—military and civic leaders—to save Israel from their enemies. When the judge dies, the Israelites soon return to their sinful worship of Canaan's gods. Each time, Israel's idolatry worsens, and their faith becomes weaker.

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).