Judges 2:1-13

Confrontation and Repentance at Bokim

2:1 The Lord’s angelic messenger ¹  went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. ²  I said, ‘I will never break my agreement ³  with you, 2:2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’ ⁴  But you have disobeyed me. ⁵  Why would you do such a thing? ⁶  2:3 At that time I also warned you, ⁷  ‘If you disobey, ⁸  I will not drive out the Canaanites ⁹  before you. They will ensnare you ¹⁰  and their gods will lure you away.’” ¹¹ 

2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ¹²  2:5 They named that place Bokim ¹³  and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

The End of an Era

2:6 When Joshua dismissed ¹⁴  the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, ¹⁵  intending to take possession of the land. 2:7 The people worshiped ¹⁶  the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men ¹⁷  who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed ¹⁸  all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ¹⁹  2:8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 2:9 The people ²⁰  buried him in his allotted land ²¹  in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 2:10 That entire generation passed away; ²²  a new generation grew up ²³  that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel. ²⁴ 

A Monotonous Cycle

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ²⁵  the Lord by worshiping ²⁶  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ²⁷  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ²⁸  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ²⁹ 

[2:1]  ¹ sn See Exod 14:19; 23:20.

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “the land that I had sworn to your fathers.”

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “covenant” (also in the following verse).

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “their altars.”

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”

[2:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “What is this you have done?”

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “And I also said.” The use of the perfect tense here suggests that the messenger is recalling an earlier statement (see Josh 23:12-13). However, some translate, “And I also say,” understanding the following words as an announcement of judgment upon those gathered at Bokim.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn The words “If you disobey” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See Josh 23:12-13.

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Canaanites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צִדִּים (tsiddim) is uncertain in this context. It may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “snare.” If so, a more literal translation would be “they will become snares to you.” Normally the term in question means “sides,” but this makes no sense here. On the basis of Num 33:55 some suggest the word for “thorns” has been accidentally omitted. If this word is added, the text would read, “they will become [thorns] in your sides” (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their gods will become a snare to you.”

[2:4]  ¹² tn Heb “lifted their voices and wept.”

[2:5]  ¹³ sn Bokim means “weeping ones” and is derived from the Hebrew verb בָּכָא (bakha’, “to weep”).

[2:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “sent away.”

[2:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Israelites went each to his inheritance.”

[2:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[2:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or perhaps “elders,” which could be interpreted to mean “leaders.”

[2:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the old men who outlived him, who had seen.”

[2:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the great work of the Lord which he had done for Israel.”

[2:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “in the territory of his inheritance.”

[2:10]  ²² tn Heb “All that generation were gathered to their fathers.”

[2:10]  ²³ tn Heb “arose after them.”

[2:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “that did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel.” The expressions “personally experienced” and “seen” are interpretive.

[2:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[2:11]  ²⁶ tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

[2:12]  ²⁷ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ²⁸ tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[2:13]  ²⁹ tn Some English translations simply transliterate the plural Hebrew term (“Ashtaroth,” cf. NAB, NASB), pluralize the transliterated Hebrew singular form (“Ashtoreths,” cf. NIV), or use a variation of the name (“Astartes,” cf. NRSV).