Bible Commentaries
Judges 2

Introduction

JUDGES CHAPTER 2

An angel reproveth Israel at Bochim; they bewail their sins, Judges 2:1-5.

The wickedness of the new generation after Joshua; their frequent idolatry, Judges 2:6-13; for which they are often punished of God by the enemy; and being delivered by the judges grow worse, Judges 2:14-19; wherefore God will leave the Canaanite to prove and vex them, Judges 2:20-23.

Verse 1

An angel of the Lord: either, first, A created angel. Or, secondly, A prophet or man of God, for such are sometimes called angels, which signifies only messengers of God; and then the following words are spoken by him in the name of God, as may easily be understood. Or, thirdly, Christ, the Angel of the covenant, who is oft called the Angel of the Lord, as we have formerly seen, to whom the conduct of Israel out of Egypt, and through the wilderness, and into Canaan, here spoken of, is frequently ascribed, as Exodus 14:19; Exodus 23:20; Exodus 33:14; Joshua 5:13,Joshua 5:14; Judges 6:12; Judges 13:3; who alone of all the angels could speak the following words in his own name and person; whereas created angels and prophets do universally usher in their Divine messages with, Thus saith the Lord, or some equivalent expression. And this angel having assumed the outward shape of a man, it is not strange that he imitates the local motion of a man, and comes as it were from Gilgal to the place where now they were; by which motion he signified that he was the person that brought them to Gilgal, the first place where they rested in Canaan, and there renewed covenant with them, and protected them there so long, and from thence went out with them to battle, and gave them success.

Bochim; a place so called here by anticipation, for the reason expressed here, Judges 2:5. And it seems to be no other than Shiloh, where it seems probable that the people were met together upon some solemn festival. And this was the proper and usual place of sacrificing, Judges 2:5. And I said, i.e. I promised, upon condition of your keeping covenant with me.

Verse 2

i.e. Disobeyed these express commands of mine?

Verse 3

I also said with myself; I have now taken up this peremptory resolution.

Thorns in your sides: See Poole "Numbers 33:55"; See Poole "Joshua 23:13".

Verse 4

Some of them from a true sense of their sins; but most of them from a just apprehension of their danger and approaching misery from the Canaanites’ growing power, and God’s forsaking of them; as the following history makes most probable.

Verse 5

For the expiation of their sins, by which they had provoked God to this resolution; and for the regaining of God’s favour.

Verse 6

When Joshua had let the people go; when he had distributed their inheritances, and dismissed them severally to take possession of them. This was done before this time, whilst Joshua lived; but is now repeated in order to the discovery of the time, and cause, or occasion of the people’s defection from God, and of God’s desertion of them.

Verse 9

Timnath-heres, called Timnath-serah, Joshua 19:50; Joshua 24:30.

Verse 10

Which knew not the Lord; which had no experimental nor serious and affectionate knowledge of God, nor of his works.

Verse 11

In the sight of the Lord; which notes the heinousness and the impudence of their sins above other people’s sins; because God’s presence was with them, and his eye upon them, in a peculiar manner, and he did narrowly observe all their actions, which also they were not ignorant of, and therefore were guilty of more contempt of God than other people.

Baalim, i.e. false gods. He useth the plural number, because the gods of the Canaanites and adjoining nations, which Israel worshipped, were divers, and most of them called by the name of Baal.

Verse 13

i.e. The sun and the moon, whom many heathens worshipped, though under divers names; and so they ran into that error which God had so expressly warned them against, Deuteronomy 4:19.

Verse 14

Sold them, i.e. delivered them up, as the seller doth, his commodities unto the buyer. This the same phrase is used Judges 3:8; Judges 4:9, compared with Judges 2:14; Psalms 44:12.

Verse 15

Whithersoever they went out, i.e. whatsoever expedition or business they undertook; which is usually signified by going out and coming in.

Verse 16

The Lord raised them up, by inward inspiration and excitation of their minds and hearts, and by outward designation, testified by some heroical and extraordinary action.

Judges; supreme magistrates, whose office it was, under God, and by his particular direction, to govern the commonwealth of Israel by God’s laws, and to protect and save them from their enemies; to preserve and purge religion; to maintain the liberties of the people against all oppressors. See Judges 3:9,Judges 3:10,Judges 3:15; Judges 4:4; Judges 6:25,Judges 6:26; Judges 8:23.

Verse 17

Their judges admonished them of their sin and folly, and of the danger and misery which would certainly befall them.

Verse 18

It repented the Lord, i.e. the Lord changed his course and dealings with them, as penitent men use to do; removed his judgments, and returned to them in mercy, Genesis 6:6.

Verse 19

They returned to their former, and usual, and natural, though interrupted course.

More than their fathers, in Egypt or in the wilderness.

From their own doings, i.e. from their evil practices, which he calls their own partly because they were agreeable to their own natures, which in all mankind are deeply and universally corrupted, Genesis 6:5; Genesis 8:21; and partly because they were familiar and customary to them. Compare Isaiah 58:13; Isaiah 66:3; Ezekiel 36:32; Acts 14:16; Judges 1:16.

Their stubborn way, Heb. hard way; so he calls their way of wickedness, either because it proceeded from a hard heart, and was managed with a hard and stiff neck; or to signify, that although it seemed at first very soft, and easy, and pleasant, yet they would certainly, and did constantly, find that it was hard, and difficult, and troublesome to them, as a hard way is to the traveller.

Verse 22

That I may prove Israel; either, first, That I may try, and see whether Israel will be true and faithful to me, or whether they will suffer themselves to be corrupted by the evil counsels and examples of their bad neighbours, whom I will leave among them for their trial and exercise. Or, secondly, That by them I may afflict and punish Israel; for afflictions are commonly and justly called trials. But the former sense suits better with the following words.

Verse 23

Hastily, or speedily; when the Israelites desired it and needed it.