Bible Commentaries
Judges 2

Verses 1-23

Judges 2:1 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.

Judges 2:1 “And an angel of the Lord” - Comments - Is this the same angel that led the children of Israel thru the wilderness (Exodus 23:20; Exodus 23:23)? This same angel could very well have watched over this nation for centuries as the children of Israel grew and multiplied in Egypt.

Exodus 23:20, “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.”

Exodus 23:23, “For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.”

Judges 2:1 “came up from Gilgal” Comments - Gilgal is the place where Joshua first pitched camp in the land of Canaan (Joshua 4:19; Joshua 5:9-10; Joshua 9:6; Joshua 14:6).

Joshua 4:19, “And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.”

Joshua 5:9-10, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.”

Joshua 9:6, “And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.”

Joshua 14:6, “Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.”

However, Joshua set up the Tabernacle at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1).

Joshua 18:1, “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel

assembled together at Shiloh , and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.”

Judges 2:1 “to Bochim” - Word Study on “Bochim” Strong says the Hebrew word “Bochim” ( בֹּכִים ) (H1066) means, “weepers.” This word is only mentioned twice in the entire Old Testament (Judges 2:1; Judges 2:5).

Judges 2:4-5, “And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim : and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.”

Judges 2:5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

Judges 2:5 Word Study on “Bochim” - Strong says the Hebrew word “Bochim” ( בֹּכִים ) (H1066) means, “weepers.”

Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

Judges 2:11 Comments - After Joshua and the elders died, the children of Israel lost much of their fear of God, and so they departed from God. Likewise, when we get away from God’s word, we loose our fear of God and depart from Him.