Judges 2:17

Sin Faithfulness and loyalty

¹⁵ Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.

¹⁶ Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.

Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

¹⁸ Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.

¹⁹ But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
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.
WEB: Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying the LORD’s commandments. They didn’t do so.
ASV: And yet they hearkened not unto their judges; for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowed themselves down unto them: they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; [but] they did not so.
DARBY: But they did not even hearken to their judges, for they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves to them; they turned quickly out of the way that their fathers had walked in, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; they did not so.
BLB: Yet to their judges they would not listen, but they played the prostitute with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked to listen to the commandments of YHWH; they did not do so.

ÅB: Men heller ikke mot sine dommere var de lydige; de holdt seg med andre guder og tilba dem; de vek snart av fra den vei deres fedre hadde vandret i lydighet mot Herrens bud, og gjorde ikke som de.
OTB: Men de hørte ikke på sine dommere, men drev hor med andre guder og tilba dem. De vendte raskt bort fra den vei deres fedre hadde gått, som hadde adlydt Herrens bud.
B1930: Men heller ikke mot sine dommere var de lydige; de holdt sig med andre guder og tilbad dem; de vek snart av fra den vei deres fedre hadde vandret i lydighet mot Herrens bud, og gjorde ikke som de.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Deuteronomy 9:12
And the LORD said to me, “Get up and go down from here at once, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten image.”
Read in context
Galatians 1:6
I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Read in context
Judges 2:7
And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel.
Read in context
Hosea 2:2
Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
Read in context
Revelation 17:1–5
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
Read in context
Psalms 106:39
They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
Read in context
1 Samuel 8:5–8
“Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.”
Read in context
Joshua 24:31
Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel.
Read in context