Judges Chapter 2 — The Cycle of the Judges
The Angel of the Lord rebukes Israel for their disobedience, Joshua dies, and a new generation begins a cycle of falling away from God and being rescued by judges.
1The LORD’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I swore to give your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you.
2You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall break down their altars.’ But you have not listened to my voice. Why have you done this?
3Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.’ ”
4When the LORD’s angel spoke these words to all the children of Israel, the people lifted up their voice and wept.
5They called the name of that place Bochim,*“Bochim” means “weepers”. and they sacrificed there to the LORD.
6Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land.
7The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD that he had worked for Israel.
8Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred ten years old.
9They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
10After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know the LORD, nor the work which he had done for Israel.
11The children of Israel did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and served the Baals.
12They abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.
13They abandoned the LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
14The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15Wherever they went out, the LORD’s hand was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken, and as the LORD had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.
16The LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
17Yet 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.
18When the LORD raised up judges for them, then the LORD was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved the LORD because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them.
19But when the judge was dead, they turned back, and dealt more corruptly than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down to them. They didn’t cease what they were doing, or give up their stubborn ways.
20The LORD’s anger burned against Israel; and he said, “Because this nation transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice,
21I also will no longer drive out any of the nations that Joshua left when he died from before them;
22that by them I may test Israel, to see if they will keep the LORD’s way to walk therein, as their fathers kept it, or not.”
23So the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily. He didn’t deliver them into Joshua’s hand.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Judges 2:1
“I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you.’”
It establishes God's enduring faithfulness even as the chapter begins to detail the people's failures.
Judges 2:10
“After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know the LORD, nor the work which he had done for Israel.”
This verse marks the critical turning point from the era of Joshua to the era of the Judges.
Judges 2:16
“The LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.”
This introduces the primary mechanism of deliverance that defines the remainder of the book.
Chapter Summary
Judges 2 serves as a theological introduction to the entire book. It begins with the Angel of the Lord rebuking Israel at Bochim for failing to remove the altars of the Canaanites and making unauthorized covenants. Following the death of Joshua at 110 years old, a new generation arises that does not know the Lord or His works. This generation begins to worship Baal and the Ashtaroth, provoking God’s anger. Consequently, God allows neighboring nations to plunder Israel as a consequence of their unfaithfulness. In His mercy, God raises up judges to deliver the people from their enemies. However, the pattern of rebellion persists; as soon as a judge dies, the people return to even greater corruption. Because of this persistent unfaithfulness, God decides to leave the remaining Canaanite nations in the land to test whether Israel will keep His ways or follow after other gods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bochim means 'weepers.' The place was given this name because the Israelites wept there after being rebuked by the Angel of the Lord for their failure to obey God's commands regarding the land.
The text states that this new generation did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel. Without firsthand experience of the Exodus or the conquest, they easily turned to follow the local gods of the surrounding peoples.
The cycle consists of Israel abandoning God for idols, suffering oppression from enemies as a result, groaning in distress, and God raising a judge to save them. When the judge died, the people would return to corruption, starting the cycle over.
Because the nation transgressed the covenant and did not listen to God's voice, He decided to leave the remaining nations as a test to see if Israel would walk in His ways or not.
Study Note
The mention of the 'Angel of the LORD' coming from Gilgal to Bochim is significant as Gilgal was the site of Israel's first camp in the Promised Land and the place of their initial covenant renewal.
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