Judges 10 10

Judges 10:10 kjv

And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

Judges 10:10 nkjv

And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!"

Judges 10:10 niv

Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

Judges 10:10 esv

And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals."

Judges 10:10 nlt

Finally, they cried out to the LORD for help, saying, "We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal."

Judges 10 verses

Judges 10 10 Meaning

This verse describes the pivotal moment when the children of Israel, suffering under the oppression of the Philistines and Ammonites for eighteen years, collectively cried out to the Lord. Their cry was an open confession of their deep-seated sin, acknowledging that they had both abandoned the covenant Lord, Yahweh, who was their true God, and had actively served the many pagan deities known as Baalim, thereby violating the very core of their relationship with God. This confession marked a critical step in the recurring cycle of apostasy, oppression, and repentance seen throughout the book of Judges.

Judges 10 10 Context

This verse is situated within a recurring cycle described in the Book of Judges, often summarized as: apostasy (doing evil in the sight of the Lord), divine judgment (oppression by foreign powers), Israel's cry for help, and God's deliverance through a judge. Judges chapter 10 begins with Tola and Jair as judges, bringing some peace for 45 years. However, following Jair's death, the Israelites once again "did evil in the sight of the Lord" (Jdg 10:6). Their idolatry this time was expansive, including not only Baalim and Ashtaroth, but also the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the Philistines. This profound apostasy ignited the Lord's anger, leading Him to sell them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites. For eighteen years, these two oppressors afflicted the Israelites severely, especially those on the east of the Jordan in Gilead. Judges 10:10 represents the moment of the people's realization, under the unbearable yoke of oppression, that their suffering was directly linked to their betrayal of God. It's their desperate plea born out of affliction, serving as a preamble to God's response, which initially is a stern rebuke, testing the sincerity of their repentance, before He raises Jephthah as a deliverer.

Historically, the worship of Baalim was endemic to the Canaanite religions. Ba'al was a general term meaning "lord" or "master," often associated with the storm and fertility god, granting rain and good harvests. Various localities had their specific Ba'al deities (e.g., Ba'al-peor, Ba'al-berith), leading to the plural "Baalim." These cults often involved sensuous rituals, child sacrifice, and a worldview deeply contrasted with Yahweh's covenant requirements. Israel's engagement with Baalim represented a direct challenge to the uniqueness and sovereignty of Yahweh as the one true God who brought rain and prosperity, not false idols.

Judges 10 10 Word analysis

• And: Connects the subsequent action (crying out) to the preceding intense and prolonged suffering and the history of disobedience described in the preceding verses.
• the children of Israel: Refers to the collective nation, descendants of Jacob, who are in a covenant relationship with Yahweh. This emphasizes the corporate nature of their sin and suffering, highlighting that the entire community was implicated.
• cried (צָעַק, tsa'aq): An urgent and desperate cry, often out of great distress or pain. It denotes an outcry, not a quiet prayer. This verb is a recurring motif throughout Judges (e.g., Jdg 3:9, 3:15, 4:3, 6:7), signifying Israel's pattern of calling out to God only when oppression becomes unbearable. It speaks to a raw, emotional plea rather than deep, pure spiritual devotion in many instances.
• unto the Lord (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal, covenant name of God, revealing His self-existent nature and His faithfulness to His promises. Despite their idolatry, the Israelites instinctively or out of habit turned back to the one true God who had always delivered them, recognizing His supreme authority and power even in their fallen state.
• saying: Introduces the verbal content of their desperate cry, indicating a direct confession.
• We have sinned (חָטָא, chata'): To "miss the mark," "to go astray," "to be at fault," "to incur guilt." It is an admission of falling short of God's standards and violating His laws. This confession is crucial; it's the first step toward repentance and restoration, acknowledging their culpability rather than merely lamenting their circumstances.
• against thee: Specifies the direct object of their sin. Their transgression was not merely a social misstep or an error, but an offense against the sovereign Lord who had redeemed them and made a covenant with them. It implies a personal betrayal of their divine Deliverer and King.
• both because we have forsaken (עָזַב, 'azav): To abandon, desert, leave, or give up. This denotes a deliberate and active withdrawal from their allegiance and loyalty to God. It highlights an act of spiritual apostasy and a rupture in their covenant relationship with Yahweh.
• our God (אֱלֹהֵינוּ, Eloheynu): The use of "our God" despite their forsaking Him implies a residual, though perhaps clouded, awareness of their covenant identity and Yahweh's claim on them. It underscores their intimate historical and redemptive relationship with Him, which they had betrayed.
• and have served (עָבַד, 'avad) Baalim (בַּעֲלִים, Ba'alim):
  • served ('avad): To work for, to serve, to worship, or to be enslaved to. This signifies an active, devoted engagement and subservience to false deities. It represents a transference of the loyalty, service, and worship due only to Yahweh.
  • Baalim (Ba'alim): The plural form of Ba'al, meaning "lord" or "master." This term collectively refers to the various local Canaanite fertility gods. Each region often had its specific Ba'al. Worship of Baalim involved seeking prosperity, rain, and fertility from these pagan deities, directly defying the Lord's command for exclusive worship and His demonstration that He alone provides these blessings. This explicit confession details the specific nature of their idolatry and highlights their syncretism (mixing Yahwism with Canaanite worship).

Judges 10 10 Bonus section

• The progression from "doing evil" (Jdg 10:6) to specific descriptions of idolatry, then to confession in verse 10, highlights the depth of their spiritual declension and the subsequent pain that drove them to self-awareness.
• The fact that God, in the subsequent verses (Jdg 10:11-14), reminds them of all the previous times He delivered them, emphasizes that their present confession was not new to Him, but part of a continuous pattern of faithlessness followed by distress-driven repentance. His immediate response is a challenge to the genuineness and sustainability of their commitment.
• The term "Baalim" (plural) underlines that Israel was not merely enticed by one alternative deity, but integrated a diverse pantheon of pagan lords into their religious practices, effectively replacing Yahweh's singularity with multi-faceted polytheism.
• This confession illustrates a biblical truth: genuine repentance begins with an acknowledgement of one's own sin and culpability before God, not by blaming circumstances or others.
• The historical backdrop of Judges 10:10 reflects a direct "polemic" (argument against) the Canaanite understanding of deities as tied to specific territories. Yahweh, the God of Israel, demonstrated through these cycles of judgment and deliverance that He alone is sovereign over all lands, peoples, and the forces of nature, providing blessing or withholding it based on Israel's faithfulness to Him, not based on appeaseing local pagan deities.

Judges 10 10 Commentary

Judges 10:10 captures a critical turning point in Israel's repetitive cycle of sin and judgment. Under severe and prolonged oppression, Israel finally verbalizes a profound confession of their spiritual failures. This cry, tsa'aq, conveys a desperate, emotional appeal rather than immediate, perfect repentance. They admit to chata', having "missed the mark" and acted "against Thee," demonstrating an awareness that their suffering stemmed directly from their disobedience to God. Their confession points to two specific breaches: forsaking Yahweh ('azav), the very God of their covenant, and actively serving ('avad) Baalim, the competing Canaanite deities. This dual acknowledgement reveals their understanding of exclusive allegiance demanded by the Mosaic Covenant. While God later questions the depth of this repentance (Jdg 10:11-14), their honest confession marks a necessary initial step towards possible restoration. It illustrates that even when born out of duress, sincere confession, however imperfect, draws God's attention and initiates the possibility of divine mercy. This verse reminds us that recognizing our sin and its nature as an offense against God is foundational to seeking His forgiveness and turning back to Him.