Judges 2 11

Judges 2:11 kjv

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

Judges 2:11 nkjv

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals;

Judges 2:11 niv

Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.

Judges 2:11 esv

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

Judges 2:11 nlt

The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight and served the images of Baal.

Judges 2 verses

Judges 2 11 Meaning

Judges chapter 2, verse 11 marks the pivotal moment in the Book of Judges where the Israelites, the generation succeeding Joshua and his elders, collectively turned away from Yahweh, the God who had delivered them. Their actions are described as doing "evil in the sight of the Lord" by worshipping and serving Baalim, the deities of the surrounding Canaanite nations, directly violating the covenant made at Sinai. This verse initiates the cyclical pattern of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance that defines the narrative of the entire book.

Judges 2 11 Context

Judges 2:11 stands at the beginning of the major narrative portion of the book, establishing the central problem that defines Israel's history throughout this period. The preceding verses (Jdg 2:6-10) recount the death of Joshua and his generation, who faithfully served the Lord. Immediately following this, the verse introduces a new generation, ignorant of the Lord and His works for Israel. This transition marks a spiritual decline, signifying a profound theological and practical break from their heritage. The historical context is a time of loose tribal confederacy, lacking centralized leadership after Joshua. The Israelites were living amongst Canaanite peoples, who maintained their indigenous polytheistic practices, especially the worship of fertility gods like Baal and Asherah, which contrasted sharply with Yahweh's nature as the one true God and Israel's ethical monotheism. The verse encapsulates Israel's fatal flaw during the period of the Judges: their recurrent apostasy, primarily driven by assimilation into the surrounding pagan cultures, despite God's explicit commands and His historical faithfulness.

Judges 2 11 Word analysis

• And the children of Israel (וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, u-v'nei Yisrael):

  • And: Connects this new state to the previous events, highlighting the immediate spiritual downfall following Joshua's death.
  • the children of Israel: Emphasizes the entire nation, not just a rebellious faction. This identifies the covenant people of God, implying a deep betrayal of their unique identity and calling. The phrase reiterates their lineage from Jacob/Israel, linking them to the promises made to Abraham.

• did evil (וַיַּעֲשׂוּ הָרַע, va-ya'asu hara'):

  • did: Denotes active choice and commitment to the action, not mere passivity or ignorance.
  • evil (הָרַע, hara'): "The evil," referring to moral wickedness, often in contrast to "good." In the context of the Lord's law, it's not simply a bad choice but a sin against God's established standards. It implies moral corruption and disobedience.

• in the sight of the Lord (בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה, b'einei Yahweh):

  • in the sight of: Stresses God's divine perspective and judgment. The wickedness is judged by His holy standard, not by human perception or prevailing cultural norms. It signifies a public and direct affront to God.
  • the Lord (יְהוָה, Yahweh): God's covenant name, underscoring His unique relationship with Israel and their covenant obligations. Their evil is specifically against Him as their sovereign God and deliverer.

• and served (וַיַּעַבְד֖וּ, va-ya'avdu):

  • and served: Indicates the nature of their evil — not just abstract rebellion but active worship and submission. It is the core act of spiritual adultery.

• Baalim (אֶת־הַבְּעָלִֽים, et-haBa'alim):

  • Baalim (בְּעָלִֽים, Ba'alim): Plural of Ba'al ("master," "lord," "owner"). Ba'al was a prominent Canaanite storm and fertility deity, believed to bring rain and ensure agricultural prosperity. The plural indicates either various local manifestations of Ba'al worship (e.g., Ba'al of Peor, Ba'al Berith), or a broader pantheon of Canaanite gods often associated with Ba'al (like Asherah, Astarte). Serving them was a direct violation of the First and Second Commandments, rejecting Yahweh's exclusive claim on Israel's worship and turning to the very gods whose worship was inextricably linked with the pagan inhabitants of the land they were to dispossess.

• Words-group analysis:

  • And the children of Israel did evil: Highlights the stark contrast to Joshua's generation; the collective identity is tied to collective rebellion, signifying a dramatic spiritual regression.
  • did evil in the sight of the Lord: Emphasizes divine evaluation. It's not a matter of human opinion, but God's righteous judgment against covenant infidelity, setting the stage for divine retribution.
  • and served Baalim: Specifies the type of evil as idolatry, particularly focusing on the assimilation of Canaanite religious practices. This choice represented a fundamental theological crisis, rejecting the unique nature and commands of Yahweh for syncretistic worship.

Judges 2 11 Bonus section

The concept of "another generation" introduced in the preceding verses (Jdg 2:10) is crucial for understanding the rapid decline seen in Judges 2:11. This generation "knew neither the Lord nor the work that he had done for Israel." Their lack of direct experience with God's power and faithfulness, combined with a failure in covenant education by the previous generation, created a fertile ground for spiritual drift. This suggests that faith must be actively taught and experienced, not merely inherited. The shift from a generation rooted in Exodus and conquest experiences to one embracing the Baalim highlights the importance of spiritual mentorship and continuous remembrance of God's redemptive history in maintaining covenant faithfulness. The specific naming of "Baalim" (plural) underscores the pervasiveness and diverse local forms of Canaanite polytheism that Israel adopted, emphasizing the full breadth of their theological compromise.

Judges 2 11 Commentary

Judges 2:11 serves as the thesis statement for the entire Book of Judges. It immediately articulates Israel's core problem: abandoning Yahweh, their covenant God and Deliverer, to worship the local Canaanite gods, specifically the Baalim. This act was "evil in the sight of the Lord" because it directly contravened the central tenets of the Sinai covenant (Exod 20:3-5). The generation that followed Joshua was one that had not personally experienced God's great works (Jdg 2:10), leading to a spiritual void filled by the enticing fertility cults of their pagan neighbors. This choice inaugurated a tragic, cyclical pattern of sin, divine judgment (through foreign oppression), cries of repentance, and God raising up a deliverer (judge). The verse profoundly explains why the Israelites entered such a protracted period of national distress and moral decline.

For practical application today, "serving Baalim" can represent any modern-day "idols" that supplant God's rightful place in our lives – whether materialism, success, relationships, pleasure, self-reliance, or cultural norms that stand against biblical truth. The principle remains: turning from God to pursue anything else as ultimate constitutes spiritual apostasy and inevitably leads to emptiness or distress.