Judges 3:14 kjv
So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:14 nkjv
So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:14 niv
The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
Judges 3:14 esv
And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:14 nlt
And the Israelites served Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
Judges 3 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:14-17 | "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments… I will appoint over you a panic... and you shall sow your seed in vain..." | Warnings of defeat and subjugation for disobedience. |
| Dt 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes... all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you." | Covenant curses for disobedience. |
| Dt 28:47-48 | "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies..." | Prophecy of serving enemies due to disobedience. |
| Jdg 2:11-14 | "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals... So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers..." | Cycle of apostasy and divine judgment begins. |
| Jdg 3:7-8 | "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD… So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim..." | First oppression cycle due to sin. |
| Jdg 3:12 | "And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel..." | Direct cause for Eglon's strengthened hand. |
| Neh 9:27 | "Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering, when they cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors..." | God's response to Israel's cry and need for deliverers. |
| Ps 106:40-42 | "Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people… he gave them into the hand of the nations… Their foes oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection..." | God's judgment leading to foreign oppression. |
| Jer 2:19 | "Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you..." | Sin leads to bitter consequences. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations... This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Foretold long period of servitude as punishment. |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me." | Consequences of rejecting God's truth. |
| 1 Cor 10:11 | "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come." | Lessons from Israel's history for believers. |
| Heb 12:5-11 | "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons… For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." | Divine discipline for growth. |
| Rom 6:16 | "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" | Principle of serving a master (sin or righteousness). |
| Jn 8:34 | "Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”" | Spiritual slavery as a result of sin. |
| Jdg 10:7-8 | "So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites… And they oppressed the people of Israel eighteen years..." | Similar long oppression period elsewhere in Judges. |
| Gal 5:1 | "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." | Deliverance from slavery through Christ. |
| Rom 7:23 | "But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." | The struggle with sin leading to internal captivity. |
| Rom 8:21 | "that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." | The hope of ultimate freedom from all forms of bondage. |
| Isa 42:24-25 | "Who gave up Jacob to the plunderer, and Israel to robbers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they did not obey?... Therefore he poured out on him the heat of his anger..." | God's role in delivering Israel to their oppressors. |
| Isa 59:1-2 | "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you..." | Sin as a barrier and cause of divine withdrawal/judgment. |
Judges 3 verses
Judges 3 14 Meaning
After the people of Israel once again turned away from the LORD, Judges 3:14 describes the resulting divine consequence: they endured eighteen years of servitude under Eglon, the king of Moab. This verse highlights the prolonged duration of their oppression as a direct outcome of their disobedience, fulfilling the covenant warnings of adverse effects for turning away from God. It marks a period of deep national humiliation and hardship before their eventual cry for deliverance.
Judges 3 14 Context
Judges 3:14 is nestled within the introductory chapters of the Book of Judges, which describe Israel's cyclical pattern of disobedience, divine punishment, national distress, and God's merciful deliverance through a chosen leader. Specifically, this verse follows directly from Israel's second documented apostasy after the death of Othniel (Jdg 3:12), where they "again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD." As a consequence, the LORD "strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel." Verse 14 then states the direct and prolonged outcome: the people's eighteen-year subjugation to Eglon. This period sets the stage for the dramatic narrative of Ehud's deliverance in the verses that follow, highlighting the severe need for divine intervention due to their profound distress. Historically, the Moabites were traditional enemies and neighbors to the east of Israel, embodying the nations Israel had failed to fully dispossess or overcome, and who thus became "thorns in their sides."
Judges 3 14 Word analysis
- So (וַיַּעַבְדוּ - wa-yaʿavdū): The initial waw (ו) is a waw consecutive, serving to link this verse directly as a consequential action or outcome of the preceding events. It underscores a cause-and-effect relationship, emphasizing that Israel's servitude was a direct result of their previous sin and God strengthening Eglon.
- the people of Israel (בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - bənēy Yisrā’ēl): Literally "sons of Israel." This standard biblical designation refers to the covenant nation, the chosen people of God. The phrase here accentuates the tragedy: the people intended by God for freedom and stewardship over the land, entrusted with His law and presence, were instead enslaved to a pagan king.
- served (יַּעַבְדוּ - yaʿavdū): From the Hebrew root עָבַד ('avad), meaning "to work," "to serve," "to be a slave," or "to worship." In this context, it unequivocally signifies forced labor, subjugation, and servitude, rather than willing service or worship. The irony is profound: Israel was called to serve (worship and obey) the LORD, but by turning away from Him, they ended up serving a foreign, idolatrous king. This verb highlights the reversal of their intended covenant role and the loss of their freedom. It can be seen as a polemic: the God who liberated them from slavery in Egypt now allows them to fall into a different form of slavery due to their rebellion against Him.
- Eglon (עֶגְל֣וֹן - ʿEḡlôn): The proper name of the king of Moab. The name may mean "calf-like" or "fat." Later in the narrative (Jdg 3:17), Eglon is described as "very fat," which lends credibility to the name's possible meaning and adds to the imagery of a powerful, perhaps indolent, oppressor. He is not merely a nameless foe but a specific instrument of divine judgment.
- the king of Moab (מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָ֑ב - meleḵ-Mô’āb): Identifies Eglon as the monarch of the Moabite nation. Moab was a Transjordanian kingdom and a perennial enemy of Israel, descended from Lot (Gen 19:37). Their persistent presence and aggression against Israel represent the ongoing failure of Israel to fully obey God's command to possess the land and remove its pagan influences. Their rule over Israel demonstrates a humiliating reversal of fortunes for God's chosen people, whose God had commanded them to have dominion. It subtly underscores that even these long-standing adversaries could be strengthened by God to exact His discipline.
- eighteen years (שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה שָׁנָֽה - šmōneh ‘eśrēh šānāh): A specific and prolonged duration of servitude. This number is notable for being longer than the first oppression period (eight years under Cushan-Rishathaim, Jdg 3:8). The extended period underscores the severity and depth of Israel's apostasy and the prolonged suffering God allowed as part of His discipline. The explicit mention of the duration adds historical veracity and quantifies the magnitude of their hardship, building the suspense for the desperate cry to the LORD that follows. Numbers in the Book of Judges often highlight theological truths or phases in the cycle, marking distinct periods of trial and rest.
- "So the people of Israel served Eglon...": This phrase initiates the direct consequence of Israel's apostasy (Jdg 3:12). It starkly contrasts their previous call to serve Yahweh and instead reveals their enslavement to a foreign pagan king. This signifies a profound spiritual degradation mirroring their physical subjugation, indicating a loss of identity and divine favor.
- "...the king of Moab eighteen years": This group of words emphasizes both the specific nature of the oppression (from Moab, a historically adversarial and idol-worshipping neighbor) and its lengthy duration. The eighteen years suggest that the period of distress was not fleeting but deeply impactful, testing the limits of their endurance and presumably leading to their eventual repentance. This long suffering reinforces the serious nature of God's disciplinary actions when His people abandon their covenant obligations.
Judges 3 14 Bonus section
- The specific identity of the oppressor, Eglon king of Moab, is noteworthy because Moabites had a complex, often antagonistic, relationship with Israel. They were kin through Lot but had notoriously sought to curse Israel (Num 22-24) and lured them into idolatry and immorality (Num 25). Their ascendancy over Israel under divine strengthening would have been a profoundly humbling and ironic form of judgment.
- The duration of "eighteen years" may also reflect the deep-seated nature of Israel's idolatry during this period. It implies a time of pervasive spiritual malaise that required extended hardship to bring about repentance. The precision of the number serves to ground the narrative in a tangible historical experience of divine discipline, rather than a vague theological principle.
- This episode underscores God's sovereign control over even pagan nations and their leaders, whom He can "strengthen" (Jdg 3:12) to serve His purposes of disciplining His chosen people. Eglon, a seemingly mighty and oppressive king, was ultimately an instrument in God's hands.
- The experience of "serving" Eglon meant a forfeiture of independence, dignity, and economic prosperity, representing a stark contrast to the life of covenant blessing promised by God for obedience. It prepared the ground for the "crying out" phase, highlighting that true repentance often emerges from deep distress.
Judges 3 14 Commentary
Judges 3:14 precisely details the consequence of Israel's repeated disloyalty to the LORD: eighteen long years of oppressive servitude under Eglon, the king of Moab. The duration of this hardship—significantly longer than previous oppressions—emphasizes the depth of their national rebellion and the severity of God's discipline. The use of "served" (from 'avad) powerfully contrasts with Israel's divinely intended role of serving Yahweh, illustrating the painful irony of their spiritual straying. Their choice to worship false gods resulted in them literally serving a pagan king, suffering humiliation and bondage where freedom and dominion were promised. This verse thus functions as a critical bridge in the Judges cycle, setting the stage for their desperate cry to God and His subsequent raising of a deliverer. It vividly teaches that forsaking the True God leads to a literal or spiritual slavery.
- Practical usage example: Just as ancient Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness led to a prolonged period of servitude, a prolonged period of struggle in a believer’s life might indicate areas where they have strayed from serving God faithfully, prompting a season of repentance and seeking renewed dependence on Christ for liberation.