Ashtaroth Ashtaroth, plural of Ashtoreth 1 Kings 11:5 were figures of Ashtoreth the Phoenician goddess (the Astarte of the Greeks), which were worshipped as idols during times of spiritual declension in Israel. ; Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:3; 1 Samuel 7:4; 1 Samuel 12:10; 1 Samuel 31:10; 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings 11:33; 2 Kings 23:13. Jeremiah refers Jeremiah 44:18; Jeremiah 44:19 to Ashtoreth as the "queen of heaven." read more
Chapter 2So in chapter two we read,AND the angel of the LORD came from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and brought you into the land which I sware to your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of the land; ye shall throw down their altars: but you have not obeyed my voice: why have you done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in... read more
Judges 2:1 . An Angel of the Lord. Jewish writers in succession speak of this as a created angel: but no mere angel would dare to speak as Jehovah. It was therefore the Angel of the covenant, the same that had appeared to Moses and to Joshua. Exodus 3:2; Exodus 3:6. Joshua 5:13; Joshua 5:15. So the fathers with one consent expound his appearance at the bush, and on other occasions. This Angel was an ever-living Angel, clothed with omnipotence, and saying, “I will no more drive out these... read more
Judges 2:11-15They forsook the Lord God of their fathers.Israel’s obstinacy and God’s patienceThis passage sums up the Book of Judges, and also the history of Israel for over four hundred years. Like the overture of an oratorio, it sounds the main themes of the story which follows. That story has four chapters, repeated with dreary monotony over and over again. They are: Relapse into idolatry, retribution, respite and deliverance, and brief return to God. The last of these phases soon passes... read more
Jdg 2:13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. Ver. 13. And served Baal and Ashtaroth, ] i.e., He-gods and she-gods of all sorts, closing up their orisons with, Diique, deaque, omnes, as Servius telleth us. a From this word Ashtaroth seemeth to come the Greek word αστηρ , and the Latin astrum, a star: as Saturn, Jupiter, Luna, Pallas, &c., came from the Hebrew. a In Georg, lib. i. read more
served: Judges 2:11, Judges 3:7, Judges 10:6, 1 Samuel 31:10, 1 Kings 11:5, 1 Kings 11:33, 2 Kings 23:13, Psalms 106:36, 1 Corinthians 8:5, 1 Corinthians 10:20-Song of Solomon : Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 13:6 - which thou Deuteronomy 29:26 - they went Judges 6:1 - did evil 1 Samuel 7:3 - put away 1 Samuel 7:4 - General 1 Samuel 12:10 - Baalim 2 Kings 23:4 - Baal 1 Chronicles 6:71 - Ashtaroth 2 Chronicles 7:22 - Because they forsook 2 Chronicles 12:2 - because 2 Chronicles 28:2 - Baalim... read more
And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.Baal and Ashtaroth — That is, the sun and moon, whom many Heathens worshipped, tho' under divers names; and so they ran into that error which God had so expressly warned them against, Deuteronomy 4:19. Baalim signifies lords, and Ashtaroth, blessed ones, he-gods and she-gods. When they forsook Jehovah, they had gods many and lords many, as a luxuriant fancy pleased to multiply them. read more
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TIMES OF THE JUDGES, Judges 2:6-23. This section, containing a general account of the period of the Judges, is naturally introduced by a connexion with the account of Joshua’s last labours and death, as recorded in Joshua 24:28-31. This introductory passage serves to show that while Joshua lived, and for some time after, the nation deserved no such rebuke as the Angel gave at Bochim, and hence this passage cannot be a direct continuation, chronologically, of the... read more
13. Ashtaroth This is the plural form of Ashtoreth, the Venus of Syria, whose rites were more filthy and abominable than even those of the Grecian Venus, whose temple, with its thousand female votaries, polluted Corinth, and on a smaller scale defiled every Grecian city. Ashtoreth was the female, as Baal was the male, divinity of the Zidonians. Her worship was very ancient and widespread. Another name was Asherah, rendered groves in our English version; though this name seems rather to... read more
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Sermon Bible Commentary - Judges 2:1-23
Judges 1:0 and 2 The character of Joshua is, like that of many soldiers, simple and easily understood. He was strong and of a good courage, a man, fit not only for battle, but for tedious campaigning; full of resources, and able to keep up the heart of a whole people by his hopeful bearing. It was one of the most difficult of tasks which was entrusted to Joshua. He was to lead the people through a series of the most brilliant and exciting military successes, and then to turn them to the most... read more