And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel ,.... As at first, so whenever they fell into idolatry; see Judges 2:14 , and he said, because this people have transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers ; made at Sinai, in which they were enjoined to have no other gods before him: and have not hearkened to my voice ; in his commands, and particularly what related to his worship and against idolatry. read more
I also henceforth will not drive out and from before them ,.... At least not as yet, not very soon nor hastily, as in Judges 2:23 , of the nations which Joshua left when he died ; that is, unsubdued; which was owing either to the infirmities of old age coming upon him, which made him incapable of engaging further in war with the Canaanites; or to the sloth and indolence of the people, being weary of war, and not caring to prosecute it; or to want of men to cultivate any more land, and... read more
The anger of the Lord was hot - They were as fuel by their transgressions; and the displeasure of the Lord was as a fire about to kindle and consume that fuel. read more
I will not henceforth drive out - As a people, they never had personal courage, discipline, or hardihood, sufficient to stand before their enemies: the advantages they gained were by the peculiar interference of God. This they had while obedient; when they ceased to obey, his strong arm was no longer stretched out in their behalf; therefore their enemies continued to possess the land which God purposed to give them as their inheritance for ever. read more
This verse is connected with Judges 2:13. The intermediate verses refer to much later times; they have the appearance of being the reflections of the compiler interspersed with the original narrative. But Judges 2:20 catches up the thread only to let it fall immediately. All that follows, down to the end of Judges 3:7, seems to be another digression, closing with words like those of Judges 2:13.It does not appear how this message was given to Israel, whether by Angel, or prophet, or Urim, nor... read more
2:11-16:31 RULE OF THE JUDGESPattern of judgment and deliverance (2:11-3:6)When the people of Israel rejected God and began to worship Baal and other gods, God punished them. He allowed them to fall under the power of foreign tribes and nations who seized their property and ruled them cruelly (11-15). When, after many years of suffering, the people finally turned again to God, God gave them deliverers who overthrew the enemy and restored independence to Israel. But as soon as they were living... read more
people = nation. transgressed. Hebrew. 'abar. App-44 . read more
Judges 2:21. I also will not henceforth drive out— We have in these verses the great reason why the Lord did not wholly extirpate the people of Canaan. They were suffered to remain, in punishment of his people's infidelity and disobedience, and to prove and exercise their faith in future. REFLECTIONS.—We have here, 50: A recapitulation of what was mentioned before concerning the death and burial of Joshua, and the piety which was preserved in Israel during his life and the lives of the elders... read more
2. The pattern of history during the judges’ era 2:11-23Having revealed the roots of Israel’s apostasy (Judges 2:6-10), the writer proceeded to examine its character. In this section a cyclical pattern of Israel’s history during this era becomes clear. This section is chiastic, focusing on Israel’s pursuit and worship of other gods. Israel departed from Yahweh and served idols (Judges 2:11-13). The Lord then disciplined His people by allowing them to fall under the domination of their enemies... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 2:6-23
The beginning of this paragraph is only a repetition of what account we had before of the people's good character during the government of Joshua, and of his death and burial (Josh. 24:29, 30), which comes in here again only to make way for the following account, which this chapter gives, of their degeneracy and apostasy. The angel had foretold that the Canaanites and their idols would be a snare to Israel; now the historian undertakes to show that they were so, and, that this may appear the... read more