Judges 6:2

Judges 6:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
• New International Version (NIV)Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.

Context of Judges 6:2

1The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east came and attacked them. 4They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

Judges 6:2 word by word

וַתָּ֥עָז יַד־מִדְיָ֖ן עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִפְּנֵ֨י מִדְיָ֜ן עָשֽׂוּ לָהֶ֣ם׀ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֶת־הַמִּנְהָרוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וְאֶת־הַמְּעָר֖וֹת וְאֶת־הַמְּצָדֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of Midianמִדְיָןmidyân · MidianH4080
• prevailedעָזַז‛âzaz · be strongH5810
• against Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• becauseפָּנֶהpânîym · face: becauseH6440
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• them the densמִנְהָרָהminhârâh · caveH4492
• in the mountainsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• and cavesמְעָרָהme‛ârâh · caveH4631
• and strong holdsמְצָדmetsad metsâd metsâdâh · strongholdH4679

Cross-references for Judges 6:2

• Leviticus 16:17No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the most holy place until he leaves after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.
• Deuteronomy 28:47Because you didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart, even though you had an abundance of everything,
• 1 Samuel 13:6The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because the troops were in a difficult situation. They hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns.
• 1 Samuel 14:11They let themselves be seen by the Philistine garrison, and the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they’ve been hiding!”
• Hebrews 11:38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
• Revelation 6:15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

Commentaries on Judges 6:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Made them the dens which are in the mountains - Nothing can give a more distressing description of the state of the Israelites than what is here related. They durst not reside in the plain country, but were obliged to betake themselves to dens and caves of the mountains, and live like wild beasts, and were hunted like them by their adversaries.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The word rendered “dens” is only found in this passage. It is best explained of ravines hollowed out by torrents, which the Israelites made into hiding-places.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-6After forty years of peace, religious blending caused political instability, and roaming nomads forced the Israelites to live as fugitives. The Midianites, once thought to be purely nomadic and based in northwest Arabia, are now known to have built cities and, for a time, controlled much of the Arabian Peninsula and southern Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan). They are joined by the Amalekites (who were earlier part of a Moabite coalition; see…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. made ... dens ... in the mountains and caves--not, of course, excavating them, for they were already, but making them fit for habitation.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 6:2

• Cave
• Dens
• Fort

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Midian
• Midian; Midianites
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Midian, Midianite
• Children of Israel
• Cave
• Den
• Gideon

Commentaries on Judges 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings