Judges 2:17

Judges 2:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.
• New International Version (NIV)Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.

Context of Judges 2:17

15Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress. 16Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. 18Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. 19But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Judges 2:17 word by word

וְגַ֤ם אֶל־שֹֽׁפְטֵיהֶם֙ לֹ֣א שָׁמֵ֔עוּ כִּ֣י זָנ֗וּ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם סָ֣רוּ מַהֵ֗ר מִן־הַדֶּ֜רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָלְכ֧וּ אֲבוֹתָ֛ם לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ מִצְוֹת־יְהוָ֖ה לֹא־עָ֥שׂוּ כֵֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And yet they would not hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
• unto their judgesשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• but they went a whoringזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
• godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• and bowedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
• themselves unto them: they turnedסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
• quicklyמַהֵרmahêr · quicklyH4118
• out of the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
• which their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• walked inהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
• the commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• they didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213

Cross-references for Judges 2:17

• 1 Samuel 8:5“Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
• 1 Samuel 12:12“But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king.
• 2 Chronicles 36:15The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.
• Psalms 106:43Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin.
• Exodus 34:15“You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.
• Leviticus 17:7The people must no longer be unfaithful to the Lord by offering sacrifices to the goat idols. This is a permanent law for them, to be observed from generation to generation.
• Psalms 73:27Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
• Psalms 106:39They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.
• Hosea 2:2“But now bring charges against Israel—your mother— for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts.
• Revelation 17:1One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters.
• Exodus 32:8How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
• Deuteronomy 9:12Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go down immediately, for the people you brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted gold and made an idol for themselves!’
• Galatians 1:6I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News
• Judges 2:7And the Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him—those who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
• Joshua 24:24The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”

Commentaries on Judges 2:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Went a whoring after other gods - Idolatry, or the worship of strange gods, is frequently termed adultery, fornication, and whoredom, in the sacred writings. As many of their idolatrous practices were accompanied with impure rites, the term was not only metaphorically but literally proper.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-23Verses 6-23 We have a general idea of the course of things in Israel, during the time of the Judges. The nation made themselves as mean and miserable by forsaking God, as they would have been great and happy if they had continued faithful to him. Their punishment answered to the evil they had done. They served the gods of the nations round about them, even the meanest, and God made them serve the princes of the nations round about them, even the meanest…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-19The Lord appointed judges who led to some temporary recovery. People later described them as "judging" Israel (for example, Judges 3:10; 4:4; 10:2–3), but they were mainly famous for their military successes.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1911-19. the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord--This chapter, together with the first eight verses of the next [Jud 2:11-3:8], contains a brief but comprehensive summary of the principles developed in the following history. An attentive consideration of them, therefore, is of the greatest importance to a right understanding of the strange and varying phases of Israelitish history, from the death of Joshua till the establishment of the…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 2:17

• Baal
• Character
• Instability
• Israel
• Judge
• Whoredom

In the dictionaries

• Raise
• Sell
• Abdon (1)
• Judges, Book of
• faithful, faithfulness, trustworthy

Commentaries on Judges 2

• 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