New Living Translation
Judges 2:3
3So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”
Judges 2:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
- New International Version (NIV)And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ”
Context of Judges 2:3
1The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” 4When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the Lord.
Read all of Judges 2Judges 2:3 word by word
וְגַ֣ם אָמַ֔רְתִּי לֹֽא־אֲגָרֵ֥שׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפְּנֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֤וּ לָכֶם֙ לְצִדִּ֔ים וֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם יִהְי֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Judges 2:3
- Judges 2:21I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died.
- Numbers 33:55But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.
- Joshua 23:13then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.
- Judges 3:6and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
- Exodus 23:33They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”
- Exodus 34:12“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.
- Deuteronomy 7:16“You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you.
- 1 Kings 11:1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites.
- Psalms 106:36They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.
Commentaries on Judges 2:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I will not drive them out from before you - Their transgressions, and breach of the covenant, were the reasons why they were not put in entire possession of the promised land. See note at the end of this chapter, Judges 2:23; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3“Wherefore I also said” - Rather because ye have done the things mentioned in Judges 2:2, “I have now said (i. e. I now protest and declare) that I will not drive them out from before you” (compare Judges 19:29). And it was the annonncement of this resolution by the Angel that caused the people to weep. The word thorns in this verse is supplied by the King James Version from the similar passage in Joshua (see the marginal reference). Other versions adopt…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-5The sanctuary was established at Gilgal (Joshua 4:19û20; 5:10). Bokim is an unknown location where an angel of the Lord made an announcement. This announcement caused weeping and an attempt to reverse the judgment by offering a sacrifice.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-101-3. an angel ... came from Gilgal to Bochim--We are inclined to think, from the authoritative tone of his language, that he was the Angel of the Covenant (Ex 23:20; Jos 5:14); the same who appeared in human form and announced himself captain of the Lord's host. His coming from Gilgal had a peculiar significance, for there the Israelites made a solemn dedication of themselves to God on their entrance into the promised land [Jos 4:1-9]; and the memory of…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 2:3
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries