Judges 2 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

• Verses 1–5: The angel of Yahweh appears to the Israelites at Bochim
• Verses 6–10: Review: the Israelites worshiped and obeyed Yahweh during the lifetimes of Joshua and the elders
• Verses 11–23: The Israelites disobeyed Yahweh and worshiped other gods afterward, so Yahweh let other nations conquer them

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Joshua reappears in the story after it tells how he died

In Judges 2:6–9, the author repeats Joshua 24:28–31 to remind readers how the people of Israel served Yahweh faithfully when they first arrived in the land of Canaan. This is background information. After these verses, the main story of the book of Judges begins. It is about how the Israelites then worshiped other gods, but Yahweh repeatedly brought them back to himself and delivered them from their enemies when they repented. It may seem strange for the book to speak of Joshua doing something, since it begins “after the death of Joshua.” So you can translate this in a way that shows that the author is providing background information by describing something that happened in the past. See the note at 2:6 for a specific suggestion.

“Cut a covenant”

The phrase “cut a covenant” occurs in this chapter. It means “make a covenant.” The word “cut” reflects the cultural background. It is used because in some covenant ceremonies, the participants would cut up animals and then walk between the pieces. This was to indicate, “If I break this covenant, may I be destroyed in this same way.” It is not necessary to understand this background to covenant ceremonies in order to understand the action in this chapter, so you do not have to use the term “cut” in your translation. You could simply say “make,” or you could use an expression from your own language and culture.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“fathers”

In this chapter, the author uses the word “fathers” several times to mean “ancestors.” He is not speaking of the immediate male parents of the Israelites, but of the generations who lived before them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. (See: figs-metaphor)

Symbolic action

In this chapter, the author speaks of the Israelites bowing down to idols that represented foreign gods. This was a symbolic action that constituted a public act of worship, so it represented a definitive expression of allegiance to those gods. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. When the book says that the Israelites bowed down to foreign gods, you could say, for example, that they “worshiped them by bowing down to them.” (See: translate-symaction)