Judges 13:1

Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator records the national cycle of apostasy and divine judgment immediately following the death of the previous judges. This opening statement establishes the political and spiritual conditions that precede the announcement of Samson's birth.

The words — וַ/יֹּסִ֙פוּ֙ (va/i.yo.Si.fu) literally means "and they repeated," and וַ/יִּתְּנֵ֧/ם (va/i.yi.te.Ne/m) means "and He gave them." These paired verbs structurally frame the verse's cause-and-effect sequence.

The thread — The formula of repeated covenant failure followed by foreign domination recurs in Judges 6:1 and 1 Samuel 12:9. Romans 2:6 later codifies this historical pattern into the theological principle that God repays according to deeds.

Why it lands — The text states a direct historical sequence: national idolatry results in political subjugation. It demands the reader acknowledge the structural link between covenant obedience and national survival without projecting later moral frameworks onto the narrative.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּסִ֙פוּ֙va/i.yo.Si.fuand/ they repeated בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people of יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsrael לַעֲשׂ֥וֹתla./'a.Sotto/ do הָרַ֖עha./Ra'the/ evil בְּעֵינֵ֣יbe./'ei.Neiin/ [the] eyes of יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahweh וַיִּתְּנֵ֧םva/i.yi.te.Ne/mand/ he gave/ them יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahweh בְּיַד־be./yad-in/ [the] hand of פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖יםpe.lish.Tim[the] Philistines אַרְבָּעִ֥ים'ar.ba.'Imforty שָׁנָֽה׃ פsha.Nahyear[s]

King James Version

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Cross-references

1 Samuel 12:9 But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
Judges 6:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
Romans 2:6 God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”
Judges 2:11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
Judges 3:7 So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
Judges 4:1 After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
Judges 10:6 And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.