Bible Strands
Judges 2:1
Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel of the LORD addresses Israel as he moves from Gilgal to Bochim following the initial conquest. This occurs at the moment of settlement, when the people are establishing their presence in the promised territory.
The words — מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה (mal'akh-Yahweh) literally means "messenger of Yahweh," identifying the speaker as a divine emissary. The verb וַיַּעַל (vayyaʿal) translates "and he went up," marking a physical ascent from the encampment at Gilgal toward the highland location of Bochim.
The thread — The declaration of delivering Israel from Egypt directly parallels Exodus 20:2, while the pledge to never break covenant echoes Genesis 17:7. The figure leading the people into a prepared place corresponds to the protective angel described in Exodus 23:20.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that land possession and national survival depend entirely on Yahweh’s prior action and covenant fidelity. It demands that obedience be measured against that established promise, not against human achievement.
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
King James Version
And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Exodus 23:20 Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
- Leviticus 26:42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
- Psalms 105:44 He gave them the lands of the nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
- Genesis 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
- Exodus 14:19 And the angel of God, who had gone before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them,
- Judges 2:5 So they called that place Bochim and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
- Acts 7:30 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.