Bible Strands
Judges 2:11
And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelites immediately following the death of a generation that knew the LORD, marking the onset of a recurring cycle of spiritual amnesia.
The words — The text employs וַ/יַּעֲשׂ֧וּ (va/i.ya.'a.Su), literally "and they did," with אֶת\־ הָ/רַ֖ע (et-ha./Ra'), "the evil," to denote a deliberate moral failure. It pairs this with וַ/יַּעַבְד֖וּ (va/i.ya.'av.Du), "and they served," to identify the Baals as the specific object of their redirected devotion.
The thread — This phrasing establishes a structural refrain in Judges, reappearing in Judges 3:7, Judges 4:1, and Judges 6:1 to introduce each successive cycle of covenant breach.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that idolatry begins with the conscious choice to do evil in Yahweh's sight and actively transfer worship. It demands immediate identification of the moment exclusive allegiance is broken.
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 the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
Cross-references
- 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 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,
- 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.
- Judges 8:33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
- 1 Kings 18:18 “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
- 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.
- Judges 3:12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Judges 10:10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
- 1 Samuel 7:4 So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD.