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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records Israel’s collective actions immediately following their intermarriage with local Canaanite populations and their adoption of foreign religious practices.

The words — וַֽ/יִּשְׁכְּח֖וּ (va/i.yish.ke.Chu) translates literally as "and they forgot," while בְּ/עֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה (be./'ei.Nei Yah.weh) means "in the eyes of Yahweh."

The thread — The warning against forgetting divine acts appears in Deuteronomy 4:9, the command to remove Asherah poles is in Exodus 34:13, and Josiah’s removal of an Asherah pole is recorded in 2 Kings 23:6.

Why it lands — The text demands a clear break from syncretistic worship and an active remembrance of Yahweh’s covenant before divine judgment follows.

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

וַיַּעֲשׂ֨וּva/i.ya.'a.Suand/ they did בְנֵי־ve.nei-[the] people of יִשְׂרָאֵ֤לYis.ra.'ElIsrael אֶת־'et-<obj.>הָרַע֙ha./Ra'the/ evil בְּעֵינֵ֣יbe./'ei.Neiin/ [the] eyes of יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh וַֽיִּשְׁכְּח֖וּva/i.yish.ke.Chuand/ they forgot אֶת־'et-<obj.>יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם'e.lo.hei./HemGod/ their וַיַּעַבְד֥וּva/i.ya.'av.Duand/ they served אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַבְּעָלִ֖יםha./be.'a.Limthe/ Baals וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>הָאֲשֵׁרֽוֹת׃ha./'a.she.Rotthe/ Asherah poles

King James Version

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

Cross-references

Exodus 34:13 Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
2 Kings 23:6 He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
Deuteronomy 16:21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
Judges 2:11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
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 6:25 On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
1 Kings 16:33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.
1 Kings 18:19 Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
2 Kings 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.