Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Judges 6:1 opens the narrative of chapter 6, recording the historical sequence that follows the death of the preceding judge. The narrator addresses the Israelite community to explain their sudden vulnerability to Midianite oppression.
The words — The Hebrew text pairs וַ/יַּעֲש֧וּ (they did) with הָ/רַ֖ע (the evil) to state the action, then places it בְּ/עֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה (in the eyes of Yahweh) to mark the divine perspective. The clause וַ/יִּתְּנֵ֧ם (and He gave/delivered them) records Yahweh's direct action in surrendering the people to Midianite control.
The thread — This cycle of apostasy and surrender mirrors Judges 2:19, where Israel reverts to idolatry immediately after a judge's death. The pattern of rejecting divine instruction also corresponds to Nehemiah 9:26's account of Israel casting God's law behind their backs.
Why it lands — The text plainly states that repeated disobedience results in the withdrawal of protection and the rise of an oppressing enemy. It requires the reader to acknowledge that tangible consequences follow deliberate covenant failure without offering immediate resolution.
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 the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 9:26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.
- Judges 2:19 But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
- Numbers 25:15 And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
- Numbers 31:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
- Deuteronomy 28:15 If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
- Judges 2:11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
- Judges 2:13 for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
- Leviticus 26:14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments,
- Psalms 106:34 They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
- Genesis 25:2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.