“And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.”
My Notes
What Does Judges 6:2 Mean?
"Because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds." The Midianite oppression is so severe that Israel retreats into caves and mountain hideouts. The people who conquered Canaan under Joshua are now hiding in their own land like refugees. The promised land that was supposed to be their inheritance has become their hiding place.
The word "dens" (minharot — tunnels, underground passages) describes underground hiding places — the kind you dig when you're afraid of being found. The caves and strongholds are natural terrain features used as refuge. Israel has gone underground because the surface is too dangerous.
The Midianite oppression (verse 3-6) was agricultural terrorism: every harvest season, the Midianites invaded with their livestock, consumed everything Israel grew, and left the land devastated. The oppression targeted the food supply. Israel wasn't being killed outright — they were being starved. The caves aren't protection from armies. They're hiding places from agricultural raiders.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you hiding in a 'cave' in territory that's supposed to be your inheritance?
- 2.What 'Midianite' — recurring threat that takes what you produce — has driven you underground?
- 3.How does regression from conquest to caves happen within one generation?
- 4.What does knowing the cave season has an end date change about your current experience?
Devotional
The conquerors of Canaan are hiding in caves. The people who took Jericho by shouting are living in mountain dens because they're too afraid of Midianite raiders to farm their own land. The promised land has become the hiding place.
The regression is dramatic: from conquest to caves in one generation. The people who marched around Jericho with the ark are now crouching in tunnels. The nation that watched the Jordan part is hiding in strongholds. The inheritance that was supposed to be enjoyed is being endured from underground.
The Midianite strategy is agricultural, not military: they don't kill Israelites. They eat their food. Every harvest, the raiders arrive with their livestock and consume everything Israel grew. The oppression is economic — starvation by theft. The caves aren't protection from swords. They're hiding places for whatever grain Israel can conceal from the raiders.
The cave-hiding is what oppression does to a people over time: it drives you underground. You stop living in the open. You stop farming with confidence. You stop enjoying what God gave you because someone always takes it. The promised land is still promised. But you're experiencing it from a cave.
Are you hiding in a cave in your own promised land? Has some 'Midianite' — some recurring threat that takes what you produce — driven you underground? The land is still yours. The oppressor is still temporary. But right now, the experience is caves and dens and strongholds.
Gideon is coming (verse 11). The cave season has an end date.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel,.... They were too strong for them, and overcame them, and brought them…
The word rendered “dens” is only found in this passage. It is best explained of ravines hollowed out by torrents, which…
We have here, I. Israel's sin renewed: They did evil in the sight of the Lord, Jdg 6:1. The burnt child dreads the fire;…
the hand … prevailed A formula of Rd; cf. Jdg 3:10.
dens This translation is a guess from the context. The mention of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture