“And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;”
My Notes
What Does Judges 2:20 Mean?
"Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice." God identifies the cause of His anger with surgical precision: covenant transgression and failure to listen. Not just one or the other — both. They broke the agreement AND ignored the voice that established it. The double failure is both legal (covenant-breaking) and relational (voice-ignoring).
The phrase "which I commanded their fathers" means the covenant obligation was established with the previous generation. The current generation is being held accountable for an agreement their parents made. The covenant is intergenerational: what the fathers accepted, the children inherit — including the obligations.
The consequence (verse 21) is that God will no longer drive out the remaining nations. The incomplete conquest — the nations Israel failed to remove — will remain as a permanent test. The consequence of covenant-breaking is the perpetuation of the very obstacles the covenant was supposed to help remove.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What covenant obligations — inherited or personal — have you violated?
- 2.How are you ignoring God's voice alongside breaking His agreement?
- 3.What enemies persist in your life because of incomplete obedience?
- 4.What does intergenerational covenant accountability mean for your children?
Devotional
They broke the covenant. They ignored My voice. Both. The legal breach and the relational deafness. God names the double failure that produced His anger: the agreement was violated AND the speaker was ignored.
The covenant transgression is the legal dimension: there was an agreement. It had terms. The terms were violated. The breach is documentable. The stone that Joshua set up as a witness (24:27) has testimony to give. The commitment was made. The commitment was broken.
The voice-ignoring is the relational dimension: God didn't just send a contract. He spoke. He continued speaking through the period of transgression. The voice was available. The people chose not to listen. The deafness was volitional, not physical. They could hear. They wouldn't.
The intergenerational accountability — 'which I commanded their fathers' — means you inherit your parents' covenant obligations. The agreement the previous generation made doesn't expire when they die. It transfers. The children who didn't personally stand at Sinai are still under Sinai's terms.
The consequence is the perpetuation of enemies: the nations Israel should have driven out will remain. The incomplete obedience produces an incomplete conquest. The enemies God would have removed become the permanent fixtures of a landscape shaped by disobedience.
What enemies in your life persist because of covenant obligations you've violated? What incomplete conquest reflects your incomplete obedience?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel,.... As at first, so whenever they fell into idolatry; see Jdg 2:14,…
This verse is connected with Jdg 2:13. The intermediate verses refer to much later times; they have the appearance of…
The beginning of this paragraph is only a repetition of what account we had before of the people's good character during…
These verses are clearly not the sequel of Jdg 2:11-19; Jdg 2:2 continues Jdg 2:2 (see note); the opening words repeat…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture