What is the meaning of Judges 10:7? So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel In the very verse before, Israel “again did evil in the sight of the LORD” by chasing the gods of every surrounding nation (Judges 10:6). That long list of idols shows how completely they deserted Him. The Lord’s anger is not a flare-up of temper but a holy, covenant-keeping response to betrayal (see Judges 2:11-14; Psalm 106:40-41). Think of a faithful spouse watching the other run into repeated affairs—love demands jealousy. This burning anger exposes sin, protects the holiness of God, and sets in motion discipline designed to bring His people back (Hebrews 12:6; Deuteronomy 32:16-22). and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines “Sold” is the same verb used earlier in Judges 2:14; 3:8; 4:2—language from the marketplace picturing Israel handed over like a slave whose owner has forfeited every right. By withdrawing His shield, the Lord allows the Philistines from the coastal plain to dominate large portions of Israel, paving the way for stories like Samson’s (Judges 13:1). The oppression was God-supervised discipline, not random misfortune. It fulfilled warnings such as Deuteronomy 28:25 and was intended to wake the nation up (1 Samuel 12:9). and He sold them into the hands of the Ammonites At the same time oppression struck from the east. Ammonite raids crushed Gilead for eighteen long years (Judges 10:8), later sparking the rise of Jephthah (Judges 11:4-33). The double pressure—Philistines on one side, Ammonites on the other—boxed Israel in so tightly that they finally cried out, “We have sinned against You” (Judges 10:10). God sometimes allows more than one hardship at once so we cannot explain trouble away as coincidence (Psalm 81:12; Romans 1:24). His purpose is always restorative, never spiteful. summary Judges 10:7 shows the righteous anger of a covenant-keeping God who will not ignore habitual idolatry. By “selling” Israel to both Philistines and Ammonites, He lovingly disciplines His people, stripping away false securities until they run back to Him. The verse underscores that the Lord remains sovereign even in judgment, and that His ultimate goal is always repentance and restoration. |
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