Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
Parallel translations
- WEB The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
- KJV And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
- NKJV Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
- NASB Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
- NLT Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel again does evil, so the Lord hands them over to the Philistines for forty years. The familiar cycle of sin and oppression resumes.
Overview
This verse restarts the Judges pattern: Israel sins, and God gives them into enemy hands. The forty-year Philistine oppression is the longest yet, signaling deepening spiritual decline. Yet notably the people do not even cry out for help this time, making God's coming initiative in raising Samson an act of sheer grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Sam 12:9But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
- Rom 2:6God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”
- Judg 6:1Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
- Judg 3:7So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
- Judg 2:11And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
- Judg 4:1After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Judg 10:6And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
- Jer 13:23Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 13:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.