Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
- KJV Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
- NKJV Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
- NASB Then the Lord raised up judges who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
- NLT Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.
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
The LORD raises up judges who save Israel from their plunderers. It matters as the introduction of God's gracious deliverers.
Overview
Into the cycle of sin and oppression God sends judges, leaders he empowers to rescue his people. This is sheer grace, undeserved deliverance for a rebellious nation. The judges foreshadow the ultimate Deliverer, Jesus Christ, who saves his people not from foreign oppressors but from sin itself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Acts 13:20All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
- Ps 106:43–45Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.
- 1 Sam 12:11So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.
- Neh 9:27So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.
- Judg 3:15And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
- Judg 6:14The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
- Judg 3:9–10But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
- Judg 4:5And she would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 2:16 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.