Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
- BSB Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them from the hands of those who plundered 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 13:20And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
- Ps 106:43–45Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
- 1 Sam 12:11And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
- Neh 9:27Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
- Judg 3:15But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
- Judg 6:14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
- Judg 3:9–10And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
- Judg 4:5And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came 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.