Judges 3:7-8 meaning

The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth (v 7). This verse encapsulates the familiar pattern in the Book of Judges: Israel’s repeated descent into idolatry. The phrase did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (v 7) is used throughout Judges to describe Israel’s rejection of God and engaging in behaviors that violate their covenant relationship with Him.

The Israelites forgot the Lord their God (v 7), which does not imply a loss of memory but rather a willful neglect of their relationship with God and His commandments. This forgetfulness leads them to serve the Baals and Asheroth, deities worshiped by the Canaanites. Baal was a storm and fertility god, while Asheroth (or Asherah) was a mother goddess also associated with fertility and possibly war. Worshiping these deities involved practices that were abhorrent to God, including ritual prostitution and child sacrifice, reflecting the depth of Israel’s spiritual corruption (Jeremiah 19:5).

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia (v 8). God’s response to Israel’s idolatry is one of righteous anger. His anger is kindled, suggesting it burns intensely due to their ongoing disobedience. As a result, God sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, a king of Mesopotamia (v 8).

The use of the word sold indicates that God, in response to their sin, no longer protected them and allowed them to fall into the hands of a foreign oppressor. This was one of the curses with which God promised to punish Israel if it broke its Suzerain-vassal covenant with Him (Deuteronomy 28:25, 47-51).

Cushan-rishathaim’s name is interesting. It means “Cushan the twice-wicked,” indicating his oppressive and cruel nature. This is probably what the Israelites named him, since he was a tyrant over them. In the original Hebrew in this passage, the word Mesopotamia is actually “Aram-Naharaim.” Aram was another name for the region of Syria. “Naharaihm” means “two rivers,” which is why Aram-Nahariam is translated Mesopotamia here, which means “the land between rivers.” Many scholars believe “Aram-Naharaim” refers to the Mitanni kingdom, which was called “Naharin” by the Egyptians and “Nahrima” by the Canaanites. The Mitanni kingdom was in the Mesopotamian region, located northeast of Israel.

And the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years (v 8). Israel’s subjugation under Cushan-rishathaim lasted for eight years. The term served here specifies that the Israelites were under harsh oppression, likely involving steep monetary tributes, forced labor, and possibly military conscription. This period of servitude was a direct consequence of Israel’s idolatry, demonstrating that turning away from God leads to bondage and suffering.

The eight years of oppression would eventually lead the Israelites to cry out to God for deliverance. We see here that if we do not look to God before all other things, He will allow us to fall into the ways of the world that we choose instead of him. Those temporal things lead only to death and destruction, while following God leads to eternal life (1 John 2:15-17).

Israel’s worship of the Baals and Asheroth brought about a profound spiritual decline, one that incurred God’s judgment. Yet, even in judgment, there is an implicit call to repentance, as God’s deliverance is always on the horizon for those who return to Him.