Judges 2:10-11
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This verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked truth: "knowing the Lord" isn't just intellectual assent; it's a deep, experiential knowledge passed down through lived memory. When that generation died, the living memory of God's powerful acts faded, leaving a void that allowed spiritual ignorance to creep in and take root.
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The generation that had witnessed Joshua's leadership and the conquest of Canaan passed away, taking their firsthand knowledge of God's mighty deeds with them. A new generation arose, who had not personally experienced God's deliverance or learned about His faithfulness from those who had. This shift marks a critical turning point, where the direct memory of God's intervention faded, leaving an open door for the nation to forget Him and His ways.
It's not just about head knowledge, but heart knowledge. What kind of 'knowing' does this verse point to?
This verse highlights a dangerous kind of ignorance: not knowing the LORD or His works.
What 'Knowing' Means Here
The phrase "knew not the LORD" isn't about a complete absence of awareness, but a profound disconnect from His character and actions.
How quickly can the memory of God's mighty acts fade? This verse shows a startling pattern.
Judges 2:10 describes a critical moment where the memory of God's faithfulness begins to erode, setting the stage for future decline.
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The Danger of a Faded Legacy
This cycle is a stark warning: spiritual heritage requires intentional passing down, lest the memory of God's deeds fade into myth or be forgotten entirely.
Understand the original words
asaph · Hebrew Verb
A euphemism for death, reflecting the ancient Israelite belief in ancestral fellowship beyond the grave and the communal nature of God’s people through history.
yada · Hebrew Verb
Biblically, this goes beyond mere intellectual awareness to imply a relational, experiential knowledge—a deep, intimate acquaintance that results in covenantal loyalty and trust.
ra' · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Moral or ethical wickedness that is offensive or disagreeable to God's standard of holiness and character.
Ba'al · Hebrew Noun
A false deity or fertility god worshiped by Canaanite peoples, often representing the storm god associated with rain and agricultural productivity.
The verse highlights a critical moment where the memory of God's past faithfulness fades with the passing of the eyewitness generation, leading to spiritual decline and the loss of vital knowledge about God's work.
c. 1406 BC
Joshua Leads Israelites into Canaan
Following God's deliverance from Egypt and wilderness wandering, Joshua, Moses' successor, leads the Israelites in conquering and settling the Promised Land.
c. 1386 BC— this verse
Death of Joshua
Joshua, the revered leader who had successfully guided Israel into the Promised Land and overseen its initial division, dies. This marks the end of an era of strong, unified leadership under God.
c. 1386 BC - 1376 BC
First Generation of Judges
The generation that entered Canaan under Joshua's leadership remains largely faithful to the LORD, remembering His mighty deeds. They experience relative peace and prosperity during this time.
c. 1376 BC onwards
Rise of Apostasy
As the generation that knew Joshua and witnessed the conquest dies out, a new generation emerges with little or no personal experience of God's deliverance and faithfulness.
c. 1376 BC - 1076 BC
The Period of the Judges
This era is characterized by a cycle of disobedience, oppression by surrounding nations, cries for deliverance, and God raising up judges to rescue His people.
This passage emphasizes the vital importance of parents passing down their knowledge and experience of God's commands and works to their children, directly addressing the generational gap in spiritual understanding highlighted in Judges 2:10.
Psalm 78:1-7This psalm is a reflection on the failure of past generations to remember God's mighty deeds, and a plea for the current generation to learn from their ancestors' mistakes, mirroring the cycle described in Judges 2:10 where a new generation forgets God.
Jeremiah 9:3This verse expresses God's grief over a generation that has turned away from Him and does not 'know' Him, paralleling the spiritual ignorance described in Judges 2:10 where the new generation lacks a true understanding of the LORD.
Hosea 4:6This verse directly states that people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge, particularly knowledge of God and His works, which is the core issue of the generation arising in Judges 2:10.
wesleyJudges 2:10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."
2:10 Knew not - Which had no experimental, nor serious and affectionate knowledge of God, or of his works.
bensonJudges 2:10: "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."
Jdg 2:10 . And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers — Not only those who had beheld the wonderful works of God in Egypt, and in the wilderness, but those also who had seen Jordan dried up, the walls of Jericho fall down, the sun stand still at the word of Joshua, and their enemie…
This verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked truth: "knowing the Lord" isn't just intellectual assent; it's a deep, experiential knowledge passed down through lived memory. When that generation died, the living memory of God's powerful acts faded, leaving a void that allowed spiritual ignorance to creep in and take root.
The generation that had witnessed Joshua's leadership and the conquest of Canaan passed away, taking their firsthand knowledge of God's mighty deeds with them. A new generation arose, who had not personally experienced God's deliverance or learned about His faithfulness from those who had. This shift marks a critical turning point, where the direct memory of God's intervention faded, leaving an open door for the nation to forget Him and His ways.
The generation that had witnessed Joshua's leadership and the conquest of Canaan passed away, taking their firsthand knowledge of God's mighty deeds with them. A new generation arose, who had not personally experienced God's deliverance or learned about His faithfulness from those who had. This shift marks a critical turning point, where the direct memory of God's intervention faded, leaving an open door for the nation to forget Him and His ways.
"And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LO…" — This verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked truth: "knowing the Lord" isn't just intellectual assent; it's a deep, experiential knowledge passed down through lived memory. When that generation…
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Last reviewed October 2026
