God's question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just asking for an explanation; it carries the weight of a parent asking a child who has deeply disappointed them. It highlights Israel's profound spiritual disloyalty, not just a simple rule-breaking, but a betrayal of their covenant relationship with God.
and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
An angel of the Lord has appeared to the Israelites at Bochim to confront them, not about military failures, but about their disobedience to God's direct commands concerning the Canaanites. God reminds them of His faithfulness in bringing them to the Promised Land and His promise to uphold His covenant, but then directly questions their failure to destroy the pagan altars and make no treaties with the land's inhabitants, a clear breach of their agreement with Him. This reprimand leads to tears and sacrifice, a response to their sin and its immediate, dire consequences.
Imagine moving into a new neighborhood, but instead of tidying up, you start setting up your neighbor’s shrines in your own backyard. That’s the kind of boundary God expected for His people.
God's command to Israel was stark: 'make no league with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' This wasn't just about avoiding bad company; it was a radical call for spiritual separation.
Zero Tolerance for Idolatry
The altars of the Canaanites were centers of their worship, deeply tied to their pagan gods and practices. God knew that any mingling or tolerance would inevitably lead His people astray. It wasn’t an option to coexist; it was a command to dismantle and reject.
The Danger of Compromise
Making a 'league' or covenant implied acceptance, even partnership. This meant allowing their religious practices to continue, perhaps even participating in them. God saw this as a direct betrayal of their covenant with Him, a sure path to spiritual ruin.
Have you ever been asked 'Why did you do that?' when you knew you'd messed up? This verse captures that moment of divine confrontation.
The angel of the Lord's question, 'What is this you have done?' isn't just a simple inquiry. It's a powerful accusation, highlighting Israel's failure to listen.
The Core of the Problem
Ask a follow-up
'But you have not obeyed my voice.' This is the heart of the matter. The commands about making leagues and tearing down altars were specific instructions within their covenant relationship with God. Disobedience wasn't just a mistake; it was a breach of trust.
Consequences of Rebellion
This question comes after God recounts all He has done for them – bringing them out of Egypt and into the promised land. Their disobedience, therefore, is not just a failure to follow rules, but a profound act of ingratitude and rejection of God’s goodness and authority. The commentators note that this disobedience would soon lead to them becoming 'thorns in their sides,' a direct consequence of their choices.
Understand the original words
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
A raised structure, usually of earth or stone, used for offering sacrifices and burnt offerings as an act of worship, atonement, or consecration to a deity. In the Old Testament, God commanded the destruction of foreign altars to prevent idolatry.
shama' qol · Hebrew Verb
To hear, listen, and pay attention with the intention of obedience. It implies not just cognitive reception but a responsive action following the expressed will of God.
moqesh · Hebrew Noun
A device for trapping animals, used metaphorically in Scripture to describe objects, practices, or people that lead the faithful into sin, idolatry, or destruction.
The verse highlights Israel's immediate failure to uphold the core commands given at their entry into Canaan – to eradicate idolatry and avoid alliances with the native people. This sets the stage for the recurring cycle of disobedience and judgment described throughout the book of Judges.
~1406 BC
Israel Enters the Promised Land
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites conquer much of Canaan, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham.
~1406-1390 BC— this verse
Joshua's Death and Initial Disobedience
After Joshua's death, the generation that experienced God's mighty acts begins to fade, and the Israelites fail to fully drive out the Canaanites, making covenants with them.
c. 1390 BC
Angel of the LORD Rebuke at Bochim
An angel of the LORD confronts Israel, rebuking them for their disobedience and warning of future consequences. This event is the immediate context for Judges 2:2.
c. 1390-1070 BC
Cycle of Oppression and Deliverance
Israel repeatedly falls into idolatry, suffers oppression by surrounding nations, and then cries out to God for deliverance, marking the pattern of the entire period of the Judges.
This passage lays out the foundational command for Israel to make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land and to drive them out, directly paralleling the specific instructions given in Judges 2:2. It highlights the divine blueprint that Israel failed to follow.
Deuteronomy 7:2-4This passage reiterates God's command to utterly destroy the inhabitants of the land and make no covenant with them, reinforcing the seriousness of Israel's disobedience in Judges 2:2. It shows this was a repeated and critical instruction.
Romans 6:16This New Testament passage speaks about becoming slaves to whomever you obey, mirroring the core issue in Judges 2:2 where Israel's disobedience to God led them into servitude to the very people they were commanded to conquer. It reveals a universal principle of spiritual bondage through disobedience.
Joshua 23:11-13Joshua's final words to Israel serve as a stark warning, echoing the message of the Angel in Judges 2:2, that their failure to drive out the Canaanites would result in them becoming 'snares and traps' and 'scourges on your sides.' This shows the long-term consequences of the disobedience highlighted in Judges.
bensonJudges 2:2: "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"
Jdg 2:2-5 . Ye shall make no league, &c. — These express and frequently-repeated commands of God they had disobeyed. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out, &c. — That is, I have now taken up this peremptory resolution. They shall be as thorns in your sides, &c. — This signifies what they were assuredly to expect in brea…
gillJudges 2:2: "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land,.... This the Lord charged them not to do, when he covenanted with them, and assured them of bringing them into the land; and yet they had done it, as some instances in the preceding chapter show, which were the occasion of the angel's coming to them to rebuke them, see…
God's question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just asking for an explanation; it carries the weight of a parent asking a child who has deeply disappointed them. It highlights Israel's profound spiritual disloyalty, not just a simple rule-breaking, but a betrayal of their covenant relationship with God.
An angel of the Lord has appeared to the Israelites at Bochim to confront them, not about military failures, but about their disobedience to God's direct commands concerning the Canaanites. God reminds them of His faithfulness in bringing them to the Promised Land and His promise to uphold His covenant, but then directly questions their failure to destroy the pagan altars and make no treaties with the land's inhabitants, a clear breach of their agreement with Him. This reprimand leads to tears and sacrifice, a response to their sin and its immediate, dire consequences.
An angel of the Lord has appeared to the Israelites at Bochim to confront them, not about military failures, but about their disobedience to God's direct commands concerning the Canaanites. God reminds them of His faithfulness in bringing them to the Promised Land and His promise to uphold His covenant, but then directly questions their failure to destroy the pagan altars and make no treaties with the land's inhabitants, a clear breach of their agreement with Him. This reprimand leads to tears and sacrifice, a response to their sin and its immediate, dire consequences.
"and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become t…" — God's question, "Why have you done this?" isn't just asking for an explanation; it carries the weight of a parent asking a child who has deeply disappointed them. It highlights Israel's profound spir…
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Last reviewed October 2026
