And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that this period of faithfulness lasted as long as those who personally witnessed God's mighty acts were alive. It's a powerful reminder that a living memory of God's intervention is a crucial safeguard against forgetting Him.
And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land and commissions them, this verse describes a period of faithfulness. It highlights that the generation who experienced God’s powerful acts firsthand, like Joshua and the elders who survived him, remained devoted to the Lord. This faithfulness, however, is presented as a temporary state, setting the stage for the stark contrast that follows.
Why does the book of Judges start by highlighting what people had seen?
This verse sets the stage by emphasizing a critical element: eyewitness accounts. The people served the Lord not just because they were told to, but because they saw God's mighty acts firsthand through Joshua and the elders.
The Power of Experience
What happens when the people who saw God's power are no longer around?
The phrase 'all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua' highlights a specific period of faithfulness. But it also foreshadows a shift.
The End of an Era
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Understand the original words
abad · Hebrew Verb
A term denoting religious devotion, worship, and obedience to God, which is the proper response of the covenant people to Yahweh’s sovereignty and grace.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God revealed to Israel; it signifies His eternal existence, His unchanging nature, and His faithfulness to His redemptive promises.
ma'aseh · Hebrew Noun
A phrase describing God’s mighty acts of salvation, judgment, and providence performed on behalf of His people to demonstrate His power and character.
This verse marks the end of a foundational era where the memory of God's mighty acts, personified by Joshua and the elders, kept Israel faithful. Its significance lies in highlighting the crucial role of eyewitness testimony and leadership in maintaining religious devotion across generations, and foreshadowing the decline that occurs when that connection is lost.
c. 1406 BC
Israel Crosses the Jordan River
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River, a pivotal event signifying their entry into the Promised Land. This event, along with subsequent victories, was vividly remembered by the generation that saw it.
c. 1406-1386 BC
Conquest of Canaan Under Joshua
Joshua led the Israelites in a series of military campaigns to conquer the land of Canaan, dispossessing the existing inhabitants. This period established their inheritance in the land.
c. 1386 BC
Death of Joshua
Joshua, the successor to Moses and leader of the conquest, dies after anointing his successor and receiving the people's renewed commitment to serve the Lord.
c. 1386 - c. 1366 BC— this verse
The Era of the Elders
The generation of elders who had directly witnessed and participated in the great works of God, including the conquest of Canaan, continued to lead Israel. They ensured the people remained faithful to the Lord.
c. 1366 BC onwards
Rise of a New Generation
Following the death of the elders who had seen God's mighty deeds, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord or the great works He had done for Israel, leading to a departure from faithfulness.
This passage describes Joshua sending the people to their inheritance, marking the end of a significant era of faithfulness, paralleling the end of Joshua's influence mentioned in Judges.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7This passage emphasizes the importance of parents diligently teaching God's commands to their children, a practice that clearly lapsed between Joshua's generation and the next, leading to the decline described in Judges.
Psalm 78:4-7This psalm reflects on Israel's history, lamenting how the former generations did not make known God's mighty deeds to the next, which directly explains the spiritual amnesia that set in after Joshua and the elders passed away.
Nehemiah 9:16-17This prayer recalls God's past faithfulness, including His mighty acts in the wilderness and exodus, highlighting the foundational importance of remembering these 'great works' which, as in Judges, were forgotten by later generations.
ellicottJudges 2:7: "And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel."
(7) All the days of Joshua. —Compare the whole passage ( Judges 2:6-10 ) with Joshua 24:28-33 , which is almost verbally identical with it. It is usually supposed that Joshua was about eighty at the time of the conquest of Canaan, because that was the age of his comrade Caleb ( Joshua 14:7 ); if so, he had…
pulpitJudges 2:7: "And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel."
Verse 7. - And the people served, etc. This verse is the epitome of the religious history of Israel from the time of the expostulation of the angel till the dying off of all those who had been elders in the time of Joshua. It probably includes some forty or fifty years from the entrance into Canaan, viz.,…
The text highlights that this period of faithfulness lasted as long as those who personally witnessed God's mighty acts were alive. It's a powerful reminder that a living memory of God's intervention is a crucial safeguard against forgetting Him.
After Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land and commissions them, this verse describes a period of faithfulness. It highlights that the generation who experienced God’s powerful acts firsthand, like Joshua and the elders who survived him, remained devoted to the Lord. This faithfulness, however, is presented as a temporary state, setting the stage for the stark contrast that follows.
After Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land and commissions them, this verse describes a period of faithfulness. It highlights that the generation who experienced God’s powerful acts firsthand, like Joshua and the elders who survived him, remained devoted to the Lord. This faithfulness, however, is presented as a temporary state, setting the stage for the stark contrast that follows.
"And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel." — The text highlights that this period of faithfulness lasted as long as those who personally witnessed God's mighty acts were alive. It's a powerful reminder that a living memory of God's interventi…
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Last reviewed October 2026