And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that Israel "forgot the LORD their God," a crucial detail because the idolatry wasn't just about adding new gods, but actively replacing the One who rescued them. The "groves" weren't just places, but often represented the Asherah, a goddess linked to fertility, suggesting their turn was toward worldly comforts and physical prosperity, mirroring the Canaanites.
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having been warned not to mingle with the Canaanites, the Israelites immediately fell into the pattern of worshipping the foreign gods, the Baals and Asheroth, forgetting the Lord who had saved them. This verse marks the beginning of a recurring cycle in the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience leading to oppression, followed by their cries for deliverance.
This verse hits hard: 'And the people of Israel did what was evil.' What does that really mean when Scripture says it so plainly?
The Lord's Perspective
When the Bible says Israel did 'evil in the sight of the LORD,' it's not just a casual observation. It means their actions were fundamentally against God's character and His commands.
Why do people turn to other gods? This verse points to something far more internal than just external pressures.
The 'Forgetting' Factor
The verse states, 'They forgot the LORD their God.' This wasn't just a casual lapse in memory; it was a profound spiritual amnesia that paved the way for disaster.
Ask a follow-up
We hear 'Baals and Asheroth,' but what were these deities, and why were they so appealing?
Understanding the 'Others'
The mention of 'Baals and the Asheroth' isn't just throwing around ancient names. It points to specific forms of idolatry that directly competed with the LORD's covenant relationship with Israel.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel, revealing His nature as the self-existent, eternal, and faithful Redeemer who enters into a personal relationship with His people.
Baal · Hebrew Noun
A general term for male Canaanite fertility deities associated with weather, rain, and agricultural success. Their worship involved moral degradation and was strictly forbidden by God's covenant with Israel.
Asherah · Hebrew Noun
Cultic objects or symbols, often wooden poles, representing the Canaanite mother goddess Asherah, associated with fertility rites and forbidden idolatrous worship in Israel.
This verse marks a critical turning point where the generation that experienced the conquest of Canaan drifts into idolatry, forgetting the God who saved them and adopting the fertility worship of their neighbors.
c. 1406 BC
Israel Enters the Promised Land
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites, led by Joshua, conquer and settle in Canaan, fulfilling God's promises.
c. 1400-1300 BC
Joshua's Generation Passes
The generation that knew the direct leadership of Joshua and had witnessed God's mighty acts begins to pass away.
c. 1380 BC— this verse
Israel Forgets God and Serves Idols
The new generation, lacking the direct memory of God's deliverance, begins to adopt the idolatrous practices of the surrounding Canaanite nations, serving deities like Baal and Asherah.
c. 1380 BC
God Delivers Israel to Oppression
As a consequence of their unfaithfulness, God allows the Canaanite nations to oppress Israel for eight years.
This passage explicitly commands Israel to tear down the altars and hew down the Asherah images of the Canaanites, directly paralleling the sin described in Judges 3:7.
Deuteronomy 8:19This verse warns Israel that if they forget the LORD their God and follow other gods, they will surely perish, highlighting the severe consequences of the actions seen in Judges 3:7.
Jeremiah 2:8The prophet Jeremiah rebukes Israel for serving worthless idols (Baalim) and even wooden images (Asheroth), echoing the same sin of idolatry and forgetting God that plagued the people in the time of the Judges.
Romans 1:23This New Testament passage describes people exchanging the truth about God for a lie and worshiping created things, a spiritual parallel to Israel's forsaking of the LORD for Baals and Asheroth.
Judges 2:13This earlier verse in Judges describes the exact same sin – forsaking the LORD and serving Baals and Asheroth – showing this was a recurring and foundational problem for Israel.
clarkeJudges 3:7: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves."
Served Baalim and the groves - No groves were ever worshipped, but the deities who were supposed to be resident in them; and in many cases temples and altars were built in groves, and the superstition of consecrating groves and woods to the honor of the deities was a practice very usual with the ancients. Pliny assures us that trees, in old times, served f…
ellicottJudges 3:7: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves."
(7) Did evil in the sight of the Lord. —Rather, did the evil, as in Judges 2:11 . And the groves.—Rather, and the Asheroth, i.e., the wooden images of the nature-goddess, Asherah (which are called also Asherim). The LXX. render the word Asherah by alsos, “a grove,” and other versions follow them. (Sec Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 8:5; Deuteronomy 16:21; 2King…
The verse highlights that Israel "forgot the LORD their God," a crucial detail because the idolatry wasn't just about adding new gods, but actively replacing the One who rescued them. The "groves" weren't just places, but often represented the Asherah, a goddess linked to fertility, suggesting their turn was toward worldly comforts and physical prosperity, mirroring the Canaanites.
Having been warned not to mingle with the Canaanites, the Israelites immediately fell into the pattern of worshipping the foreign gods, the Baals and Asheroth, forgetting the Lord who had saved them. This verse marks the beginning of a recurring cycle in the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience leading to oppression, followed by their cries for deliverance.
Having been warned not to mingle with the Canaanites, the Israelites immediately fell into the pattern of worshipping the foreign gods, the Baals and Asheroth, forgetting the Lord who had saved them. This verse marks the beginning of a recurring cycle in the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience leading to oppression, followed by their cries for deliverance.
"And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." — The verse highlights that Israel "forgot the LORD their God," a crucial detail because the idolatry wasn't just about adding new gods, but actively replacing the One who rescued them. The "groves…
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Last reviewed October 2026