The verse doesn't just say they served idols; it highlights that they "forgot the LORD their God" first. This is crucial because it shows how forgetting God's faithfulness and power opens the door for other things to fill that void, leading them to worship not just physical idols, but the very places where those idols were often housed.
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. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After settling into the Promised Land, the Israelites are warned not to make peace with the remaining nations but instead to drive them out. However, this instruction is ignored, leading to intermarriage and continued contact with Canaanite culture, which directly corrupts their worship. This verse marks the beginning of Israel's cycle of disobedience, forgetting God and falling into idolatry by worshipping local deities like Baal and Asherah, often represented by sacred images in groves.
When the Bible says the Israelites 'forgot the LORD their God,' it's not just about a lapse in memory. It's a profound spiritual disconnect.
The Active Choice to Forget
Forgetfulness of God isn't passive. It's an active turning away, a conscious decision to neglect relationship.
The names 'Baals' and 'Asheroth' point to more than just statues; they represent entire systems of worship that offered a seductive alternative to God's covenant.
Competing Gods, Competing Loyalties
The Baals and Asheroth were not isolated deities but represented a pervasive religious and cultural influence.
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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.
aph · Hebrew Noun
A manifestation of God's holy and righteous response to sin and covenant unfaithfulness. It is not an arbitrary emotion but a settled, just reaction against rebellion and evil.
This verse depicts a recurring problem for ancient Israel: the danger of assimilating into surrounding cultures. The worship of Baalim (male deities) and Asheroth (female deities, often represented by wooden images) was deeply ingrained in Canaanite society, tied to fertility and the land. Israel's 'forgetting' of God wasn't just a lack of memory; it was an active turning away from their covenant relationship to embrace the perceived benefits of these foreign gods, especially as they settled amongst the native peoples.
c. 1400 BC
Israel Enters the Promised Land
After wandering in the desert for 40 years, the Israelites, led by Joshua, conquer and settle in the land of Canaan. This marks the beginning of their interaction with the native peoples and their cultures.
c. 1400-1300 BC
Settlement and Early Interactions
The Israelites begin to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This period of proximity leads to cultural exchange and the gradual adoption of local customs and religious practices.
c. 1300 BC— this verse
First Cycle of Apostasy
The Israelites begin to follow the religious practices of the Canaanites, worshipping their gods (Baal and Asherah) and forgetting the LORD. This marks the first of several cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance described in the book of Judges.
c. 1300-1100 BC
Period of the Judges Begins
Following the initial apostasy and God's judgment, Israel experiences periods of oppression by surrounding nations. God raises up judges to deliver them, a pattern that repeats throughout this era.
This passage directly commands Israel to tear down the Asherah images and pillars, paralleling the sin described in Judges 3:7 of serving these foreign deities.
Deuteronomy 7:5This verse instructs Israel to destroy the altars and images of the Canaanites, highlighting the severe divine prohibition against the very practices the Israelites fell into in Judges 3:7.
Judges 2:13This verse is a direct precursor and parallel to Judges 3:7, stating that the Israelites 'abandoned the LORD and served Baal and the Asheroth,' setting the stage for the cycle of sin and deliverance.
1 Kings 18:18Elijah confronts Israel about their divided loyalty, accusing them of serving Baal and Asherah, demonstrating that this sin of idolatry continued and was a persistent issue.
Jeremiah 7:9-10The prophet Jeremiah condemns similar idolatrous practices, including serving the 'host of heaven' and worshipping in groves, showing the enduring nature of this sin and God's consistent judgment against it throughout Israel's history.
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 doesn't just say they served idols; it highlights that they "forgot the LORD their God" first. This is crucial because it shows how forgetting God's faithfulness and power opens the door for other things to fill that void, leading them to worship not just physical idols, but the very places where those idols were often housed.
After settling into the Promised Land, the Israelites are warned not to make peace with the remaining nations but instead to drive them out. However, this instruction is ignored, leading to intermarriage and continued contact with Canaanite culture, which directly corrupts their worship. This verse marks the beginning of Israel's cycle of disobedience, forgetting God and falling into idolatry by worshipping local deities like Baal and Asherah, often represented by sacred images in groves.
After settling into the Promised Land, the Israelites are warned not to make peace with the remaining nations but instead to drive them out. However, this instruction is ignored, leading to intermarriage and continued contact with Canaanite culture, which directly corrupts their worship. This verse marks the beginning of Israel's cycle of disobedience, forgetting God and falling into idolatry by worshipping local deities like Baal and Asherah, often represented by sacred images in groves.
"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. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan…" — The verse doesn't just say they served idols; it highlights that they "forgot the LORD their God" first. This is crucial because it shows how forgetting God's faithfulness and power opens the door fo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
