Judges 2:6-10 Meaning: The Generation That Forgot
6Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel each went to his inheritance to possess the land.
7The people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Yahweh that he had worked for Israel.
8Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being one hundred ten years old.
9They buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
10After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know Yahweh, nor the work which he had done for Israel.
6And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7And 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.
8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath–heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10And 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.
6Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah that he had wrought for Israel.
8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old.
9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.
6And Joshua sendeth the people away, and the sons of Israel go, each to his inheritance, to possess the land;
7and the people serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged days after Joshua, who saw all the great work of Jehovah which He did to Israel.
8And Joshua son of Nun, servant of Jehovah, dieth, a son of a hundred and ten years,
9and they bury him in the border of his inheritance, in Timnath-Heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of mount Gaash;
10and also all that generation have been gathered unto their fathers, and another generation riseth after them who have not known Jehovah, and even the work which He hath done to Israel.
6And Joshua dismissed the people, and the children of Israel went every man to his inheritance to possess the land.
7And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders whose days were prolonged after Joshua, who had seen all the great works of Jehovah, which he had done for Israel.
8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, a hundred and ten years old.
9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Heres, in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the mountain of Gaash.
10And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, which knew not Jehovah, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Israel forget God after Joshua? This passage shows the danger of a generation that didn't know the Lord or His works.
Context
These verses sit at a hinge point in Scripture. The book of Judges opens with the tribes settling into their land, failing to drive out the Canaanites completely. Then an angel of the Lord delivers a stinging rebuke. In the middle of that, the writer steps back. He repeats the closing scene from the book of Joshua: Joshua sends the people to their inheritances, the people serve the Lord faithfully while Joshua and the elders who saw His works are still alive, and then Joshua dies and is buried. This is not a new event, it is a careful summary of what had already been told. The writer uses it to set up the stark contrast that follows. One generation witnessed God's power firsthand. The next did not. That gap of personal experience becomes the engine for everything that goes wrong in the rest of Judges. The verse is not just history. It is a warning that faith cannot be inherited secondhand.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words anchor this passage and give it weight. The first is the verb avad, translated “served” in verse 7. It means to work for someone, to labor in their service. The people served Yahweh all of Joshua’s days and all the days of the elders who outlived him. That service lasted as long as there were leaders who had seen God’s acts. It was a faith sustained by living witnesses, not by memory alone.
The second word is yada, “know,” in verse 10. The new generation “didn’t know Yahweh.” This is not about information. They had heard stories. But yada means intimate, personal, experienced knowledge, the kind you get by walking through the Red Sea, not by hearing a report about it. They had not tasted it.
The third is ma’aseh, “work,” in the phrase “the great work of Yahweh.” The word is singular here. It points not just to many miracles but to one great deliverance: God bringing Israel out of Egypt and into the land. The new generation had not seen that. And without that vision, their faith faltered. Three words show us: worship, intimacy, and memory are all tied to firsthand encounters with God.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage as a sobering transition. Many early Protestant commentators, like Matthew Henry, see it as showing how quickly human hearts turn from God when the memory of His works fades. Anglican scholar Arthur Peake noted that the repetition of Joshua 24 here is deliberate: the writer wants to make clear that Israel’s loyalty lasted only as long as those who had witnessed the conquest. Catholic interpreters often emphasize the communal nature of faith, that the elders bore a responsibility to pass on the story, and the new generation failed to receive it. Pentecostal readers highlight the need for each generation to encounter God personally, not just inherit a tradition. All traditions agree on one thing: faith does not travel automatically from one generation to the next. It must be handed on with intention, or it is lost.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think the new generation had never heard of the Lord at all. They imagine a total ignorance of God and of Israel’s history. In fact, the Hebrew word yada means more than intellectual awareness. It means intimate, experiential knowledge. This generation had grown up in the land, likely heard the stories from their parents, and attended the festivals. But they did not know Yahweh the way their grandparents did, through personal encounter and faithful relationship. Their problem was not lack of information. It was lack of transformation.
Living This Out
This passage asks a quiet but piercing question: what does the next generation know of God from you? Not from a curriculum, a sermon, or a textbook. From your life. This week, consider one concrete way to pass on your experience of God to someone younger. It might be telling a story of how He answered a prayer. It might be inviting a child or a young adult to sit with you as you read Scripture. The faith that sustained Israel through the wilderness was carried by witnesses. Someone saw God work and told the next person. Who is watching your life and learning what you have seen? The question is not whether they have heard about God. It is whether they have seen Him in someone who lives like they know Him.
Main takeaway: Faith that is not personally passed to the next generation by living witnesses risks being lost in a single lifetime.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Joshua was a leader who loved God. When he died, a new group of people grew up who did not know God themselves. We can learn about God from others, but the best way is to know Him ourselves.
For ages 9, 12
This passage tells us that after Joshua died, the people who had seen God’s miracles also died. Then a new generation came that did not know God personally. They had heard the stories, but they did not experience God for themselves. That is why it matters to spend time with God yourself, not just hear about Him from others. Ask someone older in your family to tell you a story of how God helped them. Then you will have your own memory to carry.
Questions People Ask
Why does the book of Judges repeat the end of Joshua here?
The writer is not adding new history. He is using the close of Joshua’s life to mark a turning point. By repeating these verses, he shows that Israel stayed faithful only as long as the eyewitnesses of God’s works were alive. Once that generation died, the next one drifted away. The repetition sets up the entire cycle of the judges as a story of forgetfulness.
What does it mean that the new generation 'did not know the Lord'?
It does not mean they had never heard of God. They grew up in the land and likely knew the stories. But the Hebrew word yada means personal, intimate, experienced knowledge. They did not have a living relationship with God based on firsthand encounter. They knew about Him but did not know Him.
How old was Joshua when he died?
Joshua died at 110 years old. That matches his age in Joshua 24:29. The number 110 was considered a full and blessed lifespan in ancient Egypt and Canaan. His death marked the end of an era for Israel.
Where was Joshua buried?
He was buried at Timnath-heres (also called Timnath-serah in Joshua 19:50 and 24:30) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. It was his own inheritance, the land given to him as his portion.
Does this passage mean that only the eyewitnesses had true faith?
No, but it shows that faith is strengthened by firsthand experience of God’s work. The generation that saw the miracles served the Lord faithfully. The one that only heard about them did not. This challenges us to seek our own encounters with God, not to rely on the faith of our parents alone.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study