Judges 2:11 Meaning: Why Did Israel Turn to the Baals?
The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals.
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim;
And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim,
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baals.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Israel serve Baals after Joshua? This verse begins the cycle of apostasy and deliverance that defines the Book of Judges.
Context
The Book of Judges opens with a land not yet fully conquered. Then comes a hinge: Joshua dies, and so does the generation that saw God's great works. Verse 10 says plainly that a new generation arose who did not know Yahweh or what He had done for Israel. This verse is the first explicit statement of what that ignorance produced. It begins a pattern that will repeat seven times in the book: Israel does evil, serves other gods, suffers, cries out, and is delivered. Here the cycle starts with a single, stark sentence.
Key Words
The Hebrew behind “did evil” is ha’ra, literally “the evil.” It is a definite, deliberate choice, not a slip. The same phrase appears again and again in Judges, each time tolling like a warning bell.
The word translated “served” is avad, which means to work for someone, to worship, to give allegiance. It is the same word used for serving God. Israel did not just dabble in other religions; they transferred their loyalty, their labor, their lives.
“Baalim” is the plural of Baal, the chief male god of Canaan. The plural suggests many images or local manifestations of this god, Baal of Peor, Baal of Zebub, and so on. The people did not abandon Yahweh for one god; they scattered their worship among many lords, none of whom had rescued them from Egypt.
How Christians Read This Verse
Matthew Henry saw in this verse the aggravating circumstances of Israel’s sin: they did evil openly in God’s own sight, after receiving so much good from Him. Wesley’s Notes emphasize the tragedy of perishing from a good land that God gave them, and the loss of what could have been.
The Cambridge Bible points out that “did evil in the sight of the Lord” is a recurring formula in the Deuteronomistic history, marking each apostasy. Across traditions, Reformed, Methodist, Anglican, the verse is read as the theological explanation for Israel’s suffering: not random misfortune, but the just consequence of covenant unfaithfulness.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think Israel merely drifted into idolatry through neglect. But the word “served” is active and deliberate. They did not just forget God; they transferred their worship to the Baals. The sin was not passive ignorance but active betrayal.
Living This Out
This verse asks you to look at what you actually serve with your hours, your worry, your hope. Baals still appear, not as statues but as anything that asks for your ultimate trust: money, approval, comfort, a future you are trying to control. The question is not whether you believe in God, but whether you have quietly handed your deepest loyalty to something else. Before the next crisis comes, take a quiet moment and name what has your heart’s real service this week.
Main takeaway: Serving anything other than God with our whole lives is the evil that breaks the covenant and leads to ruin.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The people stopped loving God. They started bowing down to pretend gods that couldn't help them at all.
For ages 9, 12
After Joshua died, a new generation grew up who didn't remember what God had done. They started worshiping the same idols their neighbors worshiped. This made God very sad. The whole Book of Judges is about this problem happening again and again, until the people finally asked God for help.
Questions People Ask
What does “Baalim” mean in Judges 2:11?
Baalim is the plural of Baal, the chief god of the Canaanites. The plural form suggests there were many local images or versions of Baal worshipped in different places, like Baal-Peor or Baal-Berith. Israel served all of them.
Why did Israel turn to other gods so quickly after Joshua died?
The verse before this one (Judges 2:10) says a new generation arose who did not know Yahweh or the works He had done for Israel. They had not seen the miracles at the Jordan or the battles. Without firsthand experience, they were drawn to the gods of the people around them.
How does this verse set the pattern for the whole Book of Judges?
The phrase “the children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight” appears seven times in Judges (2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1). Each time it introduces a new cycle: apostasy, oppression, crying out, deliverance by a judge. This verse is the first link in that chain.
Does “did evil in the sight of the Lord” mean Israel’s sin was worse than other nations’ sins?
Commentators like Matthew Poole note that doing evil “in the sight of the Lord” highlights the heinousness of Israel’s sin. Because God was present among them in a unique way, and they knew His eye was on them, their rebellion showed greater contempt than that of surrounding peoples.
Is the worship of Baal connected to the first two commandments?
Yes. The First Commandment forbids having other gods before Yahweh, and the Second forbids making idols. Serving Baalim directly violated both. The whole covenant relationship was at stake.
For pastors & researchers
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