Judges 6:1 Meaning and Explanation
“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Israel again turns from the Lord, and He hands them over to Midian for seven years.
What Does Judges 6:1 Mean?
This verse opens the long account of Gideon. The familiar refrain of Judges returns: after a season of peace, Israel slips back into the evil it had abandoned. The Lord responds by allowing the desert raiders of Midian to dominate the land for seven full years.
The sentence is sobering because the consequence flows directly from the cause. When a people loosen their hold on God, they do not drift into freedom but into bondage. Yet even this delivering into Midian's hand is not abandonment; it is the discipline of a Father who wounds in order to draw His children home again. The seven years are not the end of the story but the soil from which a deliverer will rise.
Judges 6:1 in the Original Language
ra' (רַע), 'evil' -- moral wrong that breaks faith with God, not mere misfortune.
Frequently Asked Questions About Judges 6:1
What does Judges 6:1 mean?
Israel again turns from the Lord, and He hands them over to Midian for seven years.