Judges 2:15 (ASV)

Passage

Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed.

Nearby Context

Judges 2:13 And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

Judges 2:14 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Judges 2:15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed.

Judges 2:16 And Jehovah raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those that despoiled them.

Judges 2:17 And yet they hearkened not unto their judges; for they played the harlot after other gods, and bowed themselves down unto them: they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of Jehovah; [but] they did not so.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whithersoever", "went", "hand", "jehovah", "against", "evil", and "spoken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whithersoever" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And the anger of Jehovah was kindled..." into verse 16's "And Jehovah raised up judges who saved...", so "whithersoever" and "went" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whithersoever" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.