Judges 2:15 (DRB)

Passage

But whithersoever they meant to go, the hand of the Lord was upon them, as he had said, and as he had sworn to them: and they were greatly distressed.

Nearby Context

Judges 2:13 Forsaking him, and serving Baal and Astaroth

Judges 2:14 And the Lord being angry against Israel, delivered them into the hands of plunderers: who took them and sold them to their enemies, that dwelt round about: neither could they stand against their enemies:

Judges 2:15 But whithersoever they meant to go, the hand of the Lord was upon them, as he had said, and as he had sworn to them: and they were greatly distressed.

Judges 2:16 And the Lord raised up judges, to deliver them from the hands of those that oppressed them: but they would not hearken to them,

Judges 2:17 Committing fornication with strange gods, and adoring them. They quickly forsook the way, in which their fathers had walked: and hearing the commandments of the Lord, they did all things contrary.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whithersoever", "meant", "hand", "lord", "upon", "said", "sworn", and "greatly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whithersoever" and "meant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And the Lord being angry against Israel..." into verse 16's "And the Lord raised up judges to...", so "whithersoever" and "meant" 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 "meant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.