Judges 2:3 (GNV)

Passage

Wherefore, I sayd also, I wil not cast them out before you, but they shalbe as thornes vnto your sides, and their gods shalbe your destruction.

Nearby Context

Judges 2:1 And an Angel of the Lord came vp from Gilgal to Bochim, and sayd, I made you to go vp out of Egypt, and haue brought you vnto the land which I had sworne vnto your fathers, and sayd, I wil neuer breake my couenant with you.

Judges 2:2 Ye also shall make no couenant with the inhabitants of this land, but shall breake downe their altars: but ye haue not obeyed my voyce. Why haue ye done this?

Judges 2:3 Wherefore, I sayd also, I wil not cast them out before you, but they shalbe as thornes vnto your sides, and their gods shalbe your destruction.

Judges 2:4 And when the Angel of the Lord spake these wordes vnto all the children of Israel, the people lift vp their voyce, and wept.

Judges 2:5 Therefore they called the name of that place, Bochim, and offered sacrifices there vnto the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "sayd", "cast", "before", "shalbe", "thornes", "vnto", and "sides". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "sayd", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Ye also shall make no couenant with..." into verse 4's "And when the Angel of the Lord...", so "wherefore" and "sayd" 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 "wherefore" and "sayd" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.