Judges 2:20 (KJV)

Passage

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

Nearby Context

Judges 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

Judges 2:19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

Judges 2:20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

Judges 2:21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

Judges 2:22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "anger", "lord", "against", "israel", "said", "people", "hath", and "transgressed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "anger" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And it came to pass when the..." into verse 21's "I also will not henceforth drive out...", so "anger" and "lord" 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 "anger" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.