Judges 2:15 (WEB)

Passage

Wherever they went out, Yahweh’s hand was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.

Nearby Context

Judges 2:13 They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

Judges 2:14 Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

Judges 2:15 Wherever they went out, Yahweh’s hand was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.

Judges 2:16 Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

Judges 2:17 Yet they didn’t listen to their judges; for they prostituted themselves to other gods, and bowed themselves down to them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying Yahweh’s commandments. They didn’t do so.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Yahweh s anger burned against Israel and..." into verse 16's "Yahweh raised up judges who saved them...", so "wherever" 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 "wherever" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.