Add parallel Print Page Options

II. Stories of the Judges

Othniel. (A)Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord, their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs,[a] and the anger of the Lord flared up against them. He sold them into the power of Cushan-rishathaim,[b] king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord,(B) he raised up a savior for them, to save them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz.(C)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 3:7 The Asherahs: Asherah was an important goddess, whose presence in the cult was represented by a wooden pole, also called an “asherah”; see notes on Ex 34:13 and Dt 7:5. Here the plural is used to refer to goddesses in general.
  2. 3:8 Cushan-rishathaim: this king is not known from other biblical or extrabiblical sources. His title, “king of Aram Naharaim,” indicates that he was a Mesopotamian ruler.