Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Judges

[Kajje]

Will (Israel or the U.S.) ever go into a state of anarchy again like Israel was in Judges 21:25?

[jimwalton]

It was more than just anarchy. It was also godlessness (apostasy, acting like atheists despite their cultural religion) and immorality. In a culture where order was the predominant paradigmatic worldview, this author is describing a state of disorder. When the verse says, "there was no king in Israel," it shows that there was no underlying authority structure to keep society in check, viz., maintain the covenant.

Walton writes, "Although the narratives in Judges were written to emphasize Israelites behaving badly, there is no real indication that 'as they saw fit' is always necessarily something bad. The phrase emphasizes the lack of control and structure. Compare the use of the same phrase in Dt. 12.8 to describe the [sanctioned] worship practices of Israel during their time in the wilderness. It is not the same thing as saying that 'the hearts of everyone were inclined to evil all the time' (Gn. 6.5). They are not necessarily doing evil—that would have to be determined from the context—but whatever they are doing is being done in the absence of any overarching structure, which in an ideal world (at least from the ancient perspective) should be there."

> Will (Israel or the U.S.) ever go into a state of anarchy again

Very possibly. 2 Thessalonians 2 describes a time when lawlessness will prevail. 2 Tim. 3.1-5 describes a similar kind of apostasy and non-order. Revelation 9 & 13 are others. It's possible we'll see Judges 21.25 again.