The Meaning of Judges 10:10 Explained

Judges 10:10

KJV: And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

YLT: And the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, saying, 'We have sinned against Thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and serve the Baalim.'

Darby: And the people of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Ba'als."

ASV: And the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baalim.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the children  of Israel  cried  unto the LORD,  saying,  We have sinned  against thee, both because we have forsaken  our God,  and also served  Baalim. 

What does Judges 10:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 10:1-16 - Inveterate Idolatry
The scene is now removed to the tribes across the Jordan, especially those settled, in Gilead and its vicinity. The children of Ammon were the aggressors, and acquired such boldness as even to cross the Jordan and fight against Judah and Ephraim. "Israel was sore distressed." Almost spontaneously we say, "Surely it served them right." It seems incredible that, after all they had suffered on account of their idolatry, they should again relapse to Baal, and add further the gods of Zidon, of Moab, of Ammon and of Philistia. If Jehovah had finally cast them off, could they have complained? But as the psalmist puts it in his touching words, "God regarded their distress and heard their cry." See Psalms 106:3, etc.
All these things were written for our example and instruction. Israel did not forsake God more often than we have done. Life has been full of fits and starts, of backsliding and recommencement, of sin and repentance. We have nothing to say against Israel; let us look at home, and search our hearts, and thank the Lord that His mercy endureth forever, Psalms 136:1-26. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 10

1  Tola judges Israel in Shamir
3  Jair, whose thirty sons had thirty cities
6  The Philistines and Ammonites oppress Israel
10  In their misery God sends them to their false gods
15  Upon their repentance he pities them

What do the individual words in Judges 10:10 mean?

And cried out the sons of Israel to Yahweh saying we have sinned against You and because we have both forsaken - our God and served the Baals -
וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־ יְהוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר חָטָ֣אנוּ לָ֔ךְ וְכִ֤י עָזַ֙בְנוּ֙ אֶת־ אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ וַֽנַּעֲבֹ֖ד הַבְּעָלִֽים פ

וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙  And  cried  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
בְּנֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
חָטָ֣אנוּ  we  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
לָ֔ךְ  against  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
וְכִ֤י  and  because 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
עָזַ֙בְנוּ֙  we  have  both  forsaken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַֽנַּעֲבֹ֖ד  and  served 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
הַבְּעָלִֽים  the  Baals 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation