What Does Judges 2:14 Mean in the King James?

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Judges 2:14 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

The Hebrew repeats the same verb for both “delivered” and “sold,” joining them as one transfer into hostile hands.

THE MEANING

The verse holds anger and exposure together: the people are handed into the reach of those who plunder them, with enemies closing in from every side. The loss ends in a collapse of footing; they can no longer stand before what opposes them.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

The verse undoes the idea that divine anger is only inward or symbolic: here it is shown as a transfer of power that leaves people exposed and unable to stand.

THE ROOT

וַיִּמְכְּרֵם

wayimkerem

GROWS FROM

מכר

to sell; to transfer into another’s possession

The Hebrew repeats ⁨וַיִּמְכְּרֵם⁩ (wayimkerem, “he sold them”) in both clauses, while the KJV renders the first instance “delivered” and the second “sold.” That repetition makes both lines one image of transfer into hostile hands, with the force of dispossession still present in the first clause.

ALSO GROWS

mimkar: sale; something sold

מִמְכָּר

This noun keeps the transaction sense visible in the verse’s repeated image of people transferred into another power’s control.

mokher: seller

מוֹכֵר

This branch names the agent in a sale and echoes the verse’s striking portrayal of the LORD as the one who transfers them.

לַעֲמֹד

la'amod

GROWS FROM

עמד

to stand; take one’s position

The verse closes with ⁨לַעֲמֹד⁩ (la’amod), “to stand,” and the same root forms ⁨מַעֲמָד⁩ (ma’amad), “position” or “standing place.” The loss is expressed as losing the place from which they might hold their ground, not only as defeat in a fight.

ALSO GROWS

'amad: to stand; remain upright

עָמַד

The base verb makes the final inability a loss of standing and footing.

ma'amad: position; standing place

מַעֲמָד

This branch sharpens the image of having no position from which to face the surrounding enemies.

THE PATTERN

When people are transferred into hostile power, their loss of protection becomes visible as the loss of ground.

Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.

Judges 3:8 · KJVThe same verb “sold” describes the transfer into an enemy’s hand, followed by years under that power.

And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

1 Samuel 12:9 · KJVThe verse again makes the shift in power concrete through the image of being sold into enemies’ hands.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Romans 1:24 · KJVThe language of being given up presents judgment as a transfer into a power that brings its own visible consequences.

THE THREAD

Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

Psalm 44:12 · KJV

The same Hebrew root ⁨מכר⁩ appears in “Thou sellest.” Psalm 44:12 names the transfer without profit, making the word in Judges feel like a stark handing over into another power’s control.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us