שופטים, פרק ג׳, פסוק ז׳

A profound turning point occurs in the history of the Israelites, marking the end of a broad historical overview and the beginning of a precise, detailed account of future generations. The primary approach among commentators [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל] is that everything recorded following the death of Joshua has served as a general introduction. Moving forward, the narrative transitions to detailing the specific events of each individual judge, starting with the actions that preceded the rise of the very first judge.

The spiritual decline of the people was not a sudden collapse, but a gradual process of forgetting and escalating sin. Initially, the Israelites began to commit sins in secret. These were hidden acts, performed out of the sight of others, in private spaces where only God could see them [אלשיך]. This secret behavior eventually led to a second, more dangerous stage: a complete forgetting of God. At this point, the people entirely lost their fear of heaven and no longer worried that God was watching their actions [אלשיך].

This total forgetfulness inevitably paved the way for the final and most severe stage of their descent. Stripped of any reverence for God, the Israelites turned to open idolatry, actively worshipping local deities [מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. They even planted trees specifically to worship them as gods [מצודת ציון]. While these transgressions echo the general sins mentioned earlier, they are now brought into sharp focus as the direct, specific cause that triggered the first historical punishment and period of subjugation during the era of the judges [אברבנאל].