The Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals; — The opening of the Judges cycle pattern establishes the first element of the recurring narrative structure: sin and idolatry. The specific form of evil—'served the Baals'—identifies Canaanite religious syncretism as the dominant theological problem of the Judges period. The plural 'Baals' suggests multiple manifestations of the fertility deity worshipped across different regions.

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