New English Translation
Deuteronomy 20:7
7Or who among you has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.”
Deuteronomy 20:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.
- New International Version (NIV)Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’
Context of Deuteronomy 20:7
5Moreover, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you has built a new house and not dedicated it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else dedicate it. 6Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it. Or who among you has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.” 8In addition, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you is afraid and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier’s heart as fearful as his own.” 9Then, when the officers have finished speaking, they must appoint unit commanders to lead the troops.
Read all of Deuteronomy 20Deuteronomy 20:7 word by word
וּמִֽי־הָאִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אֵרַ֤שׂ אִשָּׁה֙ וְלֹ֣א לְקָחָ֔הּ יֵלֵ֖ךְ וְיָשֹׁ֣ב לְבֵית֑וֹ פֶּן־יָמוּת֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאִ֥ישׁ אַחֵ֖ר יִקָּחֶֽנָּה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And what manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- that hath betrothedאָרַשׂ'âraώ · to betrothH781
- a wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- and hath not takenלָקַחlâqach · to take: marryH3947
- her? let him goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- unto his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- lest he dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- in the battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
- and anotherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 20:7
- Deuteronomy 22:23If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets her in the city and has sexual relations with her,
- Deuteronomy 24:5When a man is newly married, he need not go into the army nor be obligated in any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to the wife he has married.
- Matthew 1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
- Deuteronomy 28:30You will be engaged to a woman and another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not even begin to use it.
- Luke 14:18But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’
- 2 Timothy 2:4No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 20:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? - It was customary among the Jews to contract matrimony, espouse or betroth, and for some considerable time to leave the parties in the houses of their respective parents: when the bridegroom had made proper preparations, then the bride was brought home to his house, and thus the marriage was consummated. The provisions in this verse refer to a case of this kind; for it was deemed an excessive hardship for a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7another man marry her: In this situation, if a man died, he would not have children to carry on his name. Ancient Israel considered this to be a great tragedy.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-85-8. And the officers shall speak unto the people--literally, Shoterim, who are called "scribes" or "overseers" (Ex 5:6). They might be keepers of the muster-roll, or perhaps rather military heralds, whose duty it was to announce the orders of the generals (2Ch 26:11). This proclamation (De 20:5-8) must have been made previous to the priest's address, as great disorder and inconvenience must have been occasioned if the serried ranks were broken by the…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 20:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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