New International Version
Judges 7:3
3Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
Judges 7:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.'" Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
Context of Judges 7:3
1Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. 4But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.”
Read all of Judges 7Judges 7:3 word by word
וְעַתָּ֗ה קְרָ֨א נָ֜א בְּאָזְנֵ֤י הָעָם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מִֽי־יָרֵ֣א וְחָרֵ֔ד יָשֹׁ֥ב וְיִצְפֹּ֖ר מֵהַ֣ר הַגִּלְעָ֑ד וַיָּ֣שָׁב מִן־הָעָ֗ם עֶשְׂרִ֤ים וּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙ אֶ֔לֶף וַעֲשֶׂ֥רֶת אֲלָפִ֖ים נִשְׁאָֽרוּ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now therefore go toנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
- proclaimקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- in the earsאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · ear: to earsH241
- of the peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- fearfulיָרֵאyârê' · afraidH3373
- and afraidחָרֵדchârêd · tremblingH2730
- let him returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- and depart earlyצָפַרtsâphar · to departH6852
- from mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- Gileadגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · (Mount) GileadH1568
- twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242
- and twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- and there remainedשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
- tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
Cross-references for Judges 7:3
- Deuteronomy 20:8Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”
- Matthew 13:21But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
- Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
- Revelation 17:14They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
- Revelation 21:8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
- Matthew 20:16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Commentaries on Judges 7:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return - from Mount Gilead - Gideon was certainly not at Mount Gilead at this time, but rather near Mount Gilboa. Gilead was on the other side of Jordan. Calmet thinks there must either have been two Gileads, which does not from the Scripture appear to be the case, or that the Hebrew text is here corrupted, and that for Gilead we should read Gilboa. This reading, though adopted by Houbigant, is not countenanced by…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The proclamation was in accordance with the Law (see the marginal reference). No mountain of the name of Gilead is known in this locality, and it has been conjectured that the right reading is Gilboa. Others think that this may be a form of proclamation customary in Manasseh.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The first reduction identified those who were initially enthusiastic but later reconsidered.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Now therefore ..., proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful ... let him return--This proclamation was in terms of an established law (De 20:8).Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 7:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby 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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