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Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Judges 3:4

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Philistines;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Canaanites, the;   Lebanon;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abishua;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Command, Commandment;   War, Holy War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Judah;   Levi;   Quarry;   Temptation;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Mesopotamia;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Hornet;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands he had given their fathers through Moses.
Hebrew Names Version
They were [left], to prove Yisra'el by them, to know whether they would listen to the mitzvot of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moshe.
King James Version
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Lexham English Bible
They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors through the hand of Moses.
English Standard Version
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
New Century Version
Those nations were in the land to test the Israelites—to see if they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors by Moses.
New English Translation
They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.
Amplified Bible
They were [allowed to remain] for the testing of Israel, to determine whether Israel would listen to and obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers (ancestors) through Moses.
New American Standard Bible
They were left to test Israel by them, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And these remayned to proue Israel by them, to wit, whether they would obey the commandements of the Lorde, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Legacy Standard Bible
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Contemporary English Version
Moses had told the Israelites what the Lord had commanded them to do, and now the Lord was using these nations to find out if Israel would obey.
Complete Jewish Bible
They stayed there to test whether Isra'el would pay attention to the mitzvot of Adonai , which, through Moshe, he had ordered their ancestors to obey.
Darby Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Easy-to-Read Version
He left those nations in the land to test the Israelites. He wanted to see if the Israelites would obey the Lord 's commands that he had given to their ancestors through Moses.
George Lamsa Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Good News Translation
They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses.
Literal Translation
And they existed to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commands of Jehovah, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The same remayned, that Israel mighte be proued by them, that it mighte be knowne whether they wolde herken to the commaundementes of the LORDE, which he commaunded their fathers by Moses.
American Standard Version
And they were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
Bible in Basic English
For the purpose of testing Israel by them, to see if they would give ear to the orders of the Lord, which he had given to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Those remayned to proue Israel by, and to wyt whether they would hearken vnto the commaundementes of the Lorde, which he commaunded their fathers by the hande of Moyses.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they were there, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
King James Version (1611)
And they were to prooue Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken vnto the Commandements of the Lord, which hee commaunded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And this was done in order to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he charged their fathers by the hand of Moses.
English Revised Version
And they were for to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he lefte hem, that in hem he schulde asaie Israel, whethir thei wolden here the `heestis of the Lord, whiche he comaundide to her fadris bi the hond of Moises, ethir nai.
Young's Literal Translation
and they are to prove Israel by them, to know whether they obey the commands of Jehovah that He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Update Bible Version
And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
World English Bible
They were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
New King James Version
And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
New Living Translation
These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.
New Life Bible
They were left to test Israel, to find out if Israel would obey the Laws the Lord gave their fathers through Moses.
New Revised Standard
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their ancestors by Moses.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then these were left , that, by them, he might put Israel to the proof, - to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Yahweh which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers, by the hand of Moses, or not.
Revised Standard Version
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.

Contextual Overview

1These are the nations the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, 2if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: 3the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. 4These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.5Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 7So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to prove: Judges 3:1, Judges 2:22, Exodus 15:25, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied, "and I ate."
Deuteronomy 29:19
because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, 'I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.' This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.
2 Kings 1:4
Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die." So Elijah departed.
2 Kings 1:6
They replied, "A man came up to meet us and said, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.'"
2 Kings 1:16
And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, "This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die."
2 Kings 8:10
Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will surely recover.' But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die."
Psalms 10:11
He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees."
2 Corinthians 2:11
in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they were to prove Israel by them,.... They were left in the land, as to inure them to war, and try their courage, so to prove their faithfulness to God:

to know whether they would hearken to the commandments, of the Lord,

which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses; even all the commandments of the Lord delivered to them by Moses, moral, civil, and ceremonial, and particularly those that concerned the destruction of the Canaanites, their altars, and their idols, Deuteronomy 7:1.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 3:4. To know whether they would hearken — This would be the consequence of the Canaanites being left among them: if they should be faithful to God, their enemies would not be able to enslave them; should they be rebellious, the Lord would abandon them to their foes.


 
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