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Tuesday, August 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

The Darby Translation

Judges 20:2

And the heads of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Mizpah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jews, the;   Sword, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mizpah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jabesh (1);   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chief;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Corner, Corner-Stone;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Corner-Stone ;   Temple (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Footman;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Jephthah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   Four;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Chief;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers.
Hebrew Names Version
The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Yisra'el, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.
King James Version
And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Lexham English Bible
And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand sword-bearing infantry.
English Standard Version
And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.
New Century Version
The leaders of all the tribes of Israel took their places in the meeting of the people of God. There were 400,000 soldiers with swords.
New English Translation
The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, which numbered four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers.
Amplified Bible
The chiefs of all the people of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand men on foot who drew the sword.
New American Standard Bible
And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the chiefe of all the people, and all the tribes of Israel assembled in the Congregation of the people of God foure hundreth thousand footemen that drewe sword.
Legacy Standard Bible
en die hoofde van die hele volk, van al die stamme van Israel, het in die vergadering van die volk van God gaan staan--vier honderd duisend man te voet wat die swaard uittrek.
Complete Jewish Bible
The leaders of all the tribes of Isra'el presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers armed with swords.
Easy-to-Read Version
The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were there. They took their places in the public meeting of God's people. There were 400,000 soldiers with swords in that place.
George Lamsa Translation
And the chiefs of all the families of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who could draw sword.
Good News Translation
The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were present at this gathering of God's people, and there were 400,000 foot soldiers.
Literal Translation
And the leaders of all the people of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of all the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and there came together of all the quarters of the people, and of all the trybes of Israel in to the congregacion of the people of God, foure hundreth thousande fote men that drue out ye swerde.
American Standard Version
And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Bible in Basic English
And the chiefs of the people, out of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the meeting of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen armed with swords.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there assembled the chiefe men of all the people, [and] of all the tribes of Israel, in the congregation of the people of God, foure hundred thousande footemen that drewe swordes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.--
King James Version (1611)
And the chiefe of al the people, euen of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselues in the assembly of the people of God, foure hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
English Revised Version
And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Berean Standard Bible
The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and alle the lynagis of Israel camen to gidere in to the chirche of `the puple of God, foure hundrid thousynde of `foot men fiyters.
Young's Literal Translation
And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.
Update Bible Version
And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew a sword.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the chief of all the people, [even] of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
World English Bible
The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.
New King James Version
And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.
New Living Translation
The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God.
New Life Bible
The leaders of all the people, all the families of Israel, showed themselves in the meeting of the people of God. There were 400,000 soldiers on foot who used the sword.
New Revised Standard
The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot-soldiers bearing arms.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the chiefs of all the people - all the tribes of Israel - presented themselves in the convocation of the people of God, - four hundred thousand footmen, that drew the sword.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the chiefs of the people, and all the tribes of Israel, met together in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen fit for war.
Revised Standard Version
And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand men on foot that drew the sword.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword.

Contextual Overview

1 And all the children of Israel went forth, and the assembly gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. 2 And the heads of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. 3 And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the children of Israel said, Tell [us], how was this wickedness? 4 Then the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came to Gibeah that [belongs] to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 5 And the citizens of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house because of me, by night; they thought to slay me, and my concubine have they humbled so that she died. 6 Then I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and villany in Israel. 7 Behold, all ye, children of Israel, deliberate and give here [your] counsel. 8 And all the people rose up as one man, saying, We will not any one go to his tent, neither will we any one turn into his house. 9 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: [we go] by lot against it; 10 and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the villany that they have wrought in Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

drew sword: Judges 20:15, Judges 20:17, Judges 8:10, 2 Samuel 24:9, 2 Kings 3:26

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 14:38 - chief 2 Samuel 14:13 - people

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 20:11
And Abraham said, Because I said, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me for my wife's sake.
Genesis 20:12
But she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:13
And it came to pass when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, Let this be thy kindness which thou shalt shew to me: at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
Genesis 26:1
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, my wife, [saying to himself,] Lest the men of the place slay me on account of Rebecca—because she was fair in countenance.
Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go from us; for thou art become much mightier than we.
2 Chronicles 19:2
And Jehu the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate Jehovah? Therefore is wrath upon thee from Jehovah.
2 Chronicles 20:37
And Eliezer the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has broken thy works. And the ships were broken, and could not go to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
However in [the matter of] the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all [that was] in his heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the chief of all the people,.... The princes of the tribes and heads of families, rulers of thousands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens; or the "corners" c, who were like the corner stones in a building, which are not only the most valuable and ornamental, but the strength of the building, which cement it, and support it, and hold it together; though Abarbinel thinks this intends the division and separation of each tribe, which encamped in a separate corner and side by itself: but the former sense seems best, and the meaning is, that the principal men of them,

even of all the tribes of Israel; excepting the tribe of Benjamin:

presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God; now gathered together: which assembly consisted, besides the heads of them, of

four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword; or were armed men; there were 600,000 or more in Israel able to bear arms; but as now the wars in Canaan were pretty much at an end, the militia of the nation was not so regularly kept up, and many were employed in tilling the ground, and dressing the vines, and the like; and besides, as there were none of the tribe of Benjamin present, it need not be wondered at there should be no more, but rather that so many should be gathered together on such an occasion.

c פנות "anguli", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Drusius, Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The chief - literally, “the corner stones.” (Compare 1 Samuel 14:38.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 20:2. The chief of all the people — The corners פנות pinnoth; for as the corner-stones are the strength of the walls, so are the chiefs the strength of the people. Hence Christ is called the chief corner-stone.

In the assembly of the people of God — The Septuagint translate, And all the tribes of Israel stood up before the face of the Lord, εν εκκλησιᾳ του λαου του Θεου, in the Church of the people of God. Here was a Church, though there was no priest; for, as Tertullian says, Ubi tres, ecclesia est, licet laici; "Wheresoever three are gathered together in the name of the Lord, there is a Church, although there be none but the laity."


 
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