Deuteronomy 20:3
in Deuteronomy 20saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye affrighted at them;
KJV
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
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This verse in Deuteronomy 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
When you go out to war against your enemies
on Deuteronomy 20:1-4
Horses and chariots are named as the thing not to fear, and 17:16 forbids a king to gather them, so the same arms are denied to the throne and discounted in the field. The ground for courage is the God “who brought you out of the land of Egypt”. Jewish tradition called the priest of verse 2 the anointed of the war, and Matthew Henry takes up the name.
This site's exposition
Do not be fainthearted or afraid
The priest's words to the army name fear four ways, fainthearted, afraid, alarmed and terrified, against the horses and chariots of verse 1. Albert Barnes notes that the Canaanites had chariots in great numbers, citing Joshua 17:16 and Judges 4:3, where Jabin held nine hundred chariots of iron. Joshua 1:9 gives the same charge.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And shall say unto them, hear, O Israel,....
There is need of precept upon precept to this purport, as there is here: Let not your hearts be tender (so the word is), to receive all the impressions of fear, but let a believing confidence in the power and promise of God harden them.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people--Jewish writers say that there was a war priest appointed by a special ceremonial to attend the army. It was natural that the solemn objects and motives of religion should have been applied to animate patriotism, and so give additional impulse to valor; other people have done this.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָמַ֤ר | veamar | and he will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵהֶם֙ | ʾalehem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שְׁמַ֣ע | shema' | hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | O Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אַתֶּ֨ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| קְרֵבִ֥ים | kerevim | [are] approaching | H7131 → | |
| הַיּ֛וֹם | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה | lamilchamah | to the battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֹיְבֵיכֶ֑ם | ʾoyeveikhem | enemies your | H341 → | 282 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| יֵרַ֣ךְ | yerakh | be timid | H7401 → | |
| לְבַבְכֶ֗ם | levavkhem | heart your | H3824 → | 252 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּֽירְא֧וּ | tireu | you be afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
| וְאַֽל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תַּחְפְּז֛וּ | tachpezu | you make haste | H2648 → | |
| וְאַל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תַּֽעַרְצ֖וּ | taartzu | you be terrified | H6206 → | 15 times |
| מִפְּנֵיהֶֽם׃ | mipeneihem | of <before> them | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וְאָמַ֤רand he will say
veamarH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵהֶם֙to them
ʾalehemH413 →5510 times
שְׁמַ֣עhear
shema'H8085 →1159 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לO Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אַתֶּ֨םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
קְרֵבִ֥ים[are] approaching
kerevimH7131 →
הַיּ֛וֹםthis day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
לַמִּלְחָמָ֖הto the battle
lamilchamahH4421 →320 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אֹיְבֵיכֶ֑םenemies your
ʾoyeveikhemH341 →282 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
יֵרַ֣ךְbe timid
yerakhH7401 →
לְבַבְכֶ֗םheart your
levavkhemH3824 →252 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּֽירְא֧וּyou be afraid
tireuH3372 →315 times
וְאַֽל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
תַּחְפְּז֛וּyou make haste
tachpezuH2648 →
וְאַל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
תַּֽעַרְצ֖וּyou be terrified
taartzuH6206 →15 times
מִפְּנֵיהֶֽם׃of <before> them
mipeneihemH6440 →2123 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Joshua 23:10One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:30
How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
- Leviticus 26:8
Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
- Deuteronomy 3:22
Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.”
- Exodus 14:14
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
- Psalms 35:1
Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
- Deuteronomy 32:30
Through
Hebrews 13:6So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
it leads to
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 27:1–3
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 118:6–9
The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Romans 8:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.