Deuteronomy 20:2 BSB

Deuteronomy 20:2

When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

KJV

And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

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Commentary

1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

The priest shall approach, and speak unto the people - The priest on these occasions was the representative of that God whose servant he was, and whose worship he conducted. It is remarkable that almost all ancient nations took their priests with them to battle, as they did not expect success without having the object of their adoration with them, and they supposed they secured his presence by having that of his representative.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

9 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וְהָיָ֕ה	ve.ha.Yah	and it will be	H1961 →
כְּקָֽרָבְכֶ֖ם	ke.ka.ra.ve.Khem	when draw near you	H7126 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
הַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה	ha.mil.cha.Mah	the battle	H4421 →
וְנִגַּ֥שׁ	ve.ni.Gash	and he will come near	H5066 →
הַכֹּהֵ֖ן	ha.ko.Hen	the priest	H3548 →
וְדִבֶּ֥ר	ve.di.Ber	and he will speak	H1696 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
הָעָֽם׃	ha.'Am	the people	H5971 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
2 Chronicles 13:12
Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God…
leads to
- Numbers 10:8–9
  The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Acts 5:39
  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
- Romans 8:31
  What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Zechariah 10:5
  They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
Through
Numbers 31:6
And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
leads to
- Numbers 14:44
  But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp.
Through
1 Samuel 14:18
Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)
leads to
- 1 Samuel 30:7–8
  Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,
- 1 Samuel 4:3–5
  When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the…
- Judges 20:23
  They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

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Walks through Deuteronomy 20

Gideon's Fleece (Judges 6–7) · MannaFest

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About Deuteronomy

Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

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01Commentary

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Deuteronomy

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Deuteronomy