Judges 11:6
in Judges 11“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they said unto Jephthah, Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
KJV
And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
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This verse in Judges 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
when the Ammonites fought against Israel
on Judges 11:4-6
Chapter 10 closed with the rulers of Gilead seeking a man to launch the attack, and he is the one they drove out. The elders go to Tob to fetch him. They first offer "be our commander," a command over one campaign that ends when the campaign does.
This site's exposition
be our commander
The elders admit that no man among them could lead Gilead against the Ammonites. Matthew Henry notes they chose Jephthah as a bold man, trained to the sword in Tob. Israel was camped at Mizpah without a commander.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And they said unto Jephthah, come and be our captain,....
They knew none among themselves that was able to undertake that great trust, but in effect confessed themselves unfit for it; they know him to be a bold man, and inured to the sword, and therefore he must be the man.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Come, and be our captain - The Israelites were assembled in Mizpeh, but were without a captain to lead them against the Ammonites. And we find, from the conclusion of the preceding chapter, that they offered the command to any that would accept it.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְיִפְתָּ֔ח | leyiftach | to Jephthah | H3316 → | 30 times |
| לְכָ֕ה | lekhah | come ! | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וְהָיִ֥יתָה | vehayitah | and you will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָּ֖נוּ | lanu | of us | ||
| לְקָצִ֑ין | lekatzin | <into> a commander | H7101 → | |
| וְנִֽלָּחֲמָ֖ה | venilachamah | so let us fight | H3898 → | 177 times |
| בִּבְנֵ֥י | bivnei | against [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּֽוֹן׃ | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
לְיִפְתָּ֔חto Jephthah
leyiftachH3316 →30 times
לְכָ֕הcome !
lekhahH1980 →1546 times
וְהָיִ֥יתָהand you will become
vehayitahH1961 →3559 times
לָּ֖נוּof us
lanu
לְקָצִ֑ין<into> a commander
lekatzinH7101 →
וְנִֽלָּחֲמָ֖הso let us fight
venilachamahH3898 →177 times
בִּבְנֵ֥יagainst [the] people of
bivneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמּֽוֹן׃Ammon
amonH5983 →106 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.