Judges 11 · Verse 23

Judges 11:23

So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
Judges 11:23, King James Version

Judges 11:23 in other translations

BSBNow since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?
WEBSo now the LORD, the God of Israel, has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and should you possess them?
ASVSo now Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess them?
YLT‘And now, Jehovah, God of Israel, hath dispossessed the Amorite from the presence of His people Israel, and thou wouldest possess it!
DARBYAnd now Jehovah the God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou take possession of it?
BBESo now the Lord, the God of Israel, has taken away their land from the Amorites and given it to his people Israel; are you then to have it?
WebsterSo now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldst thou possess it?

What does Judges 11:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 11:12-28

Jud 11:12-28. His Embassy to the King of Ammon. 12-28. Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon--This first act in his judicial capacity reflects the highest credit on his character for prudence and moderation, justice and humanity. The bravest officers have always been averse to war; so Jephthah, whose courage was indisputable, resolved not only to make it clearly appear that hostilities were…

Read the full comment on Judges 11:12-28 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 The Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites - Jephthah shows that the Israelites did not take the land of the Moabites or Ammonites, but that of the Amorites, which they had conquered from Sihon their king, who had, without cause or provocation, attacked them; and although the Amorites had taken the lands in question from the Ammonites, yet the title by which Israel held them was good, because they took them not from the Ammonites, but conquered them from the Amorites. So now the Lord - hath dispossessed the Amorites. - The circumstances in which the Israelites were when they were attacked by the Amorites, plainly proved, that, unless Jehovah had helped them, they must have been overcome. God defeated the Amorites, and made a grant of their lands to the Israelites; and they had, in consequence, possessed them for three hundred years, Jdg 11:26.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 11:12-28

One instance of the honour and respect we owe to God, as our God, is, rightly to employ what he gives us to possess. Receive it from him, use it for him, and part with it when he calls for it. The whole of this message shows that Jephthah was well acquainted with the books of Moses. His argument was clear, and his demand reasonable. Those who possess the most courageous faith, will be the most disposed for peace…

Read the full comment on Judges 11:12-28 →

Judges 11:23 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְעַתָּ֞הve.'a.Tahand nowH6258
יְהוָ֣ה\׀Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
הוֹרִישׁ֙ho.Rishhe has dispossessedH3423
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔יha.'e.mo.Rithe Amorite[s]H567
מִפְּנֵ֖יmi.pe.Neifrom beforeH6440
עַמּ֣וֹa.Mopeople hisH5971
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וְאַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tahand youH859
תִּירָשֶֽׁנּוּ\׃ti.ra.She.nuwill you take possession of? itH3423

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jephthah shews that the Israelites did not take the land of the Moabites or Ammonites, but that of the Amorites, which they had conquered from Sihon their king; and although the Amorites had taken the lands in question from the Ammonites, yet the title by which Israel held them was good, because they took them, not from the Ammonites, but from the Amorites.
23

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 11:22

    And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

  • Judges 11:23

    So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

  • Judges 11:24

    Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

Read all of Judges 11

Judges 11:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Así que Jehová el Dios de Israel echó los Amorrheos delante de su pueblo Israel: ¿y lo has de poseer tú?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et maintenant l’ Éternel, le Dieu d’Israël, a dépossédé les Amoréens devant son peuple Israël, et toi, tu nous en déposséderais?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und so hat nun Jehova, der Gott Israels, die Amoriter vor seinem Volke Israel ausgetrieben, und du willst uns austreiben?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dominus ergo Deus Israël subvertit Amorrhæum, pugnante contra illum populo suo Israël, et tu nunc vis possidere terram ejus?