Judges 11 · Verse 24

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.

Judges 11:24, King James Version

Judges 11:24 in other translations

BSB	Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.
WEB	Won’t you possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever the LORD our God has dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
ASV	Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from before us, them will we possess.
YLT	That which Chemosh thy god causeth thee to possess--dost thou not possess it? and all that which Jehovah our God hath dispossessed from our presence, --it we do possess.
DARBY	Dost not thou possess what Chemosh thygod puts thee in possession of? and whatever Jehovah our God has dispossessed before us, that will we possess.
BBE	Do you not keep the lands of those whom Chemosh your god sends out from before you? So we will keep all the lands of those whom the Lord our God sends out from before us.
Webster	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.

What does Judges 11:24 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 24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee - As if he had said: "It is a maxim with you, as it is among all nations, that the lands which they conceive to be given them by their gods, they have an absolute right to, and should not relinquish them to any kind of claimant. You suppose that the land which you possess was given you by your god Chemosh and therefore you will not relinquish what you believe you hold by a Divine right. Now, we know that Jehovah, our God, who is the Lord of heaven and earth, has given the Israelites the land of the Amorites; and therefore we will not give it up." The ground of Jephthah's remonstrance was sound and good. 1. The Ammonites had lost their lands in their contests with the Amorites. 2. The Israelites conquered these lands from the Amorites, who had waged a most unprincipled war against them. 3. God, who is the Maker of heaven and earth had given those very lands as a Divine grant to the Israelites. 4. In consequence of this they had possession of them for upwards of three hundred years. 5. These lands were never reclaimed by the Ammonites, though they had repeated opportunities of doing it, whilst the Israelites dwelt in Heshbon, in Aroer, and in the coasts of Arnon; but they did not reclaim them because they knew that the Israelites held them legally. The present pretensions of Ammon were unsupported and unjustifiable.

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 11:24 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.

הֲלֹ֞אha.Lo'¿ notH3808

אֵ֣ת'et<obj.>H853

אֲשֶׁ֧ר'a.Sher[that] whichH834

יוֹרִֽישְׁךָ֛yo.ri.she.Khahe will cause to possess youH3423

כְּמ֥וֹשׁke.Mo.oshChemoshH3645

אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khagod yourH430

אוֹת֥וֹ'o.To<obj.> itH853

תִירָ֑שׁti.Rashwill you take possession ofH3423

וְאֵת֩ve.'Etand <obj.>H853

כָּל\־kol-allH3605

אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherthatH834

הוֹרִ֜ישׁho.Rishhe has dispossessedH3423

יְהוָ֧הYah.wehYahwehH3068

אֱלֹהֵ֛ינוּ'e.lo.Hei.nuGod ourH430

מִפָּנֵ֖ינוּmi.pa.Nei.nufrom before usH6440

אוֹת֥וֹ'o.To<obj.> itH853

נִירָֽשׁ\׃ni.Rashwe will take possession ofH3423

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

Cross references for Judges 11:24

Micah 4:5
For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
Numbers 21:29
Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
Psalms 78:55
He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
1 Kings 11:7
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
Joshua 3:10
And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
Deuteronomy 18:12
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Jeremiah 48:46
Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
Jeremiah 48:7
For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.
Psalms 44:2
How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
Deuteronomy 9:4-5
Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Wilt not thou possess.This is simply an {argumentum ad hominem;} in which Jephthah argues on this principles recognized by the king of Ammon. As if he had said, "You suppose that the land which you possess was given you by your god Chemosh; and therefore will not relinquish what you believe you hold by a divine right. Now we know that Jehovah, our God, has given us the land of the Israelites; and therefore we will not give it up."
Chemosh.
Nu 21:29; 1Ki 11:7; Jer 48:7,46
whomsoever.
De 9:4,5; 18:12; Jos 3:10; Ps 44:2; 78:55; Mic 4:5

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

Context

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.
Judges 11:25
And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

Read all of Judges 11

Judges 11:24 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Si Chêmos tu dios te echase alguno, ¿no lo poseerías tú? Así poseeremos nosotros á todo aquel que echó Jehová nuestro Dios de delante de nosotros.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ne possèdes-tu pas ce que ton dieu Kemosh t’a fait posséder? Et nous aurons la possession de tous ceux que l’ Éternel, notre Dieu, aura dépossédés devant nous.
German Elberfelder 1871	Nimmst du nicht das in Besitz, was Kamos, dein Gott, dir zum Besitz gibt? So auch alles, was Jehova, unser Gott, vor uns ausgetrieben hat, das wollen wir besitzen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	nonne ea quæ possidet Chamos deus tuus, tibi jure debentur? quæ autem Dominus Deus noster victor obtinuit, in nostram cedent possessionem: