Judges 6 · Verse 4

Judges 6:4

And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
Judges 6:4, King James Version

Judges 6:4 in other translations

BSBencamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys.
WEBThey encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey.
ASVand they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
YLTand encamp against them, and destroy the increase of the land till thine entering Gaza; and they leave no sustenance in Israel, either sheep, or ox, or ass;
DARBYAnd they encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the land, until thou come to Gazah, and they left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
BBEAnd put their army in position against them; and they took all the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, till there was no food in Israel, or any sheep or oxen or asses.
WebsterAnd they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou comest to Gaza; and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

What does Judges 6:4 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Encamped against them - Wandering hordes of Midianites, Amalekites, and Ishmaelites came, in the times of harvest and autumn, and carried away their crops, their fruit, and their cattle. And they appear to have come early, encamped in the plains, and watched the crops till they were ready to be carried off. This is frequently the case even to the present day. Till thou come unto Gaza - That is, the whole breadth of the land, from Jordan to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Thus the whole land was ravaged, and the inhabitants deprived of the necessaries of life.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 6:1-6

Israel's sin was renewed, and Israel's troubles were repeated. Let all that sin expect to suffer. The Israelites hid themselves in dens and caves; such was the effect of a guilty conscience. Sin dispirits men. The invaders left no food for Israel, except what was taken into the caves. They prepared that for Baal with which God should have been served, now God justly sends an enemy to take it away in the season…

Read the full comment on Judges 6:1-6 →

Judges 6:4 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.

וַיַּחֲנ֣וּvai.ya.cha.Nuand they encampedH2583
עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם'a.lei.Hemon themH5921
וַיַּשְׁחִ֙יתוּ֙vai.yash.Chi.tuand they destroyedH7843
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְב֣וּלye.Vul[the] produce ofH2981
הָאָ֔רֶץha.'A.retzthe landH776
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
בּוֹאֲךָ֖bo.'a.Khacoming youH935
עַזָּ֑ה'a.ZahGazaH5804
וְלֹֽא\־ve.lo'-and notH3808
יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּyash.'I.ruthey leftH7604
מִֽחְיָה֙mich.YahsustenanceH4241
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לbe.Yis.ra.'Elin IsraelH3478
וְשֶׂ֥הve.Sehand a sheepH7716
וָשׁ֖וֹרva.Shorand an oxH7794
וַחֲמֽוֹר\׃va.cha.Morand a donkeyH2543

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

Cross references for Judges 6:4

  • Leviticus 26:16

    I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

  • Deuteronomy 28:51

    And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

  • Micah 6:15

    Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

  • Deuteronomy 28:33

    The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

  • Jeremiah 49:9-10

    If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.

  • Deuteronomy 28:30-31

    Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

  • Proverbs 28:3

    A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

  • Genesis 10:19

    And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

  • Genesis 13:10

    And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

  • Obadiah 1:5

    If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
destroyed.
Le 26:16; De 28:30,33,51; Mic 6:15
till thou come.The Midianites dwelt beyond the eastern borders of the land of Canaan, east of the Dead Sea, and Gaza was on the Mediterranean, on the west: so that these invaders ravaged the whole breadth of the land.
Ge 10:19; 13:10
left no.
Pr 28:3; Jer 49:9,10; Ob 1:5
sheep. or, goat.

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

Context

  • Judges 6:3

    And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

  • Judges 6:4

    And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

  • Judges 6:5

    For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

Read all of Judges 6

Judges 6:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y asentando campo contra ellos destruían los frutos de la tierra, hasta llegar á Gaza; y no dejaban qué comer en Israel, ni ovejas, ni bueyes, ni asnos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et ils campaient contre eux, et détruisaient les produits du pays jusqu’à ce que tu viennes à Gaza, et ils ne laissaient point de vivres en Israël, ni mouton, ni bœuf, ni âne.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und sie lagerten sich wider sie und verdarben den Ertrag des Landes bis nach Gasa hin; und sie ließen keine Lebensmittel in Israel übrig, weder Kleinvieh, noch Rind, noch Esel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
et apud eos figentes tentoria, sicut erant in herbis cuncta vastabant usque ad introitum Gazæ: nihilque omnino ad vitam pertinens relinquebant in Israël, non oves, non boves, non asinos.