Judges 7 · Verse 3

Judges 7:3

Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

Judges 7:3, King James Version

Judges 7:3 in other translations

BSB	Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained.
WEB	Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
ASV	Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
YLT	and now, call, I pray thee, in the ears of the people, saying, Whoso is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and go early from mount Gilead;' and there turn back of the people twenty and two thousand, and ten thousand have been left.
DARBY	And now proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is timid and afraid, let him go back and turn from mount Gilead. And there went back of the people twenty-two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
BBE	So now, let it be given out to the people that anyone who is shaking with fear is to go back from Mount Galud. So twenty-two thousand of the people went back, but there were still ten thousand.
Webster	Now therefore, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

What does Judges 7:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

3. Now therefore ..., proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful ... let him return--This proclamation was in terms of an established law (De 20:8).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 3 Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return - from Mount Gilead - Gideon was certainly not at Mount Gilead at this time, but rather near Mount Gilboa. Gilead was on the other side of Jordan. Calmet thinks there must either have been two Gileads, which does not from the Scripture appear to be the case, or that the Hebrew text is here corrupted, and that for Gilead we should read Gilboa. This reading, though adopted by Houbigant, is not countenanced by any MS., nor by any of the versions. Dr. Hales endeavors to reconcile the whole, by the supposition that there were in Gideon's army many of the eastern Manassites, who came from Mount Gilead; and that these probably were more afraid of their neighbors, the Midianites, than the western tribes were; and therefore proposes to read the text thus: Whosoever from Mount Gilead is fearful and afraid, let him return (home) and depart early. So there returned (home) twenty-two thousand of the people. Perhaps this is on the whole the best method of solving this difficulty. There returned of the people twenty and two thousand - Gideon's army was at this time thirty-two thousand strong, and after the above address twenty-two thousand went away. How astonishing, that in thirty-two thousand men there should be found not less than twenty-two thousand poltroons, who would neither fight for God nor their oppressed country! A state of slavery debases the mind of man, and renders it incapable of being influenced by the pure principles of patriotism or religion. In behalf of the army of Gideon we may say, if the best appointed armies in Europe had the same address, bona fide, from their generals as the Israelites had, at least an equal proportion would return home.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 7:1-8

God provides that the praise of victory may be wholly to himself, by appointing only three hundred men to be employed. Activity and prudence go with dependence upon God for help in our lawful undertakings. When the Lord sees that men would overlook him, and through unbelief, would shrink from perilous services, or that through pride they would vaunt themselves against him, he will set them aside, and do his work by…

Read the full comment on Judges 7:1-8 →

Judges 7:3 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.

וְעַתָּ֗הve.'a.Tahand thereforeH6258

קְרָ֨אke.Ra'proclaimH7121

נָ֜אna'pleaseH4994

בְּאָזְנֵ֤יbe.'a.ze.Neiin [the] ears ofH241

הָעָם֙ha.'Amthe peopleH5971

לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559

מִֽי\־mi-who?H4310

יָרֵ֣אya.Re'[is] fearfulH3373

וְחָרֵ֔דve.cha.Redand tremblingH2730

יָשֹׁ֥בya.Sholet him go backH7725

וְיִצְפֹּ֖רve.yitz.Porand he may goH6852

מֵהַ֣רme.Harfrom [the] mountain ofH2022

הַגִּלְעָ֑דha.gil.'Ad<the> GileadH1568

וַיָּ֣שָׁבvai.Ya.shovand it returnedH7725

מִן\־min-ofH4480

הָעָ֗םha.'Amthe peopleH5971

עֶשְׂרִ֤ים'es.RimtwentyH6242

וּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙u.she.Na.yimand twoH8147

אֶ֔לֶף'E.lefthousandH505

וַעֲשֶׂ֥רֶתva.'a.Se.retand tenH6235

אֲלָפִ֖ים'a.la.Fimthousand<s>H505

נִשְׁאָֽרוּ\׃\ \סnish.'A.ruthey remainedH7604

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

Cross references for Judges 7:3

Deuteronomy 20:8
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.
Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Luke 14:25-33
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? …
Matthew 13:21
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Whosoever.
De 20:8; Mt 13:21; Lu 14:25-33; Re 17:14; 21:8
mount Gilead.Gideon was certainly not at mount Gilead, east of Jordan at this time; but rather near mount Gilboa, west of Jordan. Calmet thinks there must either have been two Gileads, which does not appear from Scripture to have been the case, or that the Hebrew text is corrupt, and that for Gilead we should read Gilboa. This reading, though adopted by Houbigant, is not confirmed by an MS. or version. Dr. Hales endeavours to reconcile the whole, by the supposition that in Gideon's army there were many eastern Manassites from mount Gilead, near the Midianites; and therefore proposes to read, "Whosoever from mount Gilead is fearful and afraid, let him return (home) and depart early."
twenty.
Mt 20:16

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

Context

Judges 7:2
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Judges 7:3
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
Judges 7:4
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

Read all of Judges 7

Judges 7:3 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Haz pues ahora pregonar, que lo oiga el pueblo, diciendo: El que teme y se estremece, madrugue y vuélvase desde el monte de Galaad. Y volviéronse de los del pueblo veintidós mil: y quedaron diez mil.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et maintenant, crie aux oreilles du peuple, disant: Quiconque est peureux et tremble, qu’il s’en retourne et s’éloigne de la montagne de Galaad. Et 22 000 hommes du peuple s’en retournèrent; et il en resta 10 000.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und nun rufe doch vor den Ohren des Volkes aus und sprich: Wer furchtsam und verzagt ist, kehre um und wende sich zurück vom Gebirge Gilead! Da kehrten von dem Volke 22000 um, und 10000 blieben übrig.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Loquere ad populum, et cunctis audientibus prædica: Qui formidolosus et timidus est, revertatur. Recesseruntque de monte Galaad, et reversi sunt de populo viginti duo millia virorum, et tantum decem millia remanserunt.