Judges 3:28
New International Version
“Follow me,” he ordered, “for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over.

New Living Translation
“Follow me,” he said, “for the LORD has given you victory over Moab your enemy.” So they followed him. And the Israelites took control of the shallow crossings of the Jordan River across from Moab, preventing anyone from crossing.

English Standard Version
And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over.

Berean Standard Bible
“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

King James Bible
And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

New King James Version
Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

New American Standard Bible
Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for the LORD has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you.” So they went down after him and took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

NASB 1995
He said to them, “Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

NASB 1977
And he said to them, “Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for Yahweh has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.” So they went down after him and captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab and did not allow anyone to cross.

Amplified Bible
And he said to them, “Pursue them, for the LORD has handed over your enemies the Moabites to you.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab and did not allow anyone to cross.

Christian Standard Bible
He told them, “Follow me, because the LORD has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He told them, “Follow me, because the LORD has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovah hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He told them, "Follow me! The LORD will hand your enemy Moab over to you." They followed him and captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River that led to Moab and refused to let anyone cross.

Good News Translation
He told them, "Follow me! The LORD has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites." So they followed Ehud down and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan; they did not allow anyone to cross.

International Standard Version
he told them, "Attack them, because the LORD has given your enemies—the Moabites—into your control." So the Israeli army followed after him, seized the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

Majority Standard Bible
“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

NET Bible
He said to them, "Follow me, for the LORD is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!" They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross.

New Heart English Bible
He said to them, "Follow after me; for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." They went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and did not allow a man to pass over.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Follow me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan towards Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

World English Bible
He said to them, “Follow me; for Yahweh has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” They followed him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and didn’t allow any man to pass over.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he says to them, “Pursue after me, for YHWH has given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand”; and they go down after him, and capture the passages of the Jordan toward Moab, and have not permitted a man to pass over.

Young's Literal Translation
and he saith unto them, 'Pursue after me, for Jehovah hath given your enemies, the Moabites, into your hand;' and they go down after him, and capture the passages of the Jordan towards Moab, and have not permitted a man to pass over.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say to them, Follow after me, for Jehovah gave your enemies, Moab, into your hand. And they will go down after him and will take the passages of Jordan toward Moab, and they gave not a man to pass over.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said to them: “Follow me. For the Lord has delivered our enemies, the Moabites, into our hands.” And they descended after him, and they occupied the fords of the Jordan, which cross over to Moab. And they did not permit anyone to cross.

New American Bible
“Follow me,” he said to them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your power.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, permitting no one to cross.

New Revised Standard Version
He said to them, “Follow after me; for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and allowed no one to cross over.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he said to them, Follow after me; for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hands. And they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan on the side of Moab, and allowed not a man to pass over.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said to them: “Come after me, for LORD JEHOVAH has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hands!” And they went down after him and they seized the crossing of the Jordan of Moab, and they did not let a man cross over
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said unto them: 'Follow after me; for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.' And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said to them, Come down after me, for the Lord God has delivered our enemies, even Moab, into our hand; and they went down after him, and seized on the fords of Jordan before Moab, and he did not suffer a man to pass over.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ehud
27On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. 28“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.…

Cross References
Joshua 4:23-24
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. / He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

Joshua 2:9-11
and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you. / For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. / When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

Exodus 14:21-22
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, / and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

Joshua 3:13-17
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...

1 Samuel 7:12-13
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” / So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

2 Kings 2:8
And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Psalm 114:3-5
The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back; / the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. / Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

Isaiah 11:15-16
The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals. / There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 43:16-17
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, / who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. / Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, / and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15-16
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. / Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Luke 24:46-47
And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, / and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:38-39
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. / This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to them, Follow after me: for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

follow

Judges 4:10
And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

Judges 7:17
And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

the Lord

Judges 7:9,15
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand…

1 Samuel 17:47
And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

the fords

Judges 12:5
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

Joshua 2:7
And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

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Judges 3
1. The nations which were left to prove Israel
5. By communion with them they commit idolatry
8. Othniel delivered them from Chushan-Rishathaim
12. Ehud from Eglon
31. and Shamgar from the Philistines














Follow me, he ordered
This phrase signifies a call to action and leadership. The Hebrew root for "follow" is "הלך" (halak), which means to walk or go. In the context of Judges, this is a rallying cry for the Israelites to unite under divine guidance. The leader here is Ehud, who has been raised by God to deliver Israel. His command is not just a military directive but a spiritual call to trust in God's deliverance.

for the LORD has delivered
The phrase underscores the central theme of divine intervention. The Hebrew word for "delivered" is "נתן" (natan), meaning to give or hand over. This reflects the belief that victory is not achieved by human strength alone but is a gift from God. The Israelites' success is attributed to the LORD's sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant people.

your enemies the Moabites into your hand
This part of the verse identifies the Moabites as the adversaries. Historically, the Moabites were descendants of Lot and often in conflict with Israel. The phrase "into your hand" is a Hebrew idiom indicating complete control or power over someone. It signifies God's promise of victory and the fulfillment of His word to protect and deliver Israel from oppression.

So they followed him down
The Israelites' response to Ehud's call is immediate and obedient. The act of following "down" suggests a descent, possibly from the highlands to the Jordan Valley, indicating a strategic move in the battle. This obedience reflects the trust and confidence the people have in Ehud's leadership and God's promise.

took control of the fords of the Jordan
The "fords of the Jordan" were shallow parts of the river used for crossing. Controlling these fords was crucial for military strategy, as it prevented the Moabites from retreating or receiving reinforcements. This action demonstrates the tactical wisdom given by God to Ehud and the Israelites, ensuring their victory.

leading to Moab
This phrase indicates the geographical and strategic significance of the location. The fords were the gateway to Moab, and controlling them meant cutting off the Moabites' escape route. It highlights the thoroughness of God's deliverance, ensuring that the enemy could not regroup or retaliate.

and did not let anyone cross over
This final phrase emphasizes the completeness of the victory. By not allowing anyone to cross, the Israelites ensured that the Moabites were entirely defeated. It signifies the totality of God's deliverance and the fulfillment of His promise to protect His people. This decisive action reflects the faith and determination of the Israelites under God's guidance.

(28) The Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.--Comp. Judges 7:9-15; 1Samuel 17:47; 1Kings 22:12.

Took the fords of Jordan.--This was a matter of extreme importance. The fords of Jordan were few, and far distant from each other. (Joshua 2:7.) The steep ravine through which it flows forms a natural barrier to Western Palestine, and by securing the fords they cut off from the Moabites all chance of succour. The vehement rapidity of Ehud's movements had rendered their escape impossible.

Suffered not a man to passover.--Comp. Judges 12:5-6. It was a massacre of vengeance, like the Sicilian Vespers, or the massacre of the English of the Pale in Ireland, or that of the Danes in England on St. Brice's day. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Follow me,”
רִדְפ֣וּ (riḏ·p̄ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute

he told them,
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“for
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the LORD
יְהוָ֧ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has delivered
נָתַ֨ן (nā·ṯan)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

your enemies
אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם (’ō·yə·ḇê·ḵem)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary

the Moabites
מוֹאָ֖ב (mō·w·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124: Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settled

into your hands.”
בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם (bə·yeḏ·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3027: A hand

So they followed him down
וַיֵּרְד֣וּ (way·yê·rə·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

and seized
וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּ (way·yil·kə·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3920: To catch, to capture, occupy, to choose, to cohere

the fords
מַעְבְּר֤וֹת (ma‘·bə·rō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4569: A crossing-place, a transit, overwhelming

of the Jordan
הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ (hay·yar·dên)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3383: Jordan -- the principal river of Palestine

leading to Moab,
לְמוֹאָ֔ב (lə·mō·w·’āḇ)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124: Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settled

and did not
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

allow
נָתְנ֥וּ (nā·ṯə·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

anyone
אִ֖ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

to cross over.
לַעֲבֹֽר׃ (la·‘ă·ḇōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on


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OT History: Judges 3:28 He said to them Follow after me (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 3:27
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