Judges 7:3
New International Version
Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

New Living Translation
Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.

English Standard Version
Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

New American Standard Bible
Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and worried, is to return and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand from the people returned, but ten thousand remained.

NASB 1995
“Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

NASB 1977
“Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, come, call out in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

Amplified Bible
So now, proclaim in the hearing of the people, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men returned [home], but ten thousand remained.

Christian Standard Bible
Now announce to the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now announce in the presence of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 of the people turned back, but 10,000 remained.

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Now call into the ears of the people and say, “Whoever is afraid and fainthearted shall stay by himself and he shall return from the Mountain of Gelad.” And twenty and two thousand of the people returned and ten thousand were left

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now speak in the ears of the people, saying, Who is afraid and fearful? let him turn and depart from mount Galaad: and there returned of the people twenty-two thousand, and ten thousand were left.

Contemporary English Version
So call your troops together and tell them that anyone who is really afraid can leave Mount Gilead and go home." Twenty-two thousand men returned home, leaving Gideon with only 10,000 soldiers.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all, Whosoever is fearful and timorous, let him return. So two and twenty thousand men went away from mount Galaad and returned home, and only ten thousand remained.

English Revised Version
Now therefore go to, 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Announce to the troops, 'Whoever is scared or frightened should leave Mount Gilead and go back home.' " So 22,000 men went back home, and 10,000 were left.

Good News Translation
Announce to the people, 'Anyone who is afraid should go back home, and we will stay here at Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.

International Standard Version
That's why you're to ask in full view of the soldiers, "Whoever is afraid or is trembling may go back from Mount Gilead and return home." So 22,000 soldiers left and 10,000 remained.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now therefore make proclamation in the ears of the people, saying: Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.' And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

Literal Standard Version
and now, please call in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever [is] afraid and trembling, let him turn back and go early from Mount Gilead”; and there return twenty-two thousand of the people, and ten thousand have been left.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

New American Bible
So announce in the hearing of the soldiers, “If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave! Let him depart from Mount Gilead!” Twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.

NET Bible
Now, announce to the men, 'Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.'" Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained.

New Revised Standard Version
Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.

New Heart English Bible
Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.' There returned of the people twenty-two thousand; but ten thousand remained.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
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.

Young's Literal Translation
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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Gideon's Army of Three Hundred
2Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3Now, 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. 4Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 20:8
Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own."

Judges 6:35
Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.


Treasury of Scripture

Now therefore go to, 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.

whosoever

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.

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.

Luke 14:25-33
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, …

mount Gilead.

Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

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Afraid Depart Early Ears Mount Proclaim Proclamation Ten Thousand Trembling Twenty Twenty-Two
Judges 7
1. Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand is brought to three hundred
9. He is encouraged by the dream and interpretation of the burley cake
16. His plan of trumpets and lamps in pitchers
24. The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb














(3) Whosoever is fearful and afraid.--This proclamation is in exact accordance with Deuteronomy 20:8 (and the other general directions in that chapter). It is there founded on the psychological observation that cowardice is exceedingly contagious, so that the presence of timid men in an army is a source of direct danger. The same rule was rigidly observed by the faithful Judas Maccabaeus (1 Maccabees 3:56). Epaminondas, for the same reason, made the same proclamation before the battle of Leuctra. In this instance there was the further reason given in the previous verse. "The ancients had observed that even when there are many legions it is always the few that win the battle" (Tac. Ann. xiv. 36).

Depart early.--The Hebrew word tsaphar occurs here only. The Chaldee explains it by tsiphra, "in the morning;" and Abarband says that this injunction was given in order that they might not incur shame when they retired. The rendering "hastily" is explained to mean "like a bird" (tsippor). Keil, connecting it with an Arabic root, makes it mean "slink away by bye-paths." It seems to involve a shade of contempt--"Let him take himself off." (Trolle sich: Cassel.)

From mount Gilead.--This expression has caused great difficulty, but the Hebrew cannot mean "to mount Gilead," nor yet "beyond mount Gilead." The only tenable solution of the difficulty is, (1) to alter the text into "mount Gilboa" (Clericus), or from meehar, "from mount," to maheer, "speedily" (Michaelis); or (2) to suppose that "mount Gilead" was a rallying-cry of the Manassites in general, for Gilead was a son of Abiezer (Numbers 26:30, where Jeezer is merely an error); and hence was derived the name "Gilead" of the trans-Jordanic district which fell to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:5-6). If this be a true conjecture, the phrase "let him depart from mount Gilead" means "let him leave the camp of Manasseh." One more conjecture is that Gilead is an ancient name for Gilboa (Schwarz).

There returned of the people twenty and two thousand.--No detail could more decisively show the terror struck into them by the sight of the Midianite host. They looked on them with the same alarm with which the Greeks, before Marathon, used to gaze on the Persian dress. It must not, however, be supposed that all the defaulters went straight to their homes. Doubtless many of them took part in the pursuit which made the victory decisive. . . .

Verse 3.- Depart early. The Hebrew word so rendered only occurs here. Its exact meaning is uncertain, but the old versions generally give the meaning of "depart," "go back." Some, with much probability, connect the word with the Hebr

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now, therefore,
וְעַתָּ֗ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

proclaim
קְרָ֨א (qə·rā)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

in the hearing
בְּאָזְנֵ֤י (bə·’ā·zə·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - fdc
Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear

of the people:
הָעָם֙ (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

‘Whoever
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

is fearful
יָרֵ֣א (yā·rê)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 3373: Fearing, reverent

and trembling
וְחָרֵ֔ד (wə·ḥā·rêḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2730: Fearful, reverential

may turn back
יָשֹׁ֥ב (yā·šōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

and leave
וְיִצְפֹּ֖ר (wə·yiṣ·pōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6852: To skip about, return

Mount
מֵהַ֣ר (mê·har)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

Gilead.’”
הַגִּלְעָ֑ד (hag·gil·‘āḏ)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites

So twenty-two
עֶשְׂרִ֤ים (‘eś·rîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 6242: Twenty, twentieth

thousand
אֶ֔לֶף (’e·lep̄)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 505: A thousand

[of them]
הָעָ֗ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

turned back,
וַיָּ֣שָׁב (way·yā·šāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

but ten
וַעֲשֶׂ֥רֶת (wa·‘ă·śe·reṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6235: Ten

thousand
אֲלָפִ֖ים (’ă·lā·p̄îm)
Number - masculine plural
Strong's 505: A thousand

remained.
נִשְׁאָֽרוּ׃ (niš·’ā·rū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant


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OT History: Judges 7:3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 7:2
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