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Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Judges 3:4

They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel;   Philistines;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Canaanites, the;   Lebanon;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abishua;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Command, Commandment;   War, Holy War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Judah;   Levi;   Quarry;   Temptation;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Mesopotamia;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Hornet;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands he had given their fathers through Moses.
Hebrew Names Version
They were [left], to prove Yisra'el by them, to know whether they would listen to the mitzvot of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moshe.
King James Version
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Lexham English Bible
They were left for testing Israel, to know whether they would keep the commands of Yahweh that he commanded their ancestors through the hand of Moses.
English Standard Version
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
New Century Version
Those nations were in the land to test the Israelites—to see if they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors by Moses.
New English Translation
They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.
Amplified Bible
They were [allowed to remain] for the testing of Israel, to determine whether Israel would listen to and obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers (ancestors) through Moses.
New American Standard Bible
They were left to test Israel by them, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And these remayned to proue Israel by them, to wit, whether they would obey the commandements of the Lorde, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Legacy Standard Bible
For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Contemporary English Version
Moses had told the Israelites what the Lord had commanded them to do, and now the Lord was using these nations to find out if Israel would obey.
Complete Jewish Bible
They stayed there to test whether Isra'el would pay attention to the mitzvot of Adonai , which, through Moshe, he had ordered their ancestors to obey.
Darby Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Easy-to-Read Version
He left those nations in the land to test the Israelites. He wanted to see if the Israelites would obey the Lord 's commands that he had given to their ancestors through Moses.
George Lamsa Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Literal Translation
And they existed to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commands of Jehovah, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The same remayned, that Israel mighte be proued by them, that it mighte be knowne whether they wolde herken to the commaundementes of the LORDE, which he commaunded their fathers by Moses.
American Standard Version
And they were left, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
Bible in Basic English
For the purpose of testing Israel by them, to see if they would give ear to the orders of the Lord, which he had given to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Those remayned to proue Israel by, and to wyt whether they would hearken vnto the commaundementes of the Lorde, which he commaunded their fathers by the hande of Moyses.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they were there, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
King James Version (1611)
And they were to prooue Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken vnto the Commandements of the Lord, which hee commaunded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And this was done in order to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he charged their fathers by the hand of Moses.
English Revised Version
And they were for to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Berean Standard Bible
These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he lefte hem, that in hem he schulde asaie Israel, whethir thei wolden here the `heestis of the Lord, whiche he comaundide to her fadris bi the hond of Moises, ethir nai.
Young's Literal Translation
and they are to prove Israel by them, to know whether they obey the commands of Jehovah that He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Update Bible Version
And they were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
World English Bible
They were [left], to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of Yahweh, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
New King James Version
And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
New Living Translation
These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given to their ancestors through Moses.
New Life Bible
They were left to test Israel, to find out if Israel would obey the Laws the Lord gave their fathers through Moses.
New Revised Standard
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord , which he commanded their ancestors by Moses.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then these were left , that, by them, he might put Israel to the proof, - to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of Yahweh which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers, by the hand of Moses, or not.
Revised Standard Version
They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by Moses.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.

Contextual Overview

1 So then, the Lord left some nations in the land to test the Israelites who had not been through the wars in Canaan. 2 He did this only in order to teach each generation of Israelites about war, especially those who had never been in battle before. 3 Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass. 4 They were to be a test for Israel, to find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commands that the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses. 5 And so the people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 They intermarried with them and worshiped their gods. 7 The people of Israel forgot the Lord their God; they sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to prove: Judges 3:1, Judges 2:22, Exodus 15:25, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
The Lord God asked the woman, "Why did you do this?" She replied, "The snake tricked me into eating it."
Deuteronomy 29:19
Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.
2 Kings 1:4
Tell the king that the Lord says, ‘You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!'" Elijah did as the Lord commanded,
2 Kings 1:6
They answered, "We were met by a man who told us to come back and tell you that the Lord says to you, ‘Why are you sending messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no god in Israel? You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!'"
2 Kings 1:16
and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you sent messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron—as if there were no god in Israel to consult—you will not get well; you will die!'"
2 Kings 8:10
Elisha answered, "The Lord has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover."
Psalms 10:11
The wicked say to themselves, "God doesn't care! He has closed his eyes and will never see me!"
2 Corinthians 2:11
in order to keep Satan from getting the upper hand over us; for we know what his plans are.
2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies.
1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they were to prove Israel by them,.... They were left in the land, as to inure them to war, and try their courage, so to prove their faithfulness to God:

to know whether they would hearken to the commandments, of the Lord,

which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses; even all the commandments of the Lord delivered to them by Moses, moral, civil, and ceremonial, and particularly those that concerned the destruction of the Canaanites, their altars, and their idols, Deuteronomy 7:1.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 3:4. To know whether they would hearken — This would be the consequence of the Canaanites being left among them: if they should be faithful to God, their enemies would not be able to enslave them; should they be rebellious, the Lord would abandon them to their foes.


 
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