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Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

King James Version

1 Samuel 8:20

That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Israel;   Samuel;   Worldliness;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Imitation;   Sinful;   Worldliness;   Worldliness-Unworldliness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - King;   Samuel;   Shiloh;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - King, Christ as;   King, Kingship;   Prayer;   Spirituality;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Philistia;   Holman Bible Dictionary - King, Kingship;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Government;   Israel;   Justice;   Lord of Hosts;   Smith Bible Dictionary - King,;   Philis'tines;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Army;   Judging;   King;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
Hebrew Names Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Lexham English Bible
so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles."
English Standard Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
New Century Version
Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will judge for us and go with us and fight our battles."
New English Translation
We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles."
Amplified Bible
so that we too may be like all the nations [around us], that our king may judge [and govern] us and go out before us and fight our battles."
New American Standard Bible
so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And we also will be like all other nations, and our King shall iudge vs, and goe out before vs, and fight our battels.
Legacy Standard Bible
that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
Complete Jewish Bible
so that we can be like all the nations, with our king to judge us, lead us and fight our battles."
Darby Translation
that we also may be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and conduct our wars.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will lead us. He will go before us and fight our battles."
George Lamsa Translation
That we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.
Good News Translation
so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles."
Literal Translation
And we shall be, even we, like all the nations. And our king shall judge us and shall go out before us and fight our battles.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
yt we maye be as all other Heithe, yt or kynge maie iudge vs, & go forth before vs, and gouerne oure warres.
American Standard Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Bible in Basic English
So that we may be like the other nations, and so that our king may be our judge and go out before us to war.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That we may be lyke other nations, and that our king may iudge vs, and go out before vs, and fight our battailes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.'
King James Version (1611)
That we also may be like all the nations, and that our King may iudge vs, and goe out before vs, and fight our battels.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
An we also will be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and shall go out before us, and fight our battles.
English Revised Version
that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Berean Standard Bible
Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and we also schulen be as alle folkis, and oure kyng schal deme vs, and he schal go out bifor vs, and he schal fiyte oure batel for vs.
Young's Literal Translation
and we have been, even we, like all the nations; and our king hath judged us, and gone out before us, and fought our battles.'
Update Bible Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Webster's Bible Translation
That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
World English Bible
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
New King James Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
New Living Translation
"We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle."
New Life Bible
so we may be like other nations. Our king may rule over us and go out before us and fight our battles."
New Revised Standard
so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
so shall, even we, become like all the nations, - and our king shall judge us, and go forth before us, and fight our battles.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And we also will be like all nations: and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles for us.
Revised Standard Version
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

Contextual Overview

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord . 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Samuel 8:5, Exodus 33:16, Leviticus 20:24-26, Numbers 23:9, Deuteronomy 7:6, Psalms 106:35, John 15:19, Romans 12:12, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 2:9

Reciprocal: Numbers 27:17 - go out Deuteronomy 17:14 - I will set 1 Samuel 12:2 - walketh 1 Samuel 12:12 - Nay Hosea 13:10 - thy judges

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Genesis 7:2
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
Genesis 8:4
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:7
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Genesis 8:8
Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
Genesis 8:15
And God spake unto Noah, saying,
Genesis 8:16
Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
Genesis 8:17
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Genesis 13:4
Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That we also may be like all the nations,.... Even though they were slaves, like them; a king they would have, as they had, such was their stupidity. It was their greatest honour and glory, as well as happiness, not to be like other nations; as in their religion, laws, and liberties, so in their form of government; God being their King in such a peculiar sense as he was not of others, but with this they could not be content:

and that our king may judge us; hear their causes, administer justice and judgment to them, protect their persons and properties, and rule them according to the civil laws that were given them:

and go out before us, and fight our battles; which Samuel their present judge did not, and to which perhaps they may have some respect; but then he gained more for them by his prayers, than a king or general would by his military skill or prowess, see 1 Samuel 7:10, and it is very remarkable, and what is observed by some, that their first king died in a battle. What made them so pressing and importunate to have a king at, this time, and not defer it to another, it is very probable was, that they understood that Nahash, king of the children of Ammon, was preparing to attack them, and therefore they were desirous to have a king also to go out before them, and meet him, and give him battle, 1 Samuel 12:12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Fight our battles - It appears from 1 Samuel 12:12, that the warlike movements of Nahash had already begun to excite alarm.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 8:20. May judge us — This appears to be a rejection of Samuel.

Go out before us — Be in every respect our head and governor.

And fight our battles. — Be the general of our armies.


 
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