1 Samuel 8:20

Green's 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.

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.

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.

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."

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 And all the elders of Israel gathered and came in to Samuel, to Ramah. ⁵ And they said to him, Behold, you have become old, and your sons have not walked in your ways. Now appoint a king to us, to judge us, like all the nations. ⁶ And the thing was evil in Samuel's eyes when they said, Give to us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Jehovah. ⁷ And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people, to all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them. ⁸ According to all the works that they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, when they forsook Me and served other gods, so they are also doing to you. ⁹ And now listen to their voice. Only, protesting you shall protest to them, and shall declare to them the privilege of the king who shall reign over them. ¹⁰ And Samuel spoke all Jehovah's Words to the people who were asking a king from him. ¹¹ And he said, This is the privilege of the king who shall reign over you. He shall take your sons and shall appoint them for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen. And they shall run before his chariots. ¹² And he will appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; and to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make weapons for war for him, and weapons for his charioteer. ¹³ And he will take your daughters for perfumers, and for cooks, and for 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 brought, he also, from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat. And Jehovah looked to Abel and to his offering.

Genesis 7:2
You shall take to yourself from every clean animal by sevens, male and female, and from the animal that is not clean by two, male and female.

Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

Genesis 8:4
And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:7
And he sent out a raven, and it went out, going out and returning until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

Genesis 8:8
He also sent out from him the dove, to see if the waters had gone down from off the face of the earth.

Genesis 8:15
And God spoke to Noah, saying,

Genesis 8:16
Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.

Genesis 8:17
Bring out from you every living thing that is with you, of all flesh, of fowl, of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creeps on the earth; and let them swarm on the earth, and bear, and multiply on the earth.

Genesis 13:4
to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first. And Abram called on the name of Jehovah there.

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.