Deuteronomy 20:9

THE MESSAGE

When the officers have finished speaking to the troops, let them appoint commanders of the troops who shall muster them by units.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it.

Hebrew Names Version
It shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

King James Version
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

Lexham English Bible
And when the officials have finished speaking to the army troops, then they shall appoint commanders of divisions at the head of the troops.

English Standard Version
And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.

New Century Version
When the officers finish speaking to the army, they should appoint commanders to lead it.

New English Translation
Then, when the officers have finished speaking, they must appoint unit commanders to lead the troops.

Amplified Bible
"And it shall be when the officers have finished speaking to the soldiers, they shall appoint commanders of armies over them.

New American Standard Bible
"And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after that the officers haue made an ende of speaking vnto the people, they shal make captaines of the armie to gouerne the people.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it will be that when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.

Contemporary English Version
When the officials are finished giving these orders, they will appoint officers to be in command of the army.

Complete Jewish Bible
When the officials have finished speaking with the soldiers, commanders are to be appointed to lead the army.

Darby Translation
And it shall be, when the officers have ended speaking unto the people, that they shall place captains of the hosts at the head of the people.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then, after the officers have finished speaking to the army, they must choose captains to lead the soldiers.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the scribes have made an end of speaking to the people, the commanders of the army shall stand at the head of the people.

Good News Translation
When the officers have finished speaking to the army, leaders are to be chosen for each unit.

Literal Translation
And it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, commanders of the armies shall be appointed at the head of the people.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the captaynes haue made an ende of speakinge vnto the people, they shall set the rulers of the hoost before the people in the fore fronte.

American Standard Version
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

Bible in Basic English
Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the officers haue made an ende of speakyng vnto the people, they shall make captaynes of the armie to gouerne the people.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed at the head of the people.

King James Version (1611)
And it shall be when the Officers haue made an end of speaking vnto the people, that they shall make Captaines of the armies to leade the people.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass when the scribes shall have ceased speaking to the people, that they shall appoint generals of the army to be leaders of the people.

English Revised Version
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

Berean Standard Bible
When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the duykis of the oost ben stille, and han maad ende of speking, ech `of the princis and cheuenteyns of the oost schal make redie his cumpeneyes to batel.

Young's Literal Translation
and it hath come to pass as the authorities finish to speak unto the people, that they have appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people.

Update Bible Version
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

World English Bible
It shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

New King James Version
And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

New Living Translation
When the officers have finished speaking to their troops, they will appoint the unit commanders.

New Life Bible
When the leaders have finished speaking to the people, they will choose heads of the army to lead the people.

New Revised Standard
When the officials have finished addressing the troops, then the commanders shall take charge of them.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, then shall they appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the captains of the army shall hold their peace, and have made an end of speaking, every man shall prepare their bands to fight.

Revised Standard Version
And when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.

Contextual Overview

¹When you go to war against your enemy and see horses and chariots and soldiers far outnumbering you, do not recoil in fear of them; God , your God, who brought you up out of Egypt is with you. When the battle is about to begin, let the priest come forward and speak to the troops. He'll say, "Attention, Israel. In a few minutes you're going to do battle with your enemies. Don't waver in resolve. Don't fear. Don't hesitate. Don't panic. God , your God, is right there with you, fighting with you against your enemies, fighting to win." ⁵Then let the officers step up and speak to the troops: "Is there a man here who has built a new house but hasn't yet dedicated it? Let him go home right now lest he die in battle and another man dedicate it. And is there a man here who has planted a vineyard but hasn't yet enjoyed the grapes? Let him go home right now lest he die in battle and another man enjoy the grapes. Is there a man here engaged to marry who hasn't yet taken his wife? Let him go home right now lest he die in battle and another man take her." ⁸ The officers will then continue, "And is there a man here who is wavering in resolve and afraid? Let him go home right now so that he doesn't infect his fellows with his timidity and cowardly spirit." ⁹ When the officers have finished speaking to the troops, let them appoint commanders of the troops who shall muster them by units.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to lead the people: Heb. to be in the head of the people, Deuteronomy 20:9

Cross-References

Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? Why did you say, ‘She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!"

Genesis 20:10
Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?"

Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'"

Genesis 26:10
Abimelech said, "But think of what you might have done to us! Given a little more time, one of the men might have slept with your wife; you would have been responsible for bringing guilt down on us."

Genesis 38:24
Three months or so later, Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law has been playing the whore—and now she's a pregnant whore." Judah yelled, "Get her out here. Burn her up!"

Exodus 32:21
Moses said to Aaron, "What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?"

Exodus 32:35
God sent a plague on the people because of the calf they and Aaron had made.

Leviticus 20:10
"If a man commits adultery with another man's wife—the wife, say, of his neighbor—both the man and the woman, the adulterer and adulteress, must be put to death.

Joshua 7:25
Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? God will now trouble you. Today!" And all Israel stoned him—burned him with fire and stoned him with stones. They piled a huge pile of stones over him. It's still there. Only then did God turn from his hot anger. That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley right up to the present time.

2 Samuel 12:5
David exploded in anger. "As surely as God lives," he said to Nathan, "the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people,.... By reciting what the anointed of war said unto them, and by speeches of their own framing, to encourage to the battle; and all were dismissed that had leave to depart, and chose to take it:

that they shall make captains of armies to lead on the people; on to battle; that is, either the officers should do this, which may seem to confirm what has been hinted, that they might be generals of the army, who constituted captains under them, to lead the people on to battle: unless this is to be understood of the princes of Israel, or of the king when they had one, and his ministers; for it does not appear in any instance that the people chose their own officers over them, to go out before them, and lead them on to battle; or "to be at the head of them" z; which the Jewish writers understand in a very different sense; not to head them, or be at the head of them, to direct and command them, but to keep them from deserting: their sense is, that the officers having dismissed persons in the circumstances before described, and set stout men before them, and others behind them (i.e. the army of the people), with iron hatchets in their hands, and every one that sought to return, they had power to cut off his legs; since flight is the beginning of falling before their enemies a.

z בראש העם "in capite populi", Pagninus, Montanus. a Misn. ut supra (Sotah, c. 8.), sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The meaning is that the “officers” should then subdivide the levies, and appoint leaders of the smaller divisions thus constituted.