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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

1 Samuel 8:20

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."

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.
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 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 So all the elders came together and met Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You're old, and your sons don't live as you do. Give us a king to rule over us like all the other nations." 6 When the elders said that, Samuel was not pleased. He prayed to the Lord , 7 and the Lord told Samuel, "Listen to whatever the people say to you. They have not rejected you. They have rejected me from being their king. 8 They are doing as they have always done. When I took them out of Egypt, they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to you. 9 Now listen to the people, but warn them what the king who rules over them will do." 10 So Samuel told those who had asked him for a king what the Lord had said. 11 Samuel said, "If you have a king ruling over you, this is what he will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and his horses, and they will run in front of the king's chariot. 12 The king will make some of your sons commanders over thousands or over fifties. He will make some of your other sons plow his ground and reap his harvest. He will take others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to make perfume and cook and bake for him.

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
Abel brought the best parts from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,
Genesis 7:2
Take with you seven pairs, each male with its female, of every kind of clean animal, and take one pair, each male with its female, of every kind of unclean animal.
Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the wild and tame animals with him in the boat. He made a wind blow over the earth, and the water went down.
Genesis 8:7
he sent out a raven. It flew here and there until the water had dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:8
Then Noah sent out a dove to find out if the water had dried up from the ground.
Genesis 8:15
Then God said to Noah,
Genesis 8:16
"You and your wife, your sons, and their wives should go out of the boat.
Genesis 8:17
Bring every animal out of the boat with you—the birds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. Let them have many young ones so that they might grow in number."
Genesis 13:4
and where he had built an altar. So he worshiped the Lord there.
Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at the city of Hebron. There he built an altar to 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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