Judges 5:8
New International Version
God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

New Living Translation
When Israel chose new gods, war erupted at the city gates. Yet not a shield or spear could be seen among forty thousand warriors in Israel!

English Standard Version
When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Berean Standard Bible
When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.

King James Bible
They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

New King James Version
They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

New American Standard Bible
“New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

NASB 1995
“New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

NASB 1977
“New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
God chose new leaders; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

Amplified Bible
“They chose new gods; Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?

Christian Standard Bible
Israel chose new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Israel chose new gods, then war was in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among 40,000 in Israel.

American Standard Version
They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
God shall choose a new thing and then bread of barley, and a sword and spear will not be seen among forty thousand of Israel

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They chose new gods; then the cities of rulers fought; there was not a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites worshiped other gods, and the gates of their towns were then attacked. But they had no shields or spears to fight with.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord chose new wars, and he himself overthrew the gates of the enemies: a shield and spear was not seen among forty thousand of Israel.

English Revised Version
They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the people chose new gods, war broke out inside the city gates. Not a weapon was seen among 40,000 in Israel.

Good News Translation
Then there was war in the land when the Israelites chose new gods. Of the forty thousand men in Israel, did anyone carry shield or spear?

International Standard Version
New gods were chosen, then war came to the city gates, but there wasn't a shield or spear to be seen among 40,000 soldiers of Israel.

JPS Tanakh 1917
They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates; Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel?

Literal Standard Version
He chooses new gods, | Then war [is] at the gates! A shield is not seen—and a spear | Among forty thousand in Israel.

Majority Standard Bible
When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.

New American Bible
New gods were their choice; then war was at the gates. No shield was to be found, no spear, among forty thousand in Israel!

NET Bible
God chose new leaders, then fighters appeared in the city gates; but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, among forty military units in Israel.

New Revised Standard Version
When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

New Heart English Bible
They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Webster's Bible Translation
They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

World English Bible
They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Young's Literal Translation
He chooseth new gods, Then war is at the gates! A shield is not seen -- and a spear Among forty thousand in Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Song of Deborah and Barak
7Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. 8When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel. 9My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.

Judges 5:7
Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.

Judges 5:11
the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:

1 Samuel 13:19
And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears."

1 Samuel 13:22
So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.


Treasury of Scripture

They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

new gods

Judges 2:12,17
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger…

Deuteronomy 32:16,17
They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger…

was there

Judges 4:3
And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

1 Samuel 13:19-22
Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: …

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Judges 5
1. The Song of Deborah and Barak














(8) They chose new gods.--The Chaldee and the LXX. agree in this interpretation, which is strongly supported by Deuteronomy 32:16-17. The Syriac and Vulgate render it "God chose new things," or "wars" (nova bella elegit Dominus, Vulg.); but this gives a poorer sense, and is open to the objection that Jehovah, not Elohim, is used throughout the rest of the song. It alludes to the idolatry (Jeremiah 2:11) which brought the retribution described in the next clause. Ewald and his pupil, Bertheau, render "gods" (Elohim) by "judges;" but this is very doubtful, though the word has that meaning in Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:7-8.

Then was war in the gates.--The Canaanites drove the Israelites from the city gates, where judgments were given, and expelled them from their towns; so the Targum explains it to mean, "the storming of gates," and so too Rabbi Tanchum. One MS. of the LXX. and the Syriac and Arabic versions have the strange rendering, "they chose new gods like barley bread," which Theodoret explains to mean, "as though after eating wheaten bread, men would voluntarily descend to coarse barley bread"; but this is only due to an inferior reading.

Was there a shield or spear.--This is usually, and not unnaturally, explained to mean that there had been a general disarmament (comp. Judges 3:31; 1Samuel 13:19); we must then assume that the Israelites had only bows, slings, and swords. But (1) there is no indication whatever (but rather the reverse, Judges 4:15) that Barak's army--which, moreover, consisted of 10,000, not 40,000--was unarmed; and (2) the context seems to favour the meaning that, in spite of these degradations, there was not a warrior in all Israel who dared to put on his armour. . . .

Verse 8. - The cause of this misery was not far to seek; it was the idolatry of the people which provoked God to anger. Then their enemies were let loose upon them, and they dared make no resistance.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When they chose
יִבְחַר֙ (yiḇ·ḥar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 977: To try, select

new
חֲדָשִׁ֔ים (ḥă·ḏā·šîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2319: New

gods,
אֱלֹהִ֣ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

then
אָ֖ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

war
לָחֶ֣ם (lā·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3901: Perhaps war

came to their gates.
שְׁעָרִ֑ים (šə·‘ā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

Not
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

a shield
מָגֵ֤ן (mā·ḡên)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 4043: A shield, a protector, the scaly hide of the crocodile

or spear
וָרֹ֔מַח (wā·rō·maḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7420: A lance, the iron point

was found
יֵֽרָאֶה֙ (yê·rā·’eh)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

among forty
בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים (bə·’ar·bā·‘îm)
Preposition-b | Number - common plural
Strong's 705: Forty

thousand
אֶ֖לֶף (’e·lep̄)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 505: A thousand

in Israel.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (bə·yiś·rā·’êl)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: Judges 5:8 They chose new gods (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 5:7
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