So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people.
Parallel translations
- WEB It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
- KJV And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
- BSB When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,
- NASB When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people.
- NLT When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Before battle, a priest is to come forward and address the troops. Israel's warfare was framed by worship and dependence on God.
Overview
The priest, not merely a general, prepares the army by speaking to them, marking the battle as a matter of faith. This involvement of the priesthood showed that victory depended on the LORD, not military prowess alone. It reminds us that God's people face their struggles in conscious reliance on Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Num 31:6Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
- Num 10:8–9“The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. This shall be to you for a statute forever throughout your generations.
- 2 Chr 13:12Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don’t fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers; for you will not prosper.”
- 1 Sam 30:7–8David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
- Judg 20:27–28The children of Israel asked Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
- 1 Sam 14:18Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring God’s ark here.” For God’s ark was with the children of Israel at that time.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 20:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.