“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
Parallel translations
- WEB They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”
- KJV And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
- NKJV Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”
- NASB and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”
- NLT The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!”
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
The elders ask Jephthah to be their commander against the Ammonites. They appeal to the warrior they once spurned.
Overview
Gilead's leaders invite Jephthah to lead them in battle, acknowledging his proven valor. Their request sets up his pointed reply about their past treatment of him. The scene illustrates how God elevates the despised, turning rejection into the path to leadership and deliverance.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 11:6 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
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