Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
Parallel translations
- WEB But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot;
- KJV But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;
- NKJV but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot.
- NASB But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot.
- NLT Instead, this is what we will do to Gibeah; we will draw lots to decide who will attack it.
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
Israel resolves to go up against Gibeah, choosing their course by lot. They commit to confronting the guilty town.
Overview
The assembly determines to attack Gibeah and casts lots to order their action, a customary way of seeking God's direction. Their plan moves from deliberation to military resolve. The decision sets in motion the costly civil war that fills the rest of the chapter.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jonah 1:7“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
- Acts 1:26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
- Neh 11:1Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the remaining nine were to dwell in their own towns.
- Josh 14:2Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
- Prov 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
- 1 Chr 24:5Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
- 1 Sam 14:41–42So Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim; but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.
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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 20:9 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.