And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Parallel translations
- WEB So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them.
- BSB Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,
- NKJV So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
- NASB For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the people of the east and march against them.
- NLT Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel,
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
Whenever Israel planted crops, Midian and allied raiders swept in to attack them.
Overview
The Midianites, joined by Amalekites and eastern peoples, timed their raids to coincide with Israel's harvest. This relentless plundering left the people unable to sustain themselves in their own land. The oppression demonstrates how sin robs God's people of the blessings of the covenant land.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Judg 7:12And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
- Judg 6:33Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
- Judg 3:13And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
- 1 Kgs 4:30And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
- Job 1:3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
- Isa 65:21–22And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
- Gen 29:1Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
- Judg 8:10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
- Deut 28:51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
- Job 31:8Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
- Mic 6:15Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
- Deut 28:30–33Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
- Lev 26:16I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
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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 6:3 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.