Judges 11 23

Judges 11:23 kjv

So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

Judges 11:23 nkjv

'And now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it?

Judges 11:23 niv

"Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over?

Judges 11:23 esv

So then the LORD, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them?

Judges 11:23 nlt

"So you see, it was the LORD, the God of Israel, who took away the land from the Amorites and gave it to Israel. Why, then, should we give it back to you?

Judges 11 verses

Judges 11 23 Meaning

So now the LORD, the God of Israel, has definitively taken possession of the land from the Amorites and given it to His people Israel. Therefore, the rhetorical question to the Ammonites underscores the audacity and futility of their claim to this territory, directly challenging their perceived right against God's sovereign act. It asserts God's ultimate authority over land distribution and historical events.

Judges 11 23 Context

Judges chapter 11 narrates the story of Jephthah, a Gileadite warrior, rejected by his half-brothers but called back to lead Israel against the Ammonites. The Ammonites were oppressing Israel east of the Jordan, specifically claiming Israel had unjustly taken their land during the Exodus. Verses 12-28 detail Jephthah's diplomatic and theological response to the Ammonite king's absurd demands. The Ammonite king contended that Israel had taken the land from them when coming up from Egypt (Judges 11:13). Jephthah counters this by first correcting the historical inaccuracy: Israel did not take the land from Ammon or Moab but from Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had conquered it from Moab (Num 21:26). More crucially, Jephthah shifts the argument from human historical claims to divine prerogative. Verse 23 is a pivotal part of this theological argument, establishing Yahweh, the God of Israel, as the rightful sovereign and giver of territory, whose actions cannot be gainsaid by any human or pagan deity.

Judges 11 23 Word analysis

• So now (וְעַתָּה, we'attah): "And now." This conjunction emphasizes a consequential statement or a turning point in the argument. It connects the historical facts presented by Jephthah (verses 14-22) to the present, inescapable conclusion. It serves as a strong logical bridge, drawing the king's attention to the divine reality.

• the LORD (יהוה, Yahweh): The covenant God of Israel. Using His personal, revealed name stresses His active involvement, distinct identity, and the fulfillment of His promises to Israel. This is not merely any god, but the specific, sovereign God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His authority is absolute.

• the God of Israel (אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, Elohei Yisrael): This title highlights God's unique and exclusive relationship with Israel, distinguishing Him from the Ammonites' god, Chemosh (Judges 11:24). It signifies His particular care and covenant fidelity toward His chosen people, for whom He performs mighty deeds.

• has dispossessed (הוֹרִישׁ, horish, Hiphil perfect of יָרַשׁ, yarash): "He caused to possess," implying an act of expulsion for the previous occupants and taking possession for the new ones. The perfect tense indicates a completed, irreversible divine act. This is a deliberate, sovereign action, not an accident of war. It conveys divine empowerment to Israel and dispossession of the enemy.

• the Amorites (הָאֱמֹרִי, ha'Emori): A major Canaanite tribal group that inhabited the Transjordan region before Israel's arrival. Often, "Amorites" in the Bible can function as a synecdoche, representing all the inhabitants of Canaan whom Israel dispossessed (e.g., Gen 15:16). Their specific defeat under Sihon was crucial as it gave Israel control of the land east of the Jordan.

• from before His people Israel (מִפְּנֵי עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, mippeney ammo Yisrael): "From before His people, Israel." This phrase clearly identifies Israel as the beneficiary and recipient of God's act of dispossession. It reinforces the covenant relationship, where God acts on behalf of His people. The phrase emphasizes a deliberate, purposeful clearing of the way for Israel's inheritance.

• and should you possess it? (וְאַתָּה תִּירָשֶׁנּוּ, we'attah tirashennu): "And you, would you possess it?" This is a sharp rhetorical question, introducing a profound contrast (we'attah - "and you," highlighting the Ammonite king). It challenges the Ammonite king's presumptuous claim, implying that to try and take back what Yahweh Himself has dispossessed from one group and given to another is utterly futile and defiant. It directly questions the Ammonite's legitimacy against divine authority. Tirashennu (you will possess it/should you possess it) is a direct challenge using the same root as "dispossess."

• Words-group analysis:

  • "So now the LORD, the God of Israel": This powerful opening emphasizes divine action. Jephthah asserts that the recent historical events in Transjordan were not mere human conquest but divinely orchestrated by Yahweh, Israel's specific and covenant-keeping God. It sets the theological premise of the entire argument.
  • "has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel": This phrase encapsulates God's sovereign historical intervention. It underscores that the land was not stolen but divinely granted, cleared by God's hand, demonstrating His faithfulness to Israel and His power over other nations and their deities. It frames the entire land dispute within a theological context of divine ownership and grant.
  • "and should you possess it?": This concise rhetorical question is the ultimate challenge. It dismisses the Ammonite claim as illegitimate and audacious. By implying "would you, a mere king, a worshipper of Chemosh, presume to overturn what Yahweh has done?", Jephthah asserts the absolute supremacy of Yahweh and renders the Ammonite king's demands completely without merit or authority.

Judges 11 23 Bonus section

Jephthah, though born of a prostitute and rejected by his family, shows remarkable theological insight in his interaction with the Ammonite king. He understands and articulates the concept of Yahweh's active role in Israel's history, not merely as a passive observer, but as the divine Agent who conquers and grants territory. This defense relies on Mosaic law and historical precedent (Num 21, Deut 2-3) understood through a theological lens. The argument in Judges 11 is sometimes called "Jephthah's Legal Defense" but it's fundamentally a theological defense, demonstrating God's sovereign ownership of the earth and His power to grant or dispossess lands according to His divine purpose. The Ammonites' continued claim for three centuries, without challenging Israel previously, further undermines their argument, as pointed out by Jephthah (Judges 11:26), implying acceptance of the status quo unless it served their immediate advantage. This verse also serves as a strong counter-argument to the idea that land acquisition was simply by human strength; it was ultimately by divine prerogative and power.

Judges 11 23 Commentary

Judges 11:23 forms the theological bedrock of Jephthah's argument against the Ammonite king. It shifts the discourse from a land dispute to a divine declaration, asserting that the land in question (formerly Amorite territory, now Israeli) was not taken by force or trickery from Ammon, but was a direct, purposeful act of the Almighty God of Israel. This challenges the pagan notion of territorial gods whose authority could be overcome by mere human aggression. Jephthah essentially argues: If Chemosh, the Ammonite deity, were truly powerful enough, why didn't he save the Amorites, or why doesn't he give you land from those your god conquered, instead of challenging what Yahweh has bestowed? The verse elevates the conflict to a contest of deities, clearly declaring Yahweh's supreme power and legitimate bestowal of the land. This serves as a reminder that God determines the boundaries of nations (Acts 17:26) and that His will overrides any human or idolatrous claim.

• Example 1: When faced with apparent injustices or territorial disputes, remember that ultimately God's sovereignty over the earth prevails (Psa 24:1).
• Example 2: Acknowledging God as the ultimate Disposer of all things (1 Sam 2:7) brings peace when human efforts seem to fail.