Deuteronomy 1:42
New International Version
But the LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

New Living Translation
“But the LORD told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

English Standard Version
And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’

Berean Standard Bible
But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

New King James Version
“And the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’

New American Standard Bible
But the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated by your enemies.”’

NASB 1995
“And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies."’

NASB 1977
“And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up, nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.”’

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up and do not fight—for I am not among you—so that you are not defeated before your enemies.”’

Amplified Bible
But the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up and do not fight, for I am not among you [because of your rebellion]; otherwise you will be [badly] defeated by your enemies.”’

Christian Standard Bible
“But the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them: Don’t go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them: Don’t go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.’

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

Contemporary English Version
But the LORD said, "Moses, warn them not to go into the hill country. I won't help them fight, and their enemies will defeat them."

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the LORD said to me, "Tell them, 'Don't go and fight, because I won't be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.'"

Good News Translation
"But the LORD said to me, 'Warn them not to attack, for I will not be with them, and their enemies will defeat them.'

International Standard Version
"Then the LORD told me: 'Tell them not to go up and fight because I will not be in their midst, or else you will be defeated before your enemies.'

Majority Standard Bible
But the LORD said to me, ?Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.?

NET Bible
But the LORD told me: "Tell them this: 'Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.'"

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to me, "Tell them, 'Do not go up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be struck before your enemies.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to me, Say to them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t fight; for I am not among you, lest you be struck before your enemies.’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and YHWH says to me, Say to them, You do not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst, and you are not struck before your enemies.

Young's Literal Translation
and Jehovah saith unto me, Say to them, Ye do not go up, nor fight, for I am not in your midst, and ye are not smitten before your enemies.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say to me, Say to them, Ye shall not go up, and ye shall not fight; for I am not in the midst of you and ye shall not be smitten before your enemies.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord said to me: Say to them: Go not up, and fight not, for I am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

Catholic Public Domain Version
the Lord said to me: ‘Say to them: Do not ascend and do not fight. For I am not with you. Otherwise, you may fall in the sight of your enemies.’

New American Bible
But the LORD said to me, Warn them: Do not go up and fight—for I will not be in your midst—lest you be beaten down before your enemies.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to me, “Say to them, ‘Do not go up and do not fight, for I am not in the midst of you; otherwise you will be defeated by your enemies.’”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD said to me, Say to them, You shall not go up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to me: ‘Say to them, “You shall not go up and you shall not fight, because I am not among you, lest you will be defeated before your enemies.”’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto me: 'Say unto them: Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord said to me, Tell them, Ye shall not go up, neither shall ye fight, for I am not with you; thus shall ye not be destroyed before your enemies.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Defeat at Hormah
41“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. 42But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.” 43So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.…

Cross References
Numbers 14:41-45
But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed! / Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you. / For there the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.” ...

Joshua 7:12-13
This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction. / Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

1 Samuel 28:18
Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

Isaiah 30:1-3
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. / They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. / But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

Jeremiah 42:19-22
The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today! / For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’ / For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you. ...

Ezekiel 20:32-38
When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass. / As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you. / With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered. ...

Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.

Isaiah 31:1-3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD. / Yet He too is wise and brings disaster; He does not call back His words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers. / But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.

Lamentations 3:37
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?

Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

1 Corinthians 10:12
So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to me, Say to them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you be smitten before your enemies.

Go not up

Numbers 14:41,42
And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper…

for I am not

Leviticus 26:17
And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Joshua 7:8-13
O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! …

1 Samuel 4:2,10
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men…

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Attack Defeated Enemies Midst Otherwise Overcome Smitten Struck
Deuteronomy 1
1. Moses' speech in the end of the fortieth year
6. briefly rehearsing the history of God's sending them from Horeb
14. of giving them officers
19. of sending the spies to search the land
34. of his anger for their incredulity
41. and disobedience














But the LORD said to me
This phrase emphasizes the direct communication between God and Moses, highlighting the unique role of Moses as a prophet and leader. The Hebrew word for "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, which underscores His faithfulness and authority. This divine instruction is a reminder of the importance of obedience to God's word, as He is the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance.

Tell them
Here, Moses is instructed to convey God's message to the Israelites. This reflects the role of a prophet as a mediator between God and His people. The Hebrew root "amar" (to say or speak) indicates the importance of clear and faithful communication of God's commands. It serves as a reminder that leaders are responsible for delivering God's truth to His people.

Do not go up and fight
This command is a direct prohibition against taking action without divine approval. The phrase "go up" (Hebrew "alah") often implies ascending or moving forward, while "fight" (Hebrew "lacham") involves engaging in battle. Historically, this reflects the Israelites' previous disobedience and lack of faith when they attempted to enter the Promised Land without God's blessing, resulting in failure.

for I am not with you
The presence of God is crucial for success and victory. The Hebrew phrase "lo hayah" (not with you) indicates the absence of divine support. This serves as a sobering reminder that human efforts are futile without God's presence and blessing. It underscores the necessity of aligning one's actions with God's will to ensure His guidance and protection.

to keep you from defeat by your enemies
The phrase "to keep you from defeat" (Hebrew "naphal," meaning to fall or be defeated) highlights the protective role of God in the lives of His people. The mention of "enemies" (Hebrew "oyeb") serves as a reminder of the constant spiritual and physical battles faced by believers. This warning illustrates the consequences of disobedience and the importance of relying on God's strength rather than one's own.

Verse 42. - Moses, by the command of God, warned the people that, if they presumed to go up, they should go without his protection, and so would certainly fall before their enemies.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the LORD
יְהוָ֜ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to me,
אֵלַ֗י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“Tell
אֱמֹ֤ר (’ĕ·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

them
לָהֶם֙ (lā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to go up
תַֽעֲלוּ֙ (ṯa·‘ă·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

and fight,
תִלָּ֣חֲמ֔וּ (ṯil·lā·ḥă·mū)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 3898: To feed on, to consume, to battle

for
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I am not
אֵינֶ֖נִּי (’ê·nen·nî)
Adverb | first person common singular
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

with
בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם (bə·qir·bə·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

you
וְלֹא֙ (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to keep you from
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

defeat
תִּנָּֽגְפ֔וּ (tin·nā·ḡə·p̄ū)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5062: To push, gore, defeat, stub, inflict

by
לִפְנֵ֖י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

your enemies.”
אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃ (’ō·yə·ḇê·ḵem)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 1:42 Yahweh said to me Tell them Don't (Deut. De Du)
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