John Gill's Exposition on Deuteronomy 20:4

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, etc.] To battle, and therefore they had no reason to fear and be dismayed, to be fainthearted, terrified, and tremble: fear not, I am with thee, etc.] (<234110>Isaiah 41:10), this, according to the Misnah f239, respects the ark, and so Jarchi, which was a symbol of the divine Presence, and went with them to battle; (see <060604>Joshua 6:4 <090403>1 Samuel 4:3-5) to fight for you against your enemies, to save you; to annoy and destroy the one, and to protect and save the other; thus far the anointed priest addressed the people in an oration to this purpose: the account Maimonides gives of it is, that “when they have set their ranks, and are near to a battle, the anointed of war stands on an high place, and all the ranks before him, and says to them in the holy tongue, “hear, O Israel”, etc. unto to save you; and then another priest under him causes it to be heard by all the people with an high voice f240;” he repeated what the anointed of war had said, and expressed it with a loud voice, that all might hear.

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