Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 20:3
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
3. fear not, etc.] neither the standing phrase of Pl. nor that of Sg.: see on Deu 1:29.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Faint, Heb. be soft or tender. Softness or tenderness of heart towards God is commended, 2Ki 22:19, but towards enemies it is condemned, here and Deu 20:8; Lev 26:36; 2Ch 13:7; Isa 7:4.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And shall say unto them, hear, O Israel,…. Exciting their attention to what he was about to say, and which, as Jarchi observes, was spoken in the holy tongue, or in the Hebrew language:
you approach this day unto battle against your enemies; were marching or ready to march, preparing to engage with them, and a battle seemed near at hand:
let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; many words are made use of to animate them against those fears which the strength, number, and appearance of their enemies, would be apt to cause in them. Jarchi observes, that here are four exhortations, answerable to four things which the kings of the nations do (in order to inject terror into their enemies); they shake their shields, to clash them one against another, that hearing their noise they may be afraid of them and flee; they prance their horses, and make them neigh, to cause the noise of the hoofs of their horses to be heard; they shout with their voices, and blow with their trumpets: and accordingly these several clauses are so interpreted in the Misnah e
“”and let not your hearts faint”; at the neighing of the horses, and the brightness of swords: “fear not”; at the clashing of shields: “and do not tremble”; at the sound of trumpets: “neither be ye terrified” at the voice of shouting;”
and no doubt but it takes in everything that has a tendency to cause fear, faintness, and dismay, which they are cautioned against.
e Misn. Sotah, c. 8. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Let not your hearts faint, fear not.In these words Isaiah strengthened Ahaz (Deu. 7:4): fear not, neither be faint-hearted.
Tremble.As in the Margin, make haste. (Comp. 2Sa. 4:4, and 2Ki. 7:15.)
Be ye terrified.A strong word. The idea is, do not even be unnerved, much less alarmed, at the sight of them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
Ver. 4. For the Lord your God is he. ] Quid metuit homo in sinu Dei positus, Deo armatus? Creatures of an inferior nature will be courageous in the presence of their masters: and shall not men, when they have God with them? Xerxes was wont to pitch his tent on high, and stand looking on his army when in fight, to encourage them. So God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
faint. This and the following three words = Figure of speech Synonymia. App-6. tremble = be excited. (Hebrew = make haste.)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
let not: Psa 27:1-3, Isa 35:3, Isa 35:4, Isa 41:10-14, Mat 10:16, Mat 10:28, Mat 10:31, Eph 6:11-18, 1Th 5:15, Heb 12:12, Heb 12:13, Rev 2:10
faint: Heb. be tender
tremble: Heb. make haste, Isa 28:16
be ye terrified: Psa 3:6, Isa 8:12, Isa 8:13, Isa 57:7, Isa 57:8, Mat 8:26, Mar 16:6, Mar 16:18, Act 18:9, Act 18:10, Act 27:24, 1Ti 6:12, Heb 13:6
Reciprocal: Exo 14:13 – Fear ye not Num 14:9 – neither Num 21:34 – Fear him Deu 3:2 – Fear Deu 31:6 – fear not 1Sa 7:10 – discomfited 2Ki 19:6 – Be not afraid Neh 4:14 – General Psa 108:11 – go forth Isa 7:4 – neither be fainthearted Eph 3:13 – ye Eph 6:10 – be Heb 12:3 – lest