Judges 20:8

Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The assembled Israelite tribes respond to the elders' request for a verdict in Judges 20:7. They declare a unified commitment to remain engaged in the assembly rather than disperse to their homes.

The words — The phrase כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד (ke-'ish echad) literally renders "like one man," emphasizing the collective unity of the people. The verb נֵלֵךְ (nelekh) means "we will go," paired with לֹא (lo') to form the absolute refusal "not one of us will go."

The thread — This mobilization echoes the initial gathering in Judges 20:1, where the congregation assembled from Dan to Beersheba. The resolve to act without delay parallels the exhortation in Ecclesiastes 9:10 to do whatever work is found with all one's might.

Why it lands — The text demands immediate, undivided commitment to the communal task at hand. It requires readers to recognize that decisive action requires refusing the comfort of private retreat.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיָּ֙קָם֙va/i.Ya.komand/ it arose כָּל־kol-all הָעָ֔םha./'Amthe/ people כְּאִ֥ישׁke./'Ishlike/ a man אֶחָ֖ד'e.Chadone לֵאמֹ֑רle./Mor<to>/ saying לֹ֤אlo'not נֵלֵךְ֙ne.leKhwe will go אִ֣ישׁ'ishanyone לְאָהֳל֔וֹle./'o.ho.L/oto/ tent/ his וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not נָס֖וּרna.Surwe will depart אִ֥ישׁ'ishanyone לְבֵיתֽוֹ׃le./vei.T/oto/ house/ his

King James Version

And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Judges 20:1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Judges 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.
Judges 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
Judges 21:5 The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.