Deuteronomy Chapter 20 verse 2 Holy Bible
And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
read chapter 20 in ASV
And when you are on the point of attacking, let the priest come forward and say to the people,
read chapter 20 in BBE
And it shall be, when ye approach unto the battle, that the priest shall draw near and speak unto the people,
read chapter 20 in DARBY
And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
read chapter 20 in KJV
And it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
read chapter 20 in WBT
It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
read chapter 20 in WEB
and it hath been, in your drawing near unto the battle, that the priest hath come nigh, and spoken unto the people,
read chapter 20 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 2. - The priest. Not the high priest or any one of the priests, but the military priest, the priest appointed to accompany the army, "the anointed for the war;" משׁיח המלחמה, as the rabbins designate him (cf. Numbers 21:6; 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Chronicles 13:12). His business was to exhort the people, and to encourage them by reminding them that the Lord was their Leader, and would help them in the conflict. The formula of his exhortation is given in vers. 3, 4.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(2) The priest.--There is no mention of the Levite here. The priest is named as a distinct personage. The words which the priest are to pronounce are, as it were, the blessing of Jehovah on the campaign. It follows that Israel could not lawfully go to war except when the blessing of Jehovah might be invoked.
