Judges 20:22 Meaning: When Our Own Courage Isn't Enough
The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.
And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.
And the people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place where they arranged themselves on the first day.
And the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and set the battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
Meaning in one sentence
Why Israel encouraged themselves after defeat and what their self-strengthening reveals about trusting God.
Context
After suffering a devastating loss at the hands of a much smaller army, the men of Israel could have retreated in despair. They had done what seemed right: they had asked God who should lead the attack, received His answer, and marched out. Yet twenty-two thousand of their soldiers lay dead. The next scene shows them doing something striking: they encouraged themselves and set the battle lines again in the exact same place. Only then, according to the text as it stands, did they go up to Bethel to weep before the Lord and seek His counsel again. Some scholars believe the verses are out of order and that their weeping came before their renewed courage. Either way, the verse captures a moment of determined resolve, raw, human, and perhaps lacking the one thing they needed most.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb behind "encouraged themselves" is chazaq, and here it takes a reflexive form, literally "they strengthened themselves." The same verb appears later in Scripture when David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. But here no such object is mentioned. They made themselves strong. The next verb, "set again in array," uses yasaph, meaning to add or repeat. They did the same thing over. And the location? The place where they arranged themselves on the first day, the same spot, the same formation, the same approach. The word for "encouraged" can also mean to harden or be severe, used elsewhere of hearts that grow stubborn. While not the same context, the nuance lingers: self-encouragement without dependence on God can slide into presumption. The repetition underscores how little had changed in their posture. It would take a night of weeping and fasting before they were ready to hear God speak victory.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers have drawn different lessons from this verse. Some, like Keil and Delitzsch, see the Israelites acting out of "pure vainglory," trying to erase the disgrace of defeat by their own strength. Others, like Matthew Poole, commend them for not being superstitious about the battlefield, they stood their ground and trusted their just cause. The placement of verse 22 also raises questions: if their weeping before God in verse 23 happened first, then their courage was a response to God's renewed promise; if it came after, their self-strengthening was a sign of pride before they humbled themselves. Both readings remind us that courage, while admirable, can be either a gift of grace or a product of self-reliance.
A common misunderstanding
Some assume that "encouraged themselves" refers to a godly determination, perhaps prayer or reading Scripture. But the Hebrew verb has no object; they simply strengthened themselves. The following verses show that only after weeping and seeking God did they receive His guidance. In fact, the same reflexive verb is used in the Old Testament for hearts that harden themselves against God. This verse is not a model of Christian perseverance but a caution: we can be very brave and very wrong at the same time.
Living This Out
Think of a situation where you felt you followed God but still failed. Maybe a relationship, a job, a ministry. The natural instinct is to try again with more determination, same approach, same place. This verse asks you a gentle question: before you set the battle lines again, have you wept before the Lord? Have you asked not just "what should I do?" but "why did this happen?" Sometimes the defeat is not an obstacle to overcome but a signal to stop and seek His face. This week, if you are facing a setback, let courage wait on humility. The same spot might be where God wants you to stand, but only after you have stood before Him.
Main takeaway: Our self-encouragement cannot substitute for humble dependence on God when facing setbacks.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The soldiers lost the fight. They told each other to be brave. They got ready to fight again, but they didn't ask God what He wanted first.
For ages 9, 12
When the Israelites went back to the same battlefield with the same plan, they were brave but not wise. They had forgotten to ask God why they lost. Sometimes we do that too: when something goes wrong, we just try harder instead of stopping to pray and listen. True courage begins with asking God for His help.
Questions People Ask
Why did the Israelites lose the first battle if God told them to go?
God had commanded Judah to lead the attack, but He did not promise victory. The defeat may have been a judgment on Israel's spiritual condition or a way to humble them before the final victory. The text does not explain directly, but the pattern in Judges shows that God often allowed defeat to bring His people to repentance.
Did the Israelites ask God before the second battle?
According to the order of verses in most Bibles, they encouraged themselves and set the battle lines again before going to weep and ask counsel at Bethel in verse 23. This suggests they acted without seeking God's fresh direction. Some scholars believe verses 22 and 23 should be reversed, meaning they wept and asked first.
What does 'encouraged themselves' mean in Hebrew?
The Hebrew verb is chazaq in a reflexive form. It means 'they strengthened themselves' or 'they made themselves strong.' The same verb is used for David strengthening himself in the Lord, but here no source of strength is mentioned, the strength comes from within.
Why did they set the battle in the same place?
By returning to the same location, they showed they were not superstitious about the field of battle. But it also suggests they did not change their strategy or seek a new direction from God. It was the same plan, same place, same approach.
What was the outcome of the second battle?
They lost again, this time 18,000 men, as recorded in verse 25. Only after weeping, fasting, and offering sacrifices at Bethel in verse 26 did God promise victory, which came in the third battle.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study