Judges 20:15

15 From the cities the descendants of Benjamin were counted on that day twenty-six thousand {sword-wielding men}, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred well-trained men.

Judges 20:15 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:15

And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of
the cities
All that they could muster up, and gather together out of their several cities, were no more man than

twenty and six thousand men that drew the sword
able bodied men fit for war, and expert in it:

beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred
chosen men
young, stout, and strong, and in all but 26,700; and what are these to an army of 400,000 men, or however 360,000 that came up against Gibeah, while 40,000 were employed in getting provisions for them? Josephus ^F7 makes the number of the Benjaminites still less, no more than 25,600, led thereunto by an later account, that 25,000 Benjaminites were slain in the third and last battle, and only six hundred escaped to a rock for safety, not considering that 1000 men may well be supposed to be lost in the two first battles; for it would be strange indeed that they should lose none in two engagement with so large an army; the same error is committed in the Vulgate Latin version, which makes them no more than 25,000; with which agrees the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint version: though that, according to the Vatican exemplar, has but 23,000. The numbers in the Hebrew text are no doubt the right.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10.

Judges 20:15 In-Context

13 So then, hand over the men, {the perverse lot}, who [are] in Gibeah, so that we may kill them and purge [this] wickedness from Israel." But the descendants of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their relatives, the {Israelites}.

14 And the descendants of Benjamin were gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out for battle against the {Israelites}.

15 From the cities the descendants of Benjamin were counted on that day twenty-six thousand {sword-wielding men}, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred well-trained men.

16 From all these troops [were] seven hundred well-trained men {who were left-handed}; each one could sling with a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 And the men of Israel besides Benjamin were counted four hundred thousand {sword-wielding men}; {all were warriors}.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "sons/children"
• [b]. Literally "men drawing sword"
• [c]. Or "chosen"