Judges 20:15

15 And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that day, twenty-three thousand, man drawing a sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the people, able to use both hands alike;

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.


FOOTNOTES:

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

Judges 20:15 In-Context

13 Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa, and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the children of Benjamin consented not to hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.
14 And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel.
15 And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that day, twenty-three thousand, man drawing a sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the people, able to use both hands alike;
16 All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.
17 And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these men of war.

Footnotes 1

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.