Judges 20:45

45 Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions.

Judges 20:45 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:45

And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, unto the rock
of Rimmon
Which signifies pomegranate; perhaps it was in the form of one, and may be the same as in ( 1 Samuel 14:2 ) where Saul is said to be under a pomegranate tree, or under Rimmon, the rock Rimmon, for that is said to be near Gibeah, as this was. There was a village in the times of Jerom called Remmon, fifteen miles from Jerusalem to the north F3, but could not be near this rock to have its name from thence; hither the rest of the army fled for shelter:

and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men;
who were scattered one from another, and as they were found in the highways, and picked up, they were slain one after another, just as ears of corn are gleaned one by one, after the harvest is got in, or as grapes in single berries, after the vintage is over:

and pursued hard after them unto Gidom;
which perhaps had its name from the cutting off of the Benjaminites there:

and slew two thousand men of them;
that is, 2000 more besides the 5000 before mentioned.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.

Judges 20:45 In-Context

43 hot on their trail, picking them off east of Gibeah.
44 Eighteen divisions of Benjaminites were wiped out, all their best fighters.
45 Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions.
46 The total of the Benjaminites killed that day came to twenty-five divisions of infantry, their best swordsmen.
47 Six hundred men got away. They made it to Rimmon Rock in the wilderness and held out there for four months.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.