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Judges 20:34-44

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34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; 1but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them.
35 And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 * * * men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword.
36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. 2When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah,
37 3the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
38 Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was 4that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.
39 Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill * about thirty men of Israel, 5for they said, "Surely * they are defeated before us, as in the first battle."
40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked 6behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven.
41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that 7disaster was close to them.
42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel 8toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.
43 9They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east *.
44 Thus 18,000 * * men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors.
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Judges 20:34-44 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 20

This chapter relates, how that there was an assembly of the children of Israel at Mizpeh, upon what had happened to the concubine of the Levite, where he appeared and related the whole affair to them, Jud 20:1-7 upon which they unanimously agreed to chastise the inhabitants of Gibeah for what they had done, Jud 20:8-11, and in order to do that sent to the tribe of Benjamin to deliver the guilty, but instead of that they took to their arms, and prepared for battle in defence of them, Jud 20:12-17 and two battles ensued on this, in which the Israelites, who were on the right side of the question, were worsted, Jud 20:18-25 but upon their seeking the Lord again, and their humiliation before him, they engaged a third time in battle, and got an entire victory over the Benjaminites, and destroyed them all excepting six hundred men, Jud 20:26-48.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 9

  • 1. Joshua 8:14; Job 21:13
  • 2. Joshua 8:15
  • 3. Joshua 8:19
  • 4. Joshua 8:20
  • 5. Judges 20:32
  • 6. Joshua 8:20
  • 7. Proverbs 5:22; Proverbs 11:5, 6; Proverbs 29:6
  • 8. Joshua 8:15, 24
  • 9. Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9

Footnotes 12

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.