Shofetim 20:15

15 And the Bnei Binyamin mustered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men armed with cherev, beside the inhabitants of Giv’ah, which mustered seven hundred ish bachur (chosen men).

Shofetim 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.

Shofetim 20:15 In-Context

13 Now therefore deliver us the anashim, the Bnei Beliyaal, which are in Giv’ah, that we may put them to death, and purge ra’ah from Yisroel. But the Bnei Binyamin would not pay heed to the voice of their achim the Bnei Yisroel.

14 But the Bnei Binyamin gathered themselves together out of the towns unto Giv’ah, to go out for milchamah against the Bnei Yisroel.

15 And the Bnei Binyamin mustered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men armed with cherev, beside the inhabitants of Giv’ah, which mustered seven hundred ish bachur (chosen men).

16 Among all this people there were seven hundred ish bachur every one could sling stones at the se’ar (the hair), and not miss.

17 And the ish Yisroel, apart from Binyamin, mustered 400,000 men armed with cherev; all these were ish milchamah.