Judges 20:1-17

Resolve to Punish the Guilty

1 Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at ¹Mizpah.

2 The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 * * foot soldiers ²who drew the sword.

3 (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?"

4 So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.

5 "But the ³men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ⁴ravished my concubine so that she died.

6 "And I ⁵took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance; for ⁶they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

7 "Behold, all you sons of Israel, ⁷give your advice and counsel here."

8 Then all the people arose as one man, saying, "Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house.

9 "But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot.

10 "And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 * to supply food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel."

11 Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.

12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has taken place among you?

13 "Now then, deliver up the men, the ⁸worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and ⁹remove this wickedness from Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

14 The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

15 From the cities on that day the ¹⁰sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 * men who draw the sword, besides * the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 * choice men.

16 Out of all these people 700 * ¹¹choice men were left-handed * *; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 Then the men of Israel besides * Benjamin were numbered, 400,000 * * men who draw the sword; all these were men of war.

Judges 20:1-17 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.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 7:5
• 2. Judges 8:10
• 3. Judges 19:22
• 4. Judges 19:25
• 5. Judges 19:29
• 6. Genesis 34:7; Joshua 7:15
• 7. Judges 19:30
• 8. 2 Corinthians 6:15
• 9. Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 17:12; 1 Corinthians 5:13
• 10. Numbers 1:36, 37; Numbers 2:23; Numbers 26:41
• 11. Judges 3:15; 1 Chronicles 12:2

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "cornerstones"
• [b]. Lit "men"
• [c]. Lit "take"
• [d]. Heb "Geba"
• [e]. Lit "do"
• [f]. Lit "tribes"
• [g]. Lit "sons of Belial"
• [h]. Or "mustered"
• [i]. Or "mustered"
• [j]. Or "mustered"