Judges 20:1-6

Israel’s War with the Tribe of Benjamin

1 Then ¹all the people of Israel came out, ²from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at ³Mizpah.

2 And the ⁴chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot ⁵that drew the sword.

3 (Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. ) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen? ”

4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, ⁶“I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

5 ⁷And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.

6 ⁸So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and ⁹outrage in Israel.

Judges 20:1-6 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. 20:1 ch. 21:5; [Josh. 22:12; 1 Sam. 11:7]
• 2. 20:1 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 3:10; 24:2
• 3. 20:1 [1 Sam. 7:5; 10:17]
• 4. 20:2 1 Sam. 14:38
• 5. 20:2 ver. 15, 17, 25, 35, 46; See ch. 8:10
• 6. 20:4 ch. 19:15
• 7. 20:5 ch. 19:22, 25, 26
• 8. 20:6 ch. 19:29
• 9. 20:6 See ch. 19:23