Judges 20:25

25 And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the {Israelites} again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these [were] {sword-wielding}.

Judges 20:25 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:25

And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second
day
Flushed with the victory they had obtained the day before:

and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again
eighteen thousand men, all these drew the sword,
were armed men; this, with the 22,000 slain the day preceding, made 40,000; the same number singled out from among them by lot to provide food for them, and is thought by some to be the case Deborah refers to, ( Judges 5:8 ) and is what is certainly intended in ( Hosea 10:9 ) .

Judges 20:25 In-Context

23 The {Israelites} went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendants of Benjamin, our relatives?" And Yahweh said, "Go up against them."

24 And the {Israelites} drew near to the descendants of Benjamin on the second day.

25 And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the {Israelites} again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these [were] {sword-wielding}.

26 And all the {Israelites} and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh.

27 And the {Israelites} inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God [was] there,

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "sons/children of Israel"
• [b]. Literally "drawers of sword"