Judges 20

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.

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

18 Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and ¹²inquired of God and said, "Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?" Then the LORD said, "Judah shall go up first."

19 So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

20 The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah.

21 Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and ¹³felled to the ground on that day 22,000 * * men of Israel.

22 But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where * they had arrayed themselves the first day.

23 ¹⁴The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and ¹⁵inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."

24 Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

25 Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 * * men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.

26 Then ¹⁶all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

27 The sons of Israel ¹⁷inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron's son, stood before it to minister in those days ), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, ¹⁸for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

29 ¹⁹So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

30 The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times.

31 ²⁰The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 The sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways."

33 Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; ²¹and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba *.

34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; ²²but 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. ²³When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah,

37 ²⁴the 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 ²⁵that 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, ²⁶for 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 ²⁷behind 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 ²⁸disaster was close to them.

42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel ²⁹toward 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 ³⁰They 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.

45 The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of ³¹Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 * of them on the highways and overtook them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them.

46 So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 * * men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors.

47 But 600 * men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

48 The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.

Judges 20 Commentary

Chapter 20

The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated.

- The Israelites' abhorrence of the crime committed at Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.

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
• 12. Numbers 27:21; Judges 20:23, 27
• 13. Judges 20:25
• 14. Joshua 7:6, 7
• 15. Judges 20:18
• 16. Judges 20:23; Judges 21:2
• 17. Judges 20:18
• 18. Judges 7:9
• 19. Joshua 8:4
• 20. Joshua 8:16
• 21. Joshua 8:19
• 22. Joshua 8:14; Job 21:13
• 23. Joshua 8:15
• 24. Joshua 8:19
• 25. Joshua 8:20
• 26. Judges 20:32
• 27. Joshua 8:20
• 28. Proverbs 5:22; Proverbs 11:5, 6; Proverbs 29:6
• 29. Joshua 8:15, 24
• 30. Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9
• 31. Judges 21:13

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"
• [k]. Lit "destroyed"
• [l]. Lit "approached"
• [m]. Lit "to meet"
• [n]. Lit "destroyed"
• [o]. Lit "to meet"
• [p]. Lit "slain ones"
• [q]. Lit "heavy"
• [r]. Lit "they"
• [s]. Lit "evil"
• [t]. Lit "touching"
• [u]. Lit "these"
• [v]. Lit "smitten"
• [w]. Lit "place"
• [x]. Lit "slain ones"
• [y]. Lit "smitten"
• [z]. Lit "evil"
• [aa]. Lit "touching"
• [ab]. Lit "sunrise"
• [ac]. So with Gr; Heb "And they"
• [ad]. Lit "gleaned"
• [ae]. Lit "as far as"
• [af]. Lit "smote"

Chapter Summary

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.