Judges 20:15

15 And twenty-six thousand were found of Benjamin, of men drawing out sword, besides the dwellers of Gibeah, which were seven hundred strongest men, (And there were twenty-six thousand Benjaminites, men drawing out the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were seven hundred of the strongest men,)

Judges 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.

Judges 20:15 In-Context

13 Betake ye the men of Gibeah, that did this wickedness, that they die, and evil be done away from Israel. Which would not hear the commandment of their brethren, the sons of Israel, (Deliver ye unto us the men of Gibeah, who did this wickedness, so that they can die, and that this evil be done away from Israel. But they would not listen to the command of their kinsmen, the Israelites,)

14 but men of all the cities, that were of the part of Benjamin, came together into Gibeah, to help them, and to fight against all the people of Israel.

15 And twenty-six thousand were found of Benjamin, of men drawing out sword, besides the dwellers of Gibeah, which were seven hundred strongest men, (And there were twenty-six thousand Benjaminites, men drawing out the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were seven hundred of the strongest men,)

16 fighting so with the left hand as with the right hand, and casting so stones with slings at a certain thing, that they might smite also an hair, and the stroke of the stone should not be borne [away] into the tother part. (fighting with their left hand like with their right hand, and throwing stones with slings with such certainty, that they could strike a hair, and yet the stroke of the stone would never be borne aside into some other place.)

17 Also of the men of Israel, without the sons of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand drawing out sword, and ready to battle. (And the Israelites, without the Benjaminites, were four hundred thousand men drawing out swords, and ready for battle.)