Judges 20 Commentary

 

 

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Judges 20:1 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 Mizpah.

Then all (KJV): Jud 20:2,8,11 21:5 De 13:12-18 Jos 22:12
as one man (KJV): 1Sa 11:7,8 2Sa 19:14 Ezr 3:1 Ne 8:1
from Dan (KJV): Jud 18:29 1Sa 3:20 2Sa 3:10 24:2 1Ch 21:2 2Ch 30:5
with the (KJV): Nu 32:1,40 Jos 17:1 2Sa 2:9
unto the (KJV): Jud 20:18,26 11:11
in Mizpeh (KJV): Jud 10:17 11:11 Jos 15:38 18:26 1Sa 7:5,6 10:17 2Ki 25:23 It does not appear that the Israelites on this occasion, were summoned by the authority of any one common head, but they came together by the consent and agreement, as it were, of one common heart, fired with a holy zeal for the honour of God and Israel. The place of their meeting was Mizpeh; they gathered together unto the Lord there; for Mizpeh was so very near to Shiloh, that their encampment might very well be supposed to reach from Mizpeh to Shiloh. Shiloh was a small town, and therefore, when there was a general meeting of the people to present themselves before God, they chose Mizpeh for their head quarters, which was the next adjoining city of note; perhaps, because they were not willing to give that trouble to Shiloh, which so great an assembly would occasion; it being the residence of the priests that attended the tabernacle.

THEN ALL THE SONS OF ISRAEL (except Jabesh Gilead; 21:8-9): Not quite all...one important tribe appears to be missing -- the Benjamites were aware of the army being assembled at Mizpah, they had chosen to boycott the conference.

The chapter is a good illustration of [James 3:13-18]. When we operate on the basis of human wisdom, we create one problem after another, but when we pause to pray and seek the mind of the Lord, He shows us what to do.  God’s people today need to deal with sin in their lives (2Co7:1) and in the church family (1Co5). Unconfessed sin is like uncontrolled disease: it spreads and it kills.

Charles Spurgeon said,

“Sin is the mother and nurse of all evil, the egg of all mischief, the fountain of all bitterness, the root of misery.”

FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA (‘well of the seven’) (1Sa 3:20; 2Sa 3:10; 24:2; 1Ch 21:2; 2Ch 30:5):

Beersheba was 48 miles S of Jerusalem, midway between the coast and the Dead Sea. From the northern tip to southern extremity of Israel (from the perspective of the author who wrote after Dan moved north). ‘from the far north to the far south’ (click the map above to see Dan and Beersheba).

AND THE CONGREGATION ASSEMBLED AS ONE MAN:


TO (Hebrew preposition el denotes motion toward, mental or physical) THE LORD AT MIZPAH: Mizpah (‘watchtower’) was 8 miles N of Jerusalem (Jos18:26; 1Sa7:5). Samuel gathered the tribes there to intercede for the them (1Sa7:5ff; cp 1Sa10:17). It is not the Mizpah in Gilead of [10:17]

What does "to" or "toward" the LORD mean? Not sure. But they were not at Shiloh or even at Bethel (where apparently the Ark was in those days for reasons that are unclear [20:27]) and there is no record of prayer or what the LORD God would have Israel do. Nevertheless the NIV Study Bible has an interesting note :

"Having first inquired of God for divine direction, they marched against Gibeah and the Benjamites as the disciplinary arm of the Lord ( Jos22:11-34), following him as their King."

Predictably, since they did not inquire of what God would have them do, the nation reacted from their fleshly instinct with burning indignation (v30). After all they must have reasoned the Israelites had been guilty of numerous sins since the Exodus, but never of anything so repulsive as this. They needed to appraise the situation and then plan a course of action. As in the case of Saul's appeal in [1Sa11:7], the nation "came out as one man" (20:1). They came even from the distant borders of Israel, including many from Gilead in Transjordan.

 

Judges 20:2 And 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 who drew the sword.

drew sword (KJV): Jud 20:15,17 8:10 2Sa 24:9 2Ki 3:26

 CHIEFS (Hebrew "corner, cornerstone") OF ALL THE PEOPLE: Israel was "the people of God", though the actions of Benjamin belied that title. The leaders bore the solemn responsibility of meting out the proper punishment for the crime, and a large army supported them.

 

Judges 20:3 (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?"

the children of Benjamin (KJV): Pr 22:3 Mt 5:25 Lu 12:58,59 14:31,32
how was (KJV): Jud 19:22-27

X

 

Judges 20:4 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.

the Levite (KJV): Heb. the man the Levite
I came (KJV): Jud 19:15-28

SO THE LEVITE, THE HUSBAND OF THE WOMAN WHO WAS MURDERED ANSWERED AND SAID: note "I" and "me" repetitively...a self-serving speech that presented his case in the best possible light.

I CAME WITH MY CONCUBINE TO SPEND THE NIGHT AT GIBEAH WHICH BELONGS TO BENJAMIN: so far he is telling the truth. But if the "people of God" had God as their King and had not been doing what is right in their own eyes, they would have confronted the sin of this Levite who was to be HOLY to the LORD, wholly His (Nu8:16) and was to have nothing to do with a harlot (his concubine had committed harlotry although the Levite does not appear to have related these truths).

 

Judges 20:5 "But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died.

And the men (KJV): Jud 19:22
beset (KJV): Ge 19:4-8
and my concubine (KJV): Jud 19:25,26
forced (KJV): Heb. humbled, De 22:24 Eze 22:10,11

BUT THE MEN OF GIBEAH ROSE UP AGAINST ME AND SURROUNDED THE HOUSE AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF ME THEY INTENDED TO KILL ME: This is not exactly what they intended to do...they intended to rape him homosexually.

INSTEAD, THEY RAVISHED MY CONCUBINE SO THAT SHE DIED: The Levite leaves out the detail that it was he who grasped (Lxx uses verb that pictures seizing her himself, so he is hardly innocent in this rape/murder...his hands were stained with her blood & the ground cries out for ) his concubine and "volunteered" her to the worthless men, instead of defending her life.

 

Judges 20:6 "And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

cut her (KJV): Jud 19:29
folly in Israel (KJV): Jud 20:10 19:23 Ge 34:7 Jos 7:15 2Sa 13:12,13

LEWD AND DISGRACEFUL ACT IN ISRAEL: “Lewd” is zimma, used often of sexual perversions worthy of death (cf. Lv18:17; 19:29).

“Disgraceful” is nebala, a strong term for active moral rebellion against the divine standards, as in rape (2Sa13:14), homosexual acts (Jud19:23,24) and general promiscuity (Deut. 22:21). While the Levite was mute about his own role in the affair, the acts of the Gibeahites merited death under OT Law (cf. Jud20:13).

 

Judges 20:7 "Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here."

ye are all (KJV): Ex 19:5,6 De 4:6 14:1,2 1Co 5:1,6,10-12
give here (KJV): Jud 19:30 Jos 9:14 Pr 20:18 24:6 Jas 1:5

BEHOLD, ALL YOU SONS OF ISRAEL, GIVE YOUR ADVICE AND COUNSEL (19:30 ) HERE: what they did not do but should have done is ask God first. Now what is interesting is that we have no record of any other witnesses of this horrid act. God had said they were to have 2 or more witnesses. The Hebrew in Jdg20:3 is plural in the verb "tell us" implying there may have been more than one witness.

It may well have been that drastic action was called for, but what would become of Israel when its assembly could be convened and manipulated by a person of such dubious morals as this Levite? That is the serious question posed by this second episode.

 

Judges 20:8 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.

as one man (KJV): Jud 20:1,11
We will not (KJV): Jud 21:1,5 Pr 21:3 Ec 9:10

THEN ALL THE PEOPLE AROSE AS ONE MAN (20:1): Keep in mind that this event took place early in the period of the Judges, at a time when the nation wasn’t under foreign oppression. Though they had no central government, the tribes were still united and able to muster troops and wage war together.

SAYING NOT ONE OF US WILL GO TO HIS TENT (cp 21:1) NOR WILL ANY OF US RETURN TO HIS HOUSE: this tantamount to declaring a "vow" even though it is not expressly stated as such. The Israelites took an oath to see this through to the end.

 

Judges 20:9 "But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot.

by lot against it (KJV): Jos 14:2 1Sa 14:41,42 1Ch 24:5 Ne 11:1 Pr 16:33 Jon 1:7 Ac 1:26

Objects were cast on the ground or drawn from a container as a means of seeking guidance from God (cf. Jos18:6; Pr 16:33).

 

Judges 20:10 "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."

ten thousand (KJV): or, myriad, Ge 24:60

X

 

Judges 20:11 Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.

THUS ALL THE MEN OF ISRAEL WERE GATHERED AGAINST THE CITY, UNITED (KJV "knit together") AS ONE MAN: 3rd time expression "as one man" (cf. v1, 8). The Israelites were knit together as a unit, in marked contrast to the days of Deborah and Barak (5:15-17) which also supports this event in Jdg20-21 occurring very early after Joshua & the elders died. When godly leaders die the leaven of sin spreads like wildfire inflaming the lusts of men's unredeemed, unregenerate flesh nature! (cp 1Co10:13).

 

Judges 20:12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has taken place among you?

sent men (KJV): De 13:14 20:10 Jos 22:13-16 Mt 18:15-18 Ro 12:18

X

 

Judges 20:13 "Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

deliver (KJV): 2Sa 20:21,22
children of Belial (KJV): Jud 19:22 De 13:13 1Sa 30:22 2Sa 20:1 23:6 1Ki 21:13 2Ch 13:7
put away (KJV): De 17:7,12 19:19 21:21 22:21,24 24:7 Ec 11:10
would not (KJV): 1Sa 2:25 2Ch 25:16,20 Pr 29:1 Ho 9:9 10:9 Ro 1:32 Rev 18:4,5 The conduct of the Israelites was very equitable in this demand; but perhaps the rulers or elders of Gibeah ought previously to have been applied to, to deliver up the criminals to justice. However, the refusal of the Benjamites, and their protection of those who had committed this horrible wickedness, because they were of their own tribe, prove them to have been deeply corrupted, and (all their advantages considered) as ripe for divine vengeance as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had been. Confiding in their own valour and military skill, they seen to have first prepared for battle in this unequal contest with such superior numbers.

NOW THEN, DELIVER UP THE MEN, THE WORTHLESS FELLOWS (same phrase "sons of belial, Jdg19:22) IN GIBEAH (Ho9:9, 10:9) : Even though they had failed to consult God & were doing what was right in their own eyes, at this time they only wanted those directly guilty of the crime. The sin of the men of Gibeah called for the death penalty, and Israel had to punish the sin which would purge out the evil influence and would cause others to fear committing similar abomination

REMOVE THIS WICKEDNESS FROM ISRAEL: Note this same Hebrew combination (ba'ar ra') "remove or purge the evil" is found at least 9x in Deut. Sadly the Israelites did not see the evil that pervaded their own community and this "sin in their camp" (toleration of the sin of the Levite) may have been the cause of their powerless the first 2 battles.

BUT THE SONS OF BENJAMIN WOULD NOT LISTEN (hearken) TO THE VOICE OF THEIR BROTHERS THE SONS OF ISRAEL: Like many today (even in the church), the Benjaminites were unable to accept reproof. And so they would have to learn the disastrous hard way. (Pr 29:1, 6:15). Their refusal to cooperate was definitely an act of rebellion against the Lord. By coming to the aid of Gibeah rather than joining in the punishment of that city the tribe identified with the wicked men and merited their punishment. When sin isn’t exposed, confessed, and punished, it pollutes society and defiles the land. The wicked men of Gibeah were like a cancerous tumor in the body that had to be cut out. (1Co5:6, 15:33)

***************************
Judges 20:13
F B Meyer
Our Daily Homily

And put away evil from Israel.

The earnestness and promptness with which Israel dealt with and put away this evil thing were very commendable. They had gathered from all the land, even from Gilead beyond the Jordan. They were knit together in a perfect unity of feeling and action. They resolved to subordinate all things beside to the excision of this evil.

So must it be in the Church. The Lord Himself took Ananias and Sapphira out of the infant Church, and the Apostle very earnestly besought and commanded the Corinthians to put away from among them the wicked person, who had committed a sin that would not be named among the Gentiles. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8).

At the close of this age God will send forth his angels, to sever the wicked from among the just, and to cast them into the furnace of fire.

In our own life it is impossible altogether to avoid contact with such people. Indeed, to do so, as the Apostle says truly, we must go out of the world. But we can abstain from their friendship and company. It is an altogether different thing to have dealings with a worldly man in business, and to admit him into bosom fellowship and comradeship in our leisure hours. The first is permissible, but not the second; else our companions will seduce us from our loyalty to God. Beware of taking on the color of the ground on which you lie. “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
 

 

Judges 20:14 And the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

Nu 20:20 21:23 2Ch 13:13 Job 15:25,26

AND THE SONS OF BENJAMIN GATHERED FROM THE CITIES TO GIBEAH (Ho9:9, 10:9) TO GO OUT TO BATTLE AGAINST THE SONS OF ISRAEL: What had begun as a punitive operation against one city now turned into full-scale civil war. Later the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were to engage in bitter fighting (12:4-6), but here the eleven tribes were all pitted against Benjamin. The men of Benjamin had a good reputation as excellent soldiers, true to the prediction of Jacob in [Ge49:27]. Their prowess with the bow and the sling was well known, and even in the time of Saul some Benjamites could use the sling with either hand (1Ch8:40; 12:2). Their superior skill was expected to offset the numerical advantage of the other tribes. 

Preacher's Commentary writes that...

There is not the slightest doubt as to the action the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin should have taken when they were confronted with the moral responsibility of the crime they allowed the citizens of Gibeah to perpetrate. Either they should have punished the offenders themselves or handed them over to the nation’s representatives, as demanded in verse 13. But they refused to do this, although the guilt of the men of Gibeah was proved beyond question. Instead, they chose to regard the accusation as a personal attack on the tribe and began to mobilize an army of twenty-six thousand men to defend the guilty. By way of application, we need to remember that there is no clearer indication of moral sickness than when wrongdoing is condoned or even defended on the grounds of family or national solidarity and loyalty...In our society...Sins are laundered verbally to make them acceptable, or at least tolerated, to art increasingly undisciplined populace. Adultery is redefined as “wife swapping” or “having an affair.” Homosexuality becomes “a gay lifestyle.” Theft at work is acceptable if it is “the perks of the job.” Lies are always “white,” the truth always “selective.” Greed is sanitized as “upward social mobility.” The examples are endless. The purpose is always the same—to remove my sense of moral guilt, and so to pretend that if something sounds OK and people feel comfortable with it, that’s all that matters. Whether it is in the TV ads or in the newspapers, the circumstances are glamorized and visual images of social acceptability, fun, wealth, and vitality are all used to anaesthetize the conscience, to pretend that “anything goes.”
This was the situation in Israel; but the lesson, then and now, is that a society that refuses to accept guilt, in the sense of distinguishing right from wrong and punishing the offender, will soon prove impossible to govern. Everyone will do what is right in his or her own eyes, and there will be no ultimate restraints. Might becomes right, and civilization ceases...The tragedy of Israel was that these symptoms were not dealt with when they first appeared, because there was no king. Those of us who are entrusted with authority within the biblical structures of home, church, or nation, have a heavy responsibility before God to use it responsibly in love to Him and to our neighbor." (Jackman, D., & Ogilvie, L. J.  Vol. 7: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Judges, Ruth. Page 285. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson)

 

Judges 20:15 And from the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 choice men.

twenty (KJV): Jud 20:25,35,46,47 Nu 26:41

 

 

Judges 20:16 Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

lefthanded (KJV): {Itter yad yemeeno,} "obstructed in his right hand;" so the Chaldee Targum, {gemid beedaih deyammeena,} contracted or impeded in his right hand." Lev Clerc observes, that the 700 men left-handed seem therefore to have been made slingers, because they could not use the right hand, which is employed in managing heavier arms; and they could discharge the stones from the sling in a direction against which their opponents were not upon their guard, and thus do the greater execution. Jud 3:15 1Ch 12:2
sling stones (KJV): The sling was a very ancient warlike instrument; and, in the hands of those who were skilled in the use of it, produced astonishing effects. The inhabitants of the islands of Baleares, now Majorca and Minorca, were the most celebrated slingers of antiquity. They did not permit their children to break their fast, till they had struck down the bread they had to eat from the top of a pole, or some distant eminence. Vegetius tells us, that slingers could in general hit the mark at 600 feet distance. 1Sa 17:40,49,50 25:29 2Ch 26:14

700 CHOICE MEN WERE LEFT-HANDED  "obstructed in his right hand"

EACH ONE COULD SLING A STONE AT A HAIR (KJV ~ "at an hair breadth") AND NOT MISS: They formed an important component in the armies of Jehoram (2Ki3:25) and Uzziah (2Ch26:14) several centuries later. Slingstones, weighing one pound or more, could be propelled at speeds up to 90-100mph & thus were extremely effective weapons in the hands of a skiller slinger as David later proved in the victory over Goliath.

The Hebrew verb for "MISS" is translated "to sin" in other contexts

 

Judges 20:17 Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war.

four hundred (KJV): Jud 20:2 Nu 1:46 26:51 1Sa 11:8 15:4 1Ch 21:5 2Ch 17:14-18

The forces of Israel comprised a powerful army, the largest the nation had ever assembled!

 

Judges 20:18 Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired 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."

house of (KJV): Jud 18:31 19:18 Jos 18:1 Joe 1:14
asked (KJV): Jud 20:7,23,26,27 1:1 Nu 27:5,21 Jos 9:14
Judah (KJV): Jud 1:1,2 Ge 49:8-10

The mention of Bethel poses a problem, since the tabernacle was located at Shiloh (cf. 18:31). Some have suggested that the Israelites inquired of "the house of God" at Shiloh, but normally this is expressed by bet 'elohim and not bet 'el. Besides, the city Bethel is clearly intended in [20:31, 21:19]. Bethel had been a revered location ever since the Lord revealed himself to Jacob at that site (Ge28:11-19); so, like Mizpah (v1), Bethel could have been one of several suitable holy places (at least "right in their own eyes"). The ark of the covenant appears to have been moved from Shiloh to Bethel (cf. v26-27). The ark frequently accompanied Israel into battle (cf. Nu10:35). Since Phinehas the high priest stayed with the ark, it was possible to inquire of the Lord wherever Phinehas happened to be. In 2Ch1:3-4 it is plain that at the start of Solomon's reign the tabernacle was at Gibeon while the ark was in Jerusalem.

Most of the space in [v18-48] is devoted to a description of the fighting, with the fluctuating fortunes of the opposing sides. But the three enquiries (by the Israelites) and responses (by the Lord) in [v18, 23, 28] let us see what was going on at a deeper level. They show us what was happening in the minds of the Israelites and between them and the Lord as the war proceeded through its various phases. The Israelites were confident about the rightness and eventual outcome of their cause (v18). They were already committed to the war, and the Lord’s approval was assumed. They therefore raised a purely procedural matter: how was the campaign to be conducted? The Lord commanded Judah to go first, appropriately so since the ravished concubine was from Judah (19:1). But there was no promise of victory and none materialized; quite the reverse (v19-21). The second enquiry (v23) shows the drastic loss of confidence the enquirers had suffered as a result of their disastrous defeat. They were doubtful about the wisdom of continuing the war, and struck a conciliatory note by referring to the Benjamites as their ‘brothers’. But the Lord sent them into battle again—to another resounding defeat (v23b-25).

The Benjamites undoubtedly deserved to be punished. But the moral and spiritual state of the nation as a whole was such that holy war almost destroyed it instead of preserving it. The Lord appears to be as angry with the rest of Israel as He is with the Benjamites, and He shows it by distributing defeat and victory in such a way that the whole of Israel is judged. He is both the Judge and preserver of His wayward people.

AND INQUIRED OF GOD (cp Jdg1:1): they had made their plans and now were asking God to bless them! Don't we all do this for time to time? The memory of God’s past guidance in the days of Joshua sends them to the shrine at Bethel, not to ask God what they should do, or seek His help, but to go through the religious motions of receiving the divine guidance and blessing. We already know that their motivation is revenge so they could not possibly expect God’s approval.

AND SAID, "WHO SHALL GO UP FIRST FOR US TO BATTLE AGAINST THE SONS OF BENJAMIN?":  how different the circumstances from the similar question of [Jdg1:1]! There it was a united Israel waging a war of occupation against the Canaanites. Here it is a divided Israel, fighting a civil war in which brother is pitted against brother (v28). The victory in answer to the first prayer was given at once (1:4). Here it is withheld until Israel is thoroughly broken and demoralized (v26-28). Indeed, the ‘holy’ war of this chapter scarcely rates as such. It was decided on at an assembly convened by a man of bad character, and it concluded in a bloodbath that reeked more of vengeful excess than of justice

THEN THE LORD SAID, "JUDAH...FIRST: This verse reminds the reader of [1:1, 2] and the fact that the Israelites were supposed to be fighting Canaanites rather than one another. However, the Benjamites had cast themselves in the role of Canaanites (cf. 21:1; Dt7:1-3).

 

Judges 20:19 So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

rose up (KJV): Jos 3:1 6:12 7:16

Confident of victory, the Israelites moved their forces and equipment near Gibeah and lined up for battle. 

 

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

X

 

Judges 20:21 Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel.

the children (KJV): Ge 49:27 Ho 10:9
destroyed (KJV): De 23:9 2Ch 28:10 Ps 33:16 73:18,19 77:19 Ec 9:1-3 Jer 12:1

X

 

Judges 20:22 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.

encouraged (KJV): Jud 20:15,17 1Sa 30:6 2Sa 11:25 Ps 64:5

BUT THE PEOPLE, THE MEN OF ISRAEL, ENCOURAGED THEMSELVES AND ARRAYED FOR BATTLE AGAIN IN THE PLACE: in the same place where the former battle was fought, with the hope of retrieving their credit upon the same spot of ground where they had lost it, which they would not superstitiously change, as if there were any thing unlucky in the place.

WHERE THEY HAD ARRAYED THEMSELVES THE FIRST DAY: The startling defeat brought Israel to its knees. On other occasions such slaughter had followed blatant national sin (Nu25:6; Dt1:45, cp defeat at Ai - Jos7:3-5), and in this case there also appears to still be sin "in the camp" of Israel in that they did not deal with the Levite's blatant sin. Mark it down, when you go out to war with sin in the camp, the results will likely be disastrous. Israel as well as Benjamin needed to purge the evil from among themselves before they could go deal with the "speck that was in their brother's eye."

 

Judges 20:23 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired 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."

SHALL WE AGAIN DRAW NEAR FOR BATTLE AGAINST THE SONS OF MY BROTHER BENJAMIN?" AND THE LORD SAID, "GO UP AGAINST HIM: The phrase in suggest that Israel may have wondered whether the defeat was punishment for attacking a "brother" tribe. So this time they asked the question the answer to which they had assumed in [v18].

Matthew Henry writes:

"What, and yet miscarry thus! 1. God’s judgments are a great deep, and his way is in the sea. Clouds and darkness are often round about him, but judgment and justice are always the habitation of his throne. We may be sure of the righteousness, when we cannot see the reasons, of God’s proceedings. 2. God would hereby show them, and us in them, that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, that we are not to confide in numbers, which perhaps the Israelites did with too much assurance. We must never lay the weight on an arm of flesh, which only the Rock of ages will bear. 3. God designed hereby to correct Israel for their sins. They did well to show such a zeal against the wickedness of Gibeah: but were there not with them, even with them, sins against the Lord their God? Those must be made to know their own iniquity that are forward in condemning the iniquity of others."

 

Judges 20:24 Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

X

 

Judges 20:25 And 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.

destroyed (KJV): Jud 20:21 Ge 18:25 Job 9:12,13 Ps 97:2 Ro 2:5 3:5 11:33

God was very likely using these 2 defeats to humble the whole nation; this was not merely the result of the sin of one man (although in a sense it certainly did have it's inception with one man, a profane, unholy Levite, not living a life wholly given to God). The whole nation had to be humbled, because they first thought that "they" had a sin problem, but they came to see that "we" have a sin problem. Israel had to get the beam out of its own eye before it started dealing with the eye problem of the tribe of Benjamin (Mt7:3-5). 

 

Judges 20:26 Then all 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.

all the children (KJV): Jud 20:18,23
wept (KJV): 1Sa 7:6 2Ch 20:3 Ezr 8:21 9:4,5 Joe 1:14 2:12-18 Jon 3:5-10

THEN ALL THE SONS OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE PEOPLE WENT UP AND CAME TO BETHEL AND WEPT: They wept, waited, fasted & sacrificed. It is likely that sin the camp accounted for their failure to win the battles the first 2 times (much like the situation in Jos7:1ff) but another truth is that God reminds us that "vengeance is Mine. I will repay." And here Israel was taking "vengeance" into their own hands. It was not necessarily wrong to punish the men of Gibeah who murdered the woman and shed innocent blood. But it was wrong to put themselves in the place of God. As support for this thought note Who it is Who "strikes" Benjamin in (20:35).

THUS THEY REMAINED THERE BEFORE THE LORD AND FASTED THAT DAY UNTIL EVENING: something they had not done before they took action. Earlier the nation had also wept and sacrificed to the Lord when judgment was threatened (2:4-5) but there was no mention made of genuine repentance at that time. Later King David fasted and wept as he begged the Lord to spare the life of Bathsheba's child (2Sa12:21-22).

In 1827, Adam Clarke wrote about fasting:

"At present it is but little used; a strong proof that self-denial is wearing out of fashion." What would he say about our present day?

Mt Henry:

"Before they only consulted God’s oracle, Who shall go up first? And, Shall we go up? But now they implored His favour, fasted and prayed, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings , to make an atonement for sin and an acknowledgment of their dependence upon God, and as an expression of their desire towards Him. We cannot expect the presence of God with us, unless we thus seek it in the way He has appointed. And when they were in this frame, and thus sought the Lord, then he not only ordered them to go up against the Benjamites the third time, but gave them a promise of victory: Tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand, v28."

AND THEY OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS: (Lv1:1-17) voluntary offering that speak of consecration. The burnt offering (Lv1) symbolized the complete consecration of the offerer to God. Fellowship offerings (Lv3), which included a meal, symbolized restored fellowship with God.

AND PEACE OFFERINGS BEFORE THE LORD: these offering speak of fellowship or communion with God.

 

Judges 20:27 And the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

inquired (KJV): Jud 20:18,23 Nu 27:21
the ark (KJV): Jos 18:1 1Sa 4:3,4 Ps 78:60,61 Jer 7:12 The loss of two battles at length brought this stiff-necked people to enquire of the Lord; for all the company at this time met at Shiloh, and kept a day of fasting and prayer with great earnestness and solemnity. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Isa 59:1

AND THE SONS OF ISRAEL INQUIRED OF THE LORD (FOR THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF GOD WAS THERE IN THOSE DAYS (1Sa1:3; 3:3 ):The only mention of the ark in Judges! In this period the ark was sometimes moved from the central sanctuary, especially in wartime (cf. 1Sa4:4-5 where, as here, the central sanctuary was at Shiloh).

The loss of two battles at length brought this stiff-necked people to enquire of the Lord; for all the company at this time met at Shiloh, and kept a day of fasting and prayer with great earnestness and solemnity. Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.

 

Judges 20:28 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, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

Phinehas (KJV): It is evident, from this mention of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, that these transactions must have taken place not long after the death of Joshua. Nu 25:7-13 Jos 22:13,30-32 24:33
stood (KJV): De 10:8 18:5
Shall I yet (KJV): Jos 7:7 1Sa 14:37 23:4-12 30:8 2Sa 5:19-24 6:3,7-12 Pr 3:5,6 Jer 10:23
Go up (KJV): Jud 1:2 7:9 2Ch 20:17

PHINEHAS THE SON OF ELEAZAR AARON'S SON: Ministering at Bethel was Phinehas, the zealous grandson of Aaron who had stopped the terrible plague on the plains of Moab, where 24,000 Israelites had perished in the worship of the Baal of Peor (Nu25:9). Once more he was called on to intercede in a time of national disaster. The sacred ark was also there, symbolizing the presence and power of God (cf. 1Sa4:3).

The fact that Phinehas was still serving as priest at the tabernacle at Shiloh indicates that this distressing series of events occurred soon after the death of Joshua and the elders that outlived Joshua, during the first anarchistic period in the land of Canaan (Jdg2:7-10). The rapid descent of the post-Joshua generation of Israelites into apostasy, immorality and inter-tribal warfare (illustrated in these last three chapters of the book of Judges) is a doleful commentary on the utter depravity of human nature (Cp Ro3:10, 18, 23, 7:18). Yet, despite it all, God was still merciful and ready to forgive.

 

Judges 20:29 So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

Israel (KJV): Though God had promised them success, they knew they could expect it only by the use of proper means. Hence they used all prudent precaution, and employed all their military skill.
liers (KJV): Jud 20:34 Jos 8:4 2Sa 5:23

The ambush was a strategy successfully used by Joshua at Ai (where the Lord himself commanded the use of an ambush) (Jos8:2) and by Abimelech at Shechem (Jdg9:32, 33-44). 

 

Judges 20:30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah, as at other times.

X

 

Judges 20:31 And the 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.

drawn (KJV): Jos 8:14-16
smite of the people, and kill, as at (KJV): Heb. smite of the people wounded as at, etc
the house of God (KJV): or, Beth-el, Gibeah. Jud 19:13,14 Isa 10:29
thirty (KJV): Jos 7:5

 

 

Judges 20:32 And 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."

Let us flee (KJV): This was done, not only because they had placed an ambuscade behind Gibeah, which was to enter and burn the city as soon as the Benjamites left it; but it would seem, that the slingers, by being within the city and its fortifications, had great advantage over the Israelites by their slings, when they could not come among them with their swords, unless they got them in the plain country. Jos 8:15,16

X

 

Judges 20:33 Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba.

rose up (KJV): Jos 8:18-22
put themselves (KJV): There appear to have been three divisions of the Israelitish army: one at Baal-tamar, (which was situated, says Eusebius, near Gibeah;) a second behind the city in ambush; and a third, who skirmished with the Benjamites before Gibeah.

X

 

Judges 20:34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them.

ten thousand (KJV): Jud 20:29
knew not (KJV): Jos 8:14 Job 21:13 Pr 4:19 29:6 Ec 8:11,12 9:12 Isa 3:10,11 Isa 47:11 Mt 24:44 Lu 21:34 21:34 1Th 5:3

Evil was near them and they did not know it,. But (v41) they saw, when it was too late to prevent it, that evil had come upon them. What evils may at any time be near us we cannot tell, but the less they are feared the heavier they fall. Sinners will not be persuaded to see evil near them, but how dreadful will it be when it comes and there is no escaping! [1Th5:3].

 

Judges 20:35 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.

twenty (KJV): Jud 20:15,44-46 Job 20:5 Though the numbers of the Israelites were immensely superior to those of Benjamin, though the stratagem was well laid and ingeniously executed, and the battle bravely fought, yet the inspired historian ascribes the victory to the hand of the Lord, as entirely as if he had smitten the Benjamites by a miracle.

AND THE LORD STRUCK BENJAMIN BEFORE ISRAEL: Though the numbers of the Israelites were immensely superior to those of Benjamin, though the stratagem was well laid and ingeniously executed, and the battle bravely fought, yet the inspired historian ascribes the victory to the hand of the Lord, as entirely as if he had smitten the Benjamites by a miracle

SO THAT THE SONS OF ISRAEL DESTROYED 25,100 MEN OF BENJAMIN THAT DAY ALL WHO DRAW THE SWORD: Note God's sovereignty interacting once again with man's responsibility. It is an easy thing to trample upon those who have made God their enemy. See [Mal4:3].

**************************
Judges 20.35
G Campbell Morgan


And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel. Judges 20.35

These words briefly recall the real mean­ing of the awful judgment that fell upon Benjamin. It was the stroke of God. The chapter gives the result of the considera­tion, taking counsel, and speaking, of the nation in answer to the call of the Levite. His action served its purpose. The nation was stirred to its centre. A great moral passion flamed out. Underneath all the degeneracy there was a very definite stratum of religious conviction, and it was this which, in the presence of the iniquity of the men of Gibeah, sprang to life and action, It is very remarkable how, in the case of nations backsliding from religious ideals, this is ever so. In the midst of the most soiled and debased times, in the presence of some more than usually violent manifestation of evil, the slumberingconvictions of a people will flame into new sensitiveness and demand recognition. In response to the ghastly and bloody appeal of the Levite, Israel gathered itself to­gether before God, seeking to know how to act. The low level of morality which had manifested itself in so fearful a form, could only be dealt with by general suffering. The men who were in the wrong were brutally defiant. Moreover, they were strong enough at first to defeat the army of Israel. This fact at least suggests that Israel was not clean enough her-self to punish wrongdoers. Again the people gathered before God, and this time in weeping and lamentation. After this, they again went forward, this time to victory and the sore punishment of the sinning people, and those who had con­doned their sin. Thus not Israel, but God, smote Benjamin. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible).

 

Judges 20:36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah,

for the men (KJV): Jos 8:15-29

X

 

Judges 20:37 the 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.

the liers in wait hasted (KJV): Jos 8:19
drew themselves along (KJV): or, made a long sound with the trumpets, Ex 19:13 Jos 6:5

 

 

Judges 20:38 Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

Now there (KJV): From this verse to the end of the chapter, we have the details of the same operations which are mentioned, in a general way, in the preceding verses of this chapter.
sign (KJV): or, time, Ge 17:21 2Ki 4:16 *marg:
and (KJV): Heb. with
flame (KJV): Heb. elevation

X

 

Judges 20:39 Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle."

And when (KJV): Jud 20:31
smite and kill (KJV): Heb. smite the wounded

X

 

Judges 20:40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven.

a pillar (KJV): Ge 19:28 Song 3:6 Joe 2:30 Rev 19:3
looked (KJV): Jos 8:20
flame (KJV): Heb. whole consumption

THE WHOLE CITY WAS GOING UP IN SMOKE TO HEAVEN: "WHOLE" is Hebrew often used of "whole burnt offerings" (Dt33:10) and is in fact used of burning a town whose people have become involved in idolatry (Dt13:16). The entire town of Gibeah had literally become a burnt offering to heaven!

Moreover, the Benjamites’ end was like that of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Ge19:28).

 

Judges 20:41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them.

were amazed (KJV): Ex 15:9,10 Isa 13:8,9 33:14 Lu 17:27,28 21:26 1Th 5:3 2Pe 2:12 Rev 6:15-17 18:8-10
was come upon them (KJV): Heb. touched them

They had sown the wind of evil and now were reaping a whirlwind of evil

 

Judges 20:42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward 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.

the battle (KJV): La 1:3 Ho 9:9 10:9

They headed east toward the desert area extending from Bethel to Jericho (cf. Josh 16:1). Perhaps they hoped to cross the Jordan and escape into the deserts beyond, but the sheer numbers of Israelites made this impossible. The pursuing forces were augmented by men from nearby cities. Whenever Israel had the enemy on the run, it seemed that volunteers flocked to join in the pursuit. The Midianites (7:23-24) and Philistines (1Sa14:22) were also routed by rapidly growing armies.

 

Judges 20:43 They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east.

enclosed (KJV): Jos 8:20-22
with ease (KJV): or, from Menuchah, etc
over against (KJV): Heb. unto over against

 

 

Judges 20:44 Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors.

X

 

Judges 20:45 The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them.

Rimmon (KJV): Jos 15:32 1Ch 6:77 Zec 14:10

THE REST TURNED AND FLED TOWARD THE WILDERNESS TO THE ROCK OF RIMMON (Jos15:32; 1Ch6:77; Zec14:10): "Pomegranate Rock" or "Roaring Rock." Rimmon was a conical limestone hill surrounded by wadis and located about 4 miles E of Bethel. Numerous caves provided hiding places from the relentless pursuers.
 

 

Judges 20:46 So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors.

twenty (KJV): Jud 20:15,35

SO ALL OF BENJAMIN WHO FELL THAT DAY WERE 25,000 MEN WHO DRAW THE SWORD; ALL THESE WERE VALIANT WARRIORS: Jdg20:15 says there were 26,000 men of Benjamin that "drew the sword." Since 25,000 fell on "that day," evidently a thousand had already been slain during the previous days of fighting. The number 25,000 seems here to be a "round number" for the more accurate count (25,100) mentioned in Jdg20:35.

 

Judges 20:47 But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

six hundred (KJV): Jud 21:13 Ps 103:9,10 Isa 1:9 Jer 14:7 La 3:32 Hab 3:2,
rock of Rimmon, The rock Rimmon was doubtless a strong place; but it is uncertain where situated. It is probable however, that it was near, and took its name from, the village of Remmon, mentioned by Eusebius, fifteen miles north from Jerusalem. It appears that rocks are still resorted to in the East, as places of security; and some of them are even capable of sustaining a siege. De La Roque says, that "The Grand Seignior, wishing to seize the person of the emir (Fakr-eddin, prince of the Druses,) gave orders to the pacha to take him prisoner: he accordingly came in search of him, with a new army, in the district of Chouf, which is part of mount Lebanon, wherein is the village of Gesin, and close to it, the rock which served for a retreat to the emir. It is named in Arabic, Magara Gesin, i.e., the cavern of Gessin, by which name it is famous. The pacha pressed the emir so closely, that this unfortunate prince was obliged to shut himself up in the cleft of a great rock, with a small number of his officers. The pacha besieged him there several months; and was going to blow up the rock by a mine, when the emir capitulated."

AND THEY REMAINED AT THE ROCK OF RIMMON 4 MONTHS: until there was a peace treaty (21:13,14) were the only survivors of the entire tribe of Benjamin. 

 

Judges 20:48 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.

smote them (KJV): De 13:15-17 2Ch 25:13 28:6-9 Pr 18:19
came to hand (KJV): Heb. was found
they came to (KJV): Heb. were found

Basically the land of Benjamin is ravaged as a result of their foolish (stupid) decision to defend the sin of the "sons of Belial" in Gibeah -- what were they defending? homosexuality, rape, murder, not to mention their failure to show Oriental hospitality to the Levite's traveling party in Jdg19. What was now right in their eyes was an abomination in the eyes of God. O, how we need to read and heed the seriousness of straying from God's holy word, which alone is the light (Ps19:8, 119:105, Pr6:23) to guide us on the the highway of holiness (Isa35:8) in the midst of a dark, crooked and perverse generation (Php2:15) at the outset of the 21st century.

Since the destruction included the animals and everything else they found, apparently they had placed the Benjamite towns “under the ban” as in holy war (cf.1:17). In holy war (war waged at the Lord’s direct command) the Israelites were sometimes told not to take any loot but to destroy everything as a way of offering it to God (under the ‘ban’.) It was also an extreme form of divine judgment on Israel’s enemies (Jos6:21; 1Sa15:1–3) and, in certain circumstances, on Israelites themselves (Dt13:12-18). Here it is applied without any specific instruction from the Lord to do so!

The problem with revenge is that it is uncontrollable. This was one of the main reasons the Old Testament punishment code, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” was first given. It was to restrict the escalation of revenge before things got out of control. But the Israelites chose to jettison that principle. If every man does what is right in his own eyes, then force becomes the arbiter while truth and justice are the first casualties.

 

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