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Judges Chapter
Twenty
Judges 20
Outlines Outlines
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Judges 20:1 upon
which they unanimously agreed to chastise the inhabitants of Gibeah for what
they had done, Judges 20:8, 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, Judges 20:12 and
two battles ensued on this, in which the Israelites, who were on the right side
of the question, were worsted, Judges 20:18 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, Judges 20:26.
Judges 20:1 So
all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the
land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah.
YLT
1And all the sons of Israel
go out, and the company is assembled as one man, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba,
and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah, at Mizpeh.
Then all the children of Israel went out,.... Of their
tribes, cities, habitations, not every individual of them, but some of the
chief of them, with a select company with them:
and the congregation was gathered together as one man; with as much
unanimity and ease met together in one place, at the same time, as if only one
man had been pitched upon and deputed for that purpose:
from Dan even to Beersheba, from the city Dan,
lately built, which was in the most northern parts of the land of Canaan, to
Beersheba, a city in the most southern part, which included all the tribes in
the land of Canaan, who all, excepting Benjamin, assembled:
with the land of Gilead; which lay on the other
side Jordan, inhabited by the two tribes of Reuben and Dan, and the half tribe
of Manasseh, who also came on this occasion:
unto the Lord in Mizpeh; a city which lay upon
the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and is therefore assigned to them both, Joshua 15:38 for
this was not Mizpeh in the land of Gilead, but a city near to Shiloh; and,
according to FullerF2Pisah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 259. , eight miles
from Gibeah, and so was a convenient place to meet at: it is not to be thought
the tribes met here, by a secret impulse upon their minds, but by a summons of
some principal persons in one of the tribes, very probably in the tribe of
Ephraim, where the Levite dwelt, and in which was the tabernacle of the Lord,
and of which the last supreme magistrate was, namely, Joshua; and all having
notice of the occasion of it, met very readily; and because they assembled in
the name and fear of God, and it was in the cause of God, and as a solemn
assembly, a judicial one, in which God was usually present, they are said to be
gathered unto him, and the rather, as they sought for direction and counsel
from him in the affair before them.
Judges 20:2 2 And the leaders of all the
people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the
people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.
YLT
2And the chiefs of all the people,
of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people
of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.
And the chief of all the people,.... The princes of the
tribes and heads of families, rulers of thousands, and hundreds, and fifties,
and tens; or the "corners"F3פנות
"anguli", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Drusius,
Tigurine version. , who were like the corner stones in a building, which are
not only the most valuable and ornamental, but the strength of the building,
which cement it, and support it, and hold it together; though Abarbinel thinks
this intends the division and separation of each tribe, which encamped in a
separate corner and side by itself: but the former sense seems best, and the
meaning is, that the principal men of them:
even of all the tribes of Israel; excepting the tribe of
Benjamin:
presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God; now gathered
together: which assembly consisted, besides the heads of them, of
four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword; or were armed
men; there were 600,000 or more in Israel able to bear arms; but as now the
wars in Canaan were pretty much at an end, the militia of the nation was not so
regularly kept up, and many were employed in tilling the ground, and dressing
the vines, and the like; and besides, as there were none of the tribe of
Benjamin present, it need not be wondered at there should be no more, but
rather that so many should be gathered together on such an occasion.
Judges 20:3 3 (Now the children of
Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.)
Then the children of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this
wicked deed happen?”
YLT
3And the sons of Benjamin
hear that the sons of Israel have gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel
say, `Speak ye, how hath this evil been?'
Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel
were gone up to Mizpeh,.... Having no doubt the same notice the rest of the tribes had;
but the thing complained of being done in their tribe, and by some of it, they
might be willing to screen the delinquents, or were careless about and
indifferent to the case, and secure and easy, as imagining their brethren would
never go to war with them about it; or were proud and haughty, and would pay no
regard to the summons given them:
then said the children of Israel, tell us, how was this wickedness? proclamation
was made in the assembly, that if any person there knew anything of this
shocking affair, and horrid iniquity, which was the occasion of their meeting
together, that they would rise up and declare what was the cause of it, how it
came about, and by whom it was done; or they addressed themselves particularly
to the Levite, and his host, and his servant, who might all be upon the spot to
bear witness in this case, as it is certain the former of them was, who upon
this stood up, and spoke as follows.
Judges 20:4 4 So the Levite, the husband
of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and I went into
Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night.
YLT 4And the man, the Levite,
husband of the woman who hath been murdered, answereth and saith, `Into Gibeah
(which [is] to Benjamin) I have come, I and my concubine, to lodge;
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered,
and said,.... He rose up, and, in answer to their request, declared the
whole affair as follows: and none so proper as he, who was upon the spot when
it was done, and so near a relation of the deceased, and had a right to demand
justice to be done; for from hence it appears that she was his lawful wife,
though called a concubine:
I came into Gibeah, that belongeth to Benjamin; which he so
particularly describes, to distinguish it from another of the same name in the
tribe of Judah, lest any mistake should be made, and an innocent people should
suffer in their reputation, or otherwise; and which also would account for the
tribe of Benjamin not being present at this convention:
I and my concubine, to lodge; thither they came, not
with an intention to stay, to sojourn there, and much less to do them any
injury, or to infringe any of their rights and privileges; nor in the least to
be burdensome to them, having brought all necessary provisions with them for
themselves, servants, and cattle, only to get a night's lodging with them.
Judges 20:5 5 And the men of Gibeah rose
against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to
kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.
YLT
5and rise against me do the
masters of Gibeah -- and they go round the house against me by night -- me they
thought to slay, and my concubine they have humbled, and she dieth;
And the men of Gibeah rose against me,.... Not all
of them, but some that dwelt in that city; he forbears giving them the
character they justly deserved, sons of Belial. These came in a tumultuous and
violent manner:
and beset the house round about upon me by night; that he might
not make his escape, resolving if possible to get him into their hands, and do
with him according to their will:
and thought to have slain me; their first intention
was to commit the unnatural sin on him, and, if he resisted, to slay him; but
this he modestly conceals, as being a sin not to be named in an assembly of
saints; and besides he might say this, because he himself chose rather to be
slain than to submit to their lust, which he knew must be the case upon his
refusal and resistance; and even if he had yielded, being overpowered, this
would have been the consequence, that he should have been abused even unto
death, as his wife was:
and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead; or
"afflicted", or "humbled"F4ענו
"afflixerunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. her; which is a modest
expression for carnal knowledge of her, and which they had to such excess that
she died through it.
Judges 20:6 6 So I took hold of my
concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the
inheritance of Israel, because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.
YLT
6and I lay hold on my concubine,
and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of
Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel;
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces,.... Lest it
should be thought that these barbarous creatures, after they had used her in
such a manner that occasioned her death, that they had committed this fact
also; the Levite takes it to himself, and owns that he did that:
and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of
Israel; to alarm them, and excite their attention to what had passed,
and to raise their indignation against it:
for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel; being guilty
of adultery and murder, and would have committed the unnatural crime, if they
could have had an opportunity of doing it.
Judges 20:7 7 Look! All of you are
children of Israel; give your advice and counsel here and now!”
YLT
7lo, ye [are] all sons of
Israel; give for you a word and counsel here.'
Behold, ye are all children of Israel,.... The
descendants of one man that feared the Lord; were of one nation, and of one
religion, men professing godliness, and therefore ought to bear testimony
against sin and wickedness of every sort, and especially such crying
abominations as these:
give your advice and counsel: in this place, being
assembled together on this occasion; consult what is best to be done, and let
every man speak his mind freely what step he thinks should be taken for the
glory of God, and honour of religion, and to bring such persons to justice who
had committed so foul a fact.
Judges 20:8 8 So all the people arose as
one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back
to his house;
YLT
8And all the people rise as
one man, saying, `None of us doth go to his tent, and none of us doth turn
aside to his house;
And all the people arose as one man,.... Either the heads of
the people assembled in council, all agreed unanimously in one vote or
resolution, or all the 400,000 men were of the same mind, when the case was
reported to them:
saying, we will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any
of us turn into his house; that is, they would not return home, to
take one nights rest in their houses, or attend to the business of their
callings or to any affair of life, however urgent, till satisfaction was made
for the evil committed.
Judges 20:9 9 but now this is the
thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot.
YLT
9and now, this [is] the
thing which we do to Gibeah -- against it by lot!
But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah,.... Where the
fact was done; what follows was proposed by some, and unanimously agreed to by
all:
we will go up by lot against it; cast lots who shall go
up to it and demand satisfaction for the offence committed; and if denied, to
act in an hostile manner against it.
Judges 20:10 10 We will take ten men out
of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every
thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions
for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all
the vileness that they have done in Israel.”
YLT
10and we have taken ten men
of a hundred, of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a
thousand of a myriad, to receive provision for the people, to do, at their
coming to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly which it hath done in
Israel.'
And we will take ten men of an hundred, throughout all the tribes
of Israel,.... Excepting that of Benjamin which was not with them, not any
of them:
and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten
thousand; in all 40,000, out of the 400,000:
to fetch victual for the people; ten men were to provide
food for ninety, and one hundred men for nine hundred, and 1000 men for 9000,
in all 40,000, for 360,000; these were either to go to their own tribes and
habitations, or to the towns and cities adjacent, to procure food for this
large army; for they came from their homes without any provision, not knowing that
the affair would keep them long; but perceiving that it would require time
before it could be determined, they judged it the wisest method for some to be
appointed to take care of provision for the army, that it might not be
scattered about on that account, but pursue the war with vigour till
satisfaction was obtained:
that they might do, when they came to Gibeah of Benjamin,
according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel; punish with
death the delinquents, and chastise the inhabitants, and especially the
magistrates, for their connivance at such wicked persons among them, and
negligence of doing their duty.
Judges 20:11 11 So all the men of Israel
were gathered against the city, united together as one man.
YLT
11And every man of Israel is
gathered unto the city, as one man -- companions.
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city,.... Of
Gibeah, even 360,000 men:
knit together as one man; went heart and hand
together, united in their sentiments and resolutions, determining to have
justice done, or lose their lives in this cause: according to the JewsF5Schulchan
Aruch, par. 1. c. 580. sect. 2. , this was on the twenty third of Shebet, which
answers to part of January and part of February, on which day a fast was kept
on this account.
Judges 20:12 12 Then the tribes of Israel
sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this
wickedness that has occurred among you?
YLT
12And the tribes of Israel
send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, `What [is] this evil which
hath been among you?
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of
Benjamin,.... Meaning the families of Benjamin; for as sometimes a tribe
is called a family, Joshua 7:17 so a
family is called a tribe; and there were ten families in the tribe of Benjamin,
according to the number of his sons, the fathers of these families. Genesis 46:21,
which being numerous and powerful, and consisting of men of courage, and expert
in war, thought themselves a match for the ten tribes of Israel now assembled,
who sent one out of each tribe, very probably ten in all, upon this errand; for
they judged it most advisable, before they went to war with them, to try to get
the offenders, delivered up to justice, and so prevent the shedding of blood of
either side; and the rather, as there were none of the tribe of Benjamin at
this assembly, and which indeed might give them reason to suspect they meant
not to join with them in an amicable manner in this affair: however, they were
willing to try peaceable methods first:
saying, what wickedness is this that is done among you? not that they
were sent to inquire what the crime was that was committed, that was fully
known; but by putting the question in this manner, their design was to
aggravate it, and to put the men of Benjamin on considering how great it was,
what an enormous sin it was that was committed, and that among them; and
therefore it lay upon them, either to punish the perpetrators of it themselves
or deliver them up to them to be punished according to the common law of
Israel.
Judges 20:13 13 Now therefore, deliver up
the men, the perverted men [a] who are
in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!” But
the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the
children of Israel.
YLT
13And now, give up the men --
sons of worthlessness -- which [are] in Gibeah, and we put them to death, and
we put away evil from Israel.' And [the sons of] Benjamin have not been willing
to hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel;
Now, therefore, deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which
are in Gibeah,.... Those wicked men that were the authors of that abominable
wickedness there committed:
that we may put them to death; as they deserved, since
they were guilty both of adultery and murder; their meaning is, that they in
conjunction with the tribe of Benjamin might condemn them to death and punish
them with it, as their crime deserved:
and put away evil from Israel; prevent both the spread
of such a sinful evil in the nation, encouraged by such examples, and the evil
of punishment coming upon them from God, should they let such wickedness pass
with impunity:
but the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of
their brethren the children of Israel; they refused to give up
the men of Gibeah, that had been guilty of such great wickedness; reckoning it
a reproach, as JosephusF6Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 9. says, to obey
the commands of others, for fear of war, and unwilling to yield to any in arms,
neither on account of multitude nor courage.
Judges 20:14 14 Instead, the children of
Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against
the children of Israel.
YLT
14and the sons of Benjamin
are gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons of
Israel.
But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of
the cities unto Gibeah,.... To protect and defend it against the other tribes, being a
city of theirs and where the persons charged with the crime lived; these got
together thither out of the several cities of the tribe of Benjamin, as many as
could bear arms:
to go out to battle against the children of Israel; they neither
denied the fact, nor attempted to palliate and excuse it, nor sought for peace
but at once betook themselves to arms; which showed not only want of prudence
but pride, passion and self-confidence, and that they were sadly depraved in
their morals to rise up in defence of such wicked men; and a strange
infatuation to expect success against such vastly superior numbers, and in so
bad a cause.
Judges 20:15 15 And from their cities at
that time the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew
the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select
men.
YLT
15And the sons of Benjamin
number themselves on that day; out of the cities [are] twenty and six thousand
men drawing sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah, [who] numbered
themselves, seven hundred chosen men;
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? JosephusF7Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10. 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.
Judges 20:16 16 Among all this people were
seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a
stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.
YLT
16among all this people [are]
seven hundred chosen men, bound of their right hand, each of these slinging
with a stone at the hair, and he doth not err.
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men
lefthanded,.... According to Ben Gersom, these were the seven hundred men of
Gibeah; but this does not appear from the text, but, on the contrary, that
these were among all the people; or there were so many to be selected out of
them all, who were lefthanded men; nor is it likely that all the inhabitants of
one place should be such. Benjamin signifies a son of the right hand, yet this
tribe had a great number of lefthanded men in it, see Judges 3:15.
JosephusF8Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10. wrongly reduces the number
to five hundred:
everyone could sling stones at an hair's breadth, and not miss: the mark they
slung the stone at, so very expert were they at it; and perhaps their having
such a number of skilful men in this art made them more confident of success,
and emboldened them in this daring undertaking, to point to which this
circumstance seems to be mentioned. There were a people that inhabited the
islands, now called Majorca and Minorca, anciently Baleares, from their
skilfulness in slinging stones, to which they brought up from their childhood,
as it is related various writers, StraboF9Geograph l. 3. p. 116. ,
Diodorus SiculusF11Bibliothec. l. 5. p. 298. , FlorasF12Roman
Cost. l. 3. c. 8. and othersF13Vid. Barthii Ammadv. ad Claudian. in
3 Consul. Honor. ver. 50. ; that their mothers used to set their breakfast on a
beam or post, or some such thing, at a distance, which they were not to have,
unless they could strike it off; and the first of these writers says, that they
exercised this art from the time that the Phoenicians held these islands; and,
according to PlinyF14Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56. , the Phoenicians, the
old inhabitants of Canaan, were the first inventors of slings, and from these
the Benjaminites might learn it. The Indians are saidF15Philoetrat.
Vit. Apollon. l. 2. c. 12. to be very expert in slinging stones to an hair's
breadth.
Judges 20:17 17 Now besides Benjamin, the
men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of
these were men of war.
YLT
17And the men of Israel
numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing
sword, each of these a man of war.
And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin,.... Who did
not join them in this affair, but opposed them:
were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: see Judges 20:9.
all these were men of war; inured to it, skilful
and courageous.
Judges 20:18 18 Then the children of
Israel arose and went up to the house of God[b] to inquire
of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the
children of Benjamin?”
The Lord
said, “Judah first!”
YLT
18And they rise and go up to
Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, `Who doth go up for us at
the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?' and Jehovah saith,
`Judah -- at the commencement.'
And the children of Israel arose,.... From Mizpeh, where
they were assembled, having heard that the Benjaminites were gathered together
to defend the men of Gibeah:
and went up to the house of God; to the tabernacle which
was in Shiloh, Judges 18:31, see Joshua 18:1 though
the Targum takes Bethel for the name of a place so called; and so do Ben Gersom
and JosephusF16Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10.) , which was
near Shiloh, for Shiloh is said to be on the north side of Bethel, Judges 21:19 but as
there is no reason to believe the tabernacle was now removed from Shiloh
thither, so it is not likely they would go to any other place but where the
tabernacle ark, and high priest were:
and asked counsel of God; before Phinehas the high
priest, according to the judgment of Urim and Thummim, Judges 20:28.
and said which of us shall go up first to the battle against the
children of Benjamin? there being no supreme magistrate, judge, or general, to lead
them; they did not ask whether they should go to war or no with their brethren;
they made no doubt of that, taking it for granted they had sufficient reason
for so doing, and that it was according to the will of God; nor did they
inquire whether they should be victorious or not, they made no doubt of being
victorious, both from their superior numbers, and the justness of their cause;
they only inquire who should lead them on, having no general; and this they
might do, to prevent any contentions among them about being precedence:
and the Lord said, Judah shall go up first: which tribe
pitched their standard first about the tabernacle, and marched first in their
journeys in the wilderness, and was ordered to go up first and fight the
Canaanites, being a powerful and warlike tribe.
Judges 20:19 19 So the children of Israel
rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
YLT
19And the sons of Israel rise
in the morning, and encamp against Gibeah,
And the children of Israel rose up in the morning,.... After
they had had counsel at Shiloh, and which perhaps was by a deputation sent
thither:
and encamped against Gibeah: formed a camp near
Gibeah of 360,000 men, enough to have stormed and taken that city at once, one
would think.
Judges 20:20 20 And the men of Israel went
out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle
array to fight against them at Gibeah.
YLT
20and the men of Israel go
out to battle with Benjamin, and the men of Israel set themselves in array with
them, [for] battle against Gibeah,
And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin,.... From the
place where they were encamped:
and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against
them at Gibeah; not only against the inhabitants of Gibeah, but the children of
Benjamin, that came to the defence of them; they formed, themselves in a line
of battle, and prepared for an action.
Judges 20:21 21 Then the children of
Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two
thousand men of the Israelites.
YLT
21and the sons of Benjamin
come out from Gibeah, and destroy in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand
men -- to the earth.
And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah,.... Which was
their place of rendezvous, and which they came to defend; and in and about
which they had stationed their whole army of 26,000 men:
and destroyed down to the ground: killed dead upon the
spot:
of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men; wanting but
4000 of their whole number, excepting the men of Gibeah, which was such a
rebuff the Israelites did not expect, being engaged in so just a cause, and
having such a numerous army. Several Jewish, writersF17T. Bab.
Sanhedrin, fol. 103. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 28. Jarchi & Kimchi in loc. think
this was on account of their idolatry, that though they were very zealous to
revenge corporeal adultery in the case of the Levite's concubine, and to remove
such iniquity from Israel; yet were not zealous to revenge and put away
spiritual adultery or idolatry in the case of the Danites, who had set up the
image of Micah, and so had spread idolatry not only in their own tribe, but
throughout Israel; and therefore God took this opportunity to avenge his own
quarrel, and rebuke them for their sin; and now did Benjamin raven as a wolf,
according to Jacob's prophecy, Genesis 49:27.
Judges 20:22 22 And the people, that is,
the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at
the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
YLT
22And the people, the men of
Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place
where they arranged themselves on the first day.
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves,.... That
though they had lost a great number of men, yet still their forces were large
and greatly superior to those of Benjamin, and above all their cause was good:
and set their battle again in array formed a line of battle
again facing their enemy, inviting to another battle, and bidding defiance:
and in the place where they put themselves in array the first day; by which it
seems they kept the field of battle; though they lost so many men, they did not
flee before the children of Benjamin, but stood their ground; nor were they so
superstitious as to fancy the place unlucky; nor was it a bad situation they
were in, to which their want of success was owing, for then they would have
changed it.
Judges 20:23 23 Then the children of
Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked
counsel of the Lord,
saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother
Benjamin?” And the Lord
said, “Go up against him.”
YLT
23And the sons of Israel go
up and weep before Jehovah till the evening, and ask of Jehovah, saying, `Do I
add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?' And Jehovah
saith, `Go up against him.'
And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until
even,.... The evening of the day in which the battle was fought; not
that the whole army went up to Shiloh to the house of God there, but a
deputation of them, who lamented their defeat, and the loss of so many lives,
but not their sins and transgressions, and particularly the idolatry they had
been guilty of:
and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, shall we go up again to
battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? they seemed
to have some doubt, by the loss they sustained, whether they were right in
going to war with Benjamin, especially as he was their brother; and therefore
the question now is, not who should go up first, which was already determined,
but whether they should go at all; and still they do not ask any help of God in
battle, nor success, but were depending on their numbers, and the justness of
their cause, and therefore neither is promised to them, only they have an
answer to their question:
and the Lord said, go up against him; for Benjamin
was certainly in the wrong, and therefore the Israelites are directed to go
against him, and they also were not sufficiently chastised, nor thoroughly
humbled.
Judges 20:24 24 So the children of Israel
approached the children of Benjamin on the second day.
YLT
24And the sons of Israel draw
near unto the sons of Benjamin on the second day,
And the children of Israel came near,.... To the city
of Gibeah, drew nigh to battle:
against the children of Benjamin the second day; for the two
battles were fought two days successively.
Judges 20:25 25 And Benjamin went out
against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen
thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
YLT
25and Benjamin cometh out to
meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroy among the sons of Israel
again eighteen thousand men -- to the earth; all these are drawing sword.
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 20:26 26 Then all the children of
Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God[c] and wept.
They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until
evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
YLT
26And all the sons of Israel
go up, even all the people, and come in to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there
before Jehovah, and fast on that day till the evening, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings
and peace-offerings before Jehovah.
Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and
came unto the house of God,.... This looks as if the whole body of the
army, with other people from parts adjacent, went up to the tabernacle of God
in Shiloh:
and wept and sat there before the Lord; not only
wept, but continued weeping, and that not merely for their defeat, but for
their sins, since it follows:
and fasted that day until even; afflicted their bodies
with fasting, which was a token of the humiliation of their souls for their
sins:
and offered burnt offering's and peace offerings before the Lord, to make
atonement for their sins, and to implore success on their arms.
Judges 20:27 27 So the children of Israel
inquired of the Lord
(the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
YLT
27And the sons of Israel ask
of Jehovah, -- and there [is] the ark of the covenant of God in those days,
And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord,.... By the
Word of the Lord, as the Targum, and which has the same expression in Judges 20:18 for
the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days; in Shiloh, where the
tabernacle was.
Judges 20:28 28 and Phinehas the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet
again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I
cease?” And the Lord
said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
YLT
28and Phinehas son of
Eleazar, son of Aaron, is standing before it in those days -- saying, `Do I add
again to go out to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or do I
cease?' And Jehovah saith, `Go up, for to-morrow I give him into thy hand.'
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it
in those days,.... Before the ark, ministering before the Lord, which shows
that this affair was long before the times of Samson, though placed after them;
or otherwise Phinehas must have been more than three hundred years of age,
which is not probableF18Vid. Rainold. de lib. Apocryph. Praelect.
149,150. p. 345,353,354. . Phinehas's standing before the ark was the posture
of the priest when he inquired of the Lord for any by Urim and Thummim; the
person that inquired stood before him that was inquired of, as Kimchi observes,
and he that was inquired of stood before the Shechinah, or the presence of the
divine Majesty, of which the ark was a symbol:
saying, shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of
Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? in which the question is
put in somewhat different manner than before, not only desiring to know whether
it was the will of God they should renew the battle or not, since Benjamin was
their brother, but whether they should have success or not; intimating, that if
the Lord would bless and help them, they were willing to go up, but if not they
chose to desist; for they were fully convinced now they were wrong in depending
on their numbers, or the justness of their cause; whereas success depended
wholly on the will and pleasure of God, to which they desired to submit:
and the Lord said, go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into
thine hand; now they are not only directed to go up to the battle, but are
promised victory.
Judges 20:29 29 Then Israel set men in
ambush all around Gibeah.
YLT
29And Israel setteth liers in
wait against Gibeah, round about,
And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. For though they
were assured of success and victory, yet they thought proper to make use of
means: and though their numbers were very great, they had recourse to art and
stratagem, and set an ambush in divers places, much in like manner as Israel
did for the men of Ai; the two cases being pretty much similar; this ambush was
set in the night, as Josephus saysF19Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2.)
sect. 11. ,
Judges 20:30 30 And the children of Israel
went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves
in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times.
YLT
30and the sons of Israel go
up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, and arrange themselves
against Gibeah, as time by time.
And the children of Israel went up against the children of
Benjamin on the third day,.... Not the day following the second
battle, since it would take more time to go to Shiloh, and fast and offer
sacrifices there, but on the third day from the second battle:
and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times; as they had
done on the first and second days of battle.
Judges 20:31 31 So the children of
Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city.
They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other
times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah)
and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
YLT
31And the sons of Benjamin
come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and
begin to smite [some] of the people -- wounded as time by time, in the highways
(of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field),
[are] about thirty men of Israel.
And the children of Benjamin went out against the people,.... Sallied
out of Gibeah upon them, where they had put themselves in array against them:
and were drawn away from the city; the Israelites
retreating, and dissembling a flight, which drew the Benjaminites to pursue
after them, by which means they were drawn off to a greater distance from the
city of Gibeah:
and they began to smite the people, and kill as at other times; at the other
two battles:
in the highways; where it seems two ways met:
of which one goeth up to the house of God; to Bethel, as
the TargumF20So the Septuagint, and Noldius, p. 69. No. 345. ; or
rather to Shiloh, where the house or tabernacle of God was, and was two miles
from Gibeah, as BuntingF21Travels, &c. p. 121. says:
and the other to Gibeah in the field; so called, to
distinguish it from the other Gibeah situated on an hill:
about thirty men of Israel; which were killed in
this running fight; and it seems as if one part of the army of Israel took one
road, and the other the other road, and so divided the army of the Benjaminites
that pursued after them.
Judges 20:32 32 And the children of
Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.” But the
children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the
highways.”
YLT
32And the sons of Benjamin
say, `They are smitten before us as at the beginning;' but the sons of Israel
said, `Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways.'
And the children of Benjamin said, they are smitten down before
us, as at first,.... At the first battle, which gave them great spirit, and they
concluded they should have victory, as before:
but the children of Israel said, let us flee, and draw them from
the city unto the highways; pretending to be afraid of them, and not
able to face them, and therefore made as if they fled through fear and
cowardice, which inspired the Benjaminites with fresh ardour to pursue them
closely, and so were drawn from the city to the highways, as expressed in the
preceding verse.
Judges 20:33 33 So all the men of Israel
rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then
Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.
YLT
33And all the men of Israel
have risen from their place, and arrange themselves at Baal-Tamar, and the
ambush of Israel is coming forth out of its place, out of the meadow of Gibeah.
And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place,.... The main
body of the army, which fled before Benjamin, when they were come to a proper
place, stopped, and rose up out of it, and stood in their own defence:
and put themselves in array at Baaltamar; drew up in a
line of battle at that place, facing their enemies, in order to engage with
them: this place the Targum calls the plains of Jericho, that being the city of
palm trees, which Tamar signifies; and so Jarchi interprets it; but these are
too far off; it must be some place near Gibeah. JeromF23De loc. Heb.
fol. 89. I. speaks of a little village in his time in those parts, called
Bethamari, and may be thought to be this same place; perhaps in the times of
the old Canaanites here was a grove of palm trees, in which Baal was
worshipped, from whence it had its name:
and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places,
even out of the meadows of Gibeah; or plain of Gibeah, as
the Targum; for as the city was built on a hill, at the bottom of it were a
plain and fine meadows of grass, and here an ambush was placed at some little
distance from the city; and when the army of the Benjaminites were drawn off
from it, in pursuit of Israel, these came forth and placed themselves between
them and the city.
Judges 20:34 34 And ten thousand select
men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the
Benjamites[d] did not
know that disaster was upon them.
YLT
34And they come in over
against Gibeah -- ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel -- and the battle
[is] grievous, and they have not known that the evil is striking against them.
And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all
Israel,.... Which, according to Ben Gersom, were the liers in wait; and
came from the south, as the Targum says:
and the battle was sore; not between those liers
in wait, and the Benjaminites, but between those at Baaltamar, and them who set
themselves in battle array against them, and they fought stoutly on both sides:
but they knew not that evil was near them; that there
was an ambush laid, by which they were in great danger; they knew nothing of
the 10,000 men that were now come out against Gibeah, and were between them and
that.
Judges 20:35 35 The Lord defeated
Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day
twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.
YLT
35And Jehovah smiteth
Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroy in Benjamin, on that
day, twenty and five thousand, and a hundred men; all these [are] drawing
sword.
And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel,.... Gave
Israel the victory over them at Baaltamar; for notwithstanding all the art and
stratagem they used, their numbers and their valour, victory was of the Lord,
and to him it is ascribed; for until now Benjamin, though fewer in number, had
been always victorious; and the children of Israel destroyed of the
Benjaminites that day 25,100; which is the total sum of all that were slain of
them that day, the particulars of which are afterwards given:
all these drew the sword; were armed men.
Judges 20:36 36 So the children of
Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to the
Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against
Gibeah.
YLT
36And the sons of Benjamin
see that they have been smitten -- and the men of Israel give place to
Benjamin, for they have trusted unto the ambush which they had set against
Gibeah,
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten,.... Their
forces broken and worsted, many being killed:
for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjaminites; at first, and
made as if they were afraid of them, and so fled before them, which was only to
decoy them to a greater distance from the city Gibeah:
because they trusted unto the liers in wait, which they had set
beside Gibeah; that these would not only enter the city, and burn it, but meet
the Benjaminites fleeing back to it, when they should turn upon them and smite
them, and so cut off all that remained of them.
Judges 20:37 37 And the men in ambush
quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole
city with the edge of the sword.
YLT
37and the ambush have hasted,
and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draweth itself out, and smiteth the
whole of the city by the mouth of the sword.
And the liers in wait hasted,.... When the time was
come agreed upon for them to rise out of their ambush:
and rushed upon Gibeah; at unawares, with great
force and violence entered the city, and took possession of it; or
"extended"F24יפשטו
"extenderunt se", Tigurine version. , or spread themselves unto it;
before they lay close in a narrow compass, but now they put themselves in a
regular order, and marched rank and file, and reached from the meadows in which
they were, Judges 20:33, to
the city:
and the liers in wait drew themselves along; along the
city, in every part of it, spread themselves all over it, and made themselves
masters of every corner of it; or "made a long sound"F25ימשך "pertraxerunt buccinae sonitum", Paguninus;
so Jarchi and Limchi. with a trumpet, protracted that to a great length, which
was done to terrify the inhabitants, or to let the Israelites know they were
possessed of the city:
and smote all the city with the edge of the sword; old men,
women, and children, who were not able to bear arms.
Judges 20:38 38 Now the appointed signal
between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a
great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,
YLT
38And there was the appointed
sign to the men of Israel with the ambush -- their causing to go up a great
volume of smoke from the city.
Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the
liers in wait,.... Or an appointed timeF26המועד
"tempus constitutum", Panginus, Montanus, Junius et Tremellius,
Piscator. as the Targum; so Kimchi and Abarbinel. There was a time fixed, at
which the men of Israel proposed to be at Baaltamar, exactly when the
Benjaminites would be drawn at a proper distance from the city, and then the
liers in wait were to break forth, and rush upon it, and enter it:
and that they should make a great flame with smoke to rise up out
of the city; set it on fire, and cause the fire to burn fiercely, that there
might be a large ascent of flame and smoke to be seen afar off; which, when the
men of Israel saw, they would know the city was taken.
Judges 20:39 39 whereupon the men of
Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill
about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, “Surely they are defeated
before us, as in the first battle.”
YLT
39And the men of Israel turn
in battle, and Benjamin hath begun to smite the wounded among the men of
Israel, about thirty men, for they said, `Surely they are utterly smitten
before us, as [at] the first battle;
And when the men of Israel retired in the battle,.... Which is
before expressed by their fleeing, and giving place to the Benjaminites, and
was only an artifice of theirs, to draw them off from the city:
Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty
persons; which was done in the highways leading to Shiloh and Gibeah in
the field, Judges 20:31.
for they said, surely they are smitten down before us as in the
first battle; when the greater number of the Israelites were slain by them.
Judges 20:40 40 But when the cloud began
to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them,
and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven.
YLT
40and the volume hath begun
to go up from the city -- a pillar of smoke -- and Benjamin turneth behind, and
lo, gone up hath the perfection of the city toward the heavens.
But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar
of smoke,.... Fire being set to it by the liers in wait, who had entered
it, and who made a large fire, which caused a vast pillar of flame and smoke to
arise, which might be seen a great way off:
the Benjamites looked behind them; perhaps at hearing the
blowing of the trumpet, and the long sound of that:
and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven; went upwards,
and reached to a great height.
Judges 20:41 41 And when the men of Israel
turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come
upon them.
YLT
41And the men of Israel have
turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the evil
hath stricken against them –
And when the men of Israel turned again,.... Turned
their faces to the Benjaminites, on whom they had turned their backs; and which
they did on hearing the sound of the trumpet, or seeing the flame of the city,
or both, and that in order to fight the Benjaminites, and smite them, as now
was their opportunity:
the men of Benjamin were amazed; at this strange and
sudden change of things, at the sight of the flame of their city behind them,
and at the Israelites turning back to fight them, when they thought themselves
sure of victory, as at other times:
for they saw that evil was come upon them; that they
were in the utmost danger, between two fires, as we usually say, liers in wait
behind them, which had seized their city and burnt it, and the army of Israel
turning upon them with great spirit and resolution.
Judges 20:42 42 Therefore they turned their
backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the
battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed
in their midst.
YLT
42and they turn before the
men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed
them; and those who [are] from the city are destroying them in their midst;
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel,.... And fled from
them:
unto the way of the wilderness; what wilderness is not
certain, perhaps the wilderness of Judah; they did not turn directly back
towards Gibeah, perceiving that was taken, and in the hands of a body of men
that would meet them, and therefore they turned on one side towards the
wilderness, if happily they could make their escape thither, and shelter
themselves:
but the battle overtook them; that is, they that made
war, as the Targum, the Israelites that were engaged in battle with them
pursued them, and overtook them:
and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst
of them; either the Israelites that came out of their cities to assist
their brethren destroyed the Benjaminites as they fled, or the Benjaminites who
came out of other cities to Gibeah, these were destroyed in the midst of it
with the inhabitants, by the liers in wait, when they entered it.
Judges 20:43 43 They surrounded the
Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the
front of Gibeah toward the east.
YLT
43they have compassed the
Benjamites -- they have pursued them -- with ease they have trodden them down
till over-against Gibeah, at the sun-rising.
Thus they enclosed the Benjaminites round about,....
Surrounded them on all sides, the army of Israel being posted in different
places, and people coming out of all the cities to their assistance. JosephusF1Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10.) says, they were forced into, and cooped
up, in a hollow place in a valley, so that they could not escape:
and chased them; or "caused to pursue"F2הרדיפהו "persequi fecerunt eum", Pagninus,
Montanus, Drusius; "vel eos", Vatablus. ; calling after them a
pursuit, crying to one another as they went along, saying, pursue them, pursue
them; so Jarchi and Kimchi; which cry, as it inspired the pursuers with zeal,
so they pursued with terror:
and trod them down with ease; they making no
resistance, being quite dispirited; the Targrim is,"from the house of
their rest,'where they took up their rest, and designed to rest that night, but
could not, being so closely pursued, and diligently sought after. Some take
"menuchah", rendered "ease", to be the name of a place,
from or unto which they were pursued and trodden down, see 1 Chronicles 2:52
and so the Septuagint seems to take it for the name of a place, rendering it,
"from Noua":
over against Gibeah, towards the sunrising; that is, as
Jarchi interprets it, to the east of Gibeah, there was this overthrow and slaughter
made.
Judges 20:44 44 And eighteen thousand men
of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.
YLT
44And there fall of Benjamin
eighteen thousand men -- the whole of these [are] men of valour;
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men,.... Just the
number they had slain of Israel in the second battle. This is the number of
them that were slain when Israel turned upon them, and by that time they got to
the east of Gibeah; afterwards 5000 more were slain on the highways, and 2000
near Gidom, as after related:
all these were men of valour; as appears by three
times facing and engaging with the army of Israel, so vastly superior to them,
and twice beating them.
Judges 20:45 45 Then they[e] turned and
fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they cut down five
thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to
Gidom, and killed two thousand of them.
YLT
45and they turn and flee
toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon; and they glean of them in the
highways five thousand men, and follow after them unto Gidom, and smite of them
two thousand men.
And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, unto the rock of
Rimmon,.... Which signifies pomegranate; perhaps it was in the form of
one, and may be the same as in 1 Samuel 14:2 where
Saul is said to be under a pomegranate tree, or under Rimmon, the rock Rimmon,
for that is said to be near Gibeah, as this was. There was a village in the
times of Jerom called Remmon, fifteen miles from Jerusalem to the northF3De
loc. Heb. fol. 94. B. , but could not be near this rock to have its name from
thence; hither the rest of the army fled for shelter:
and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; who were
scattered one from another, and as they were found in the highways, and picked
up, they were slain one after another, just as ears of corn are gleaned one by
one, after the harvest is got in, or as grapes in single berries, after the
vintage is over:
and pursued hard after them unto Gidom; which perhaps
had its name from the cutting off of the Benjaminites there:
and slew two thousand men of them; that is, 2000 more
besides the 5000 before mentioned.
Judges 20:46 46 So all who fell of
Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were
men of valor.
YLT
46And all those falling of
Benjamin are twenty and five thousand men drawing sword, on that day -- the
whole of these [are] men of valour;
So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and
thousand men,.... It is before said 25,100 Judges 20:35 here
the one hundred are omitted, and the round number of thousands given, which is
no unusual way of speaking and writing; the whole army of Benjamin consisted of
26,700 of which 18,000 were slain in the field of battle, 5000 in the highways,
and 2000 at Gidom, in all 25,000; and we may suppose one hundred as they were
straggling in the road, or found in by places, or are not mentioned with either
of the thousands for the sake of a round number, and six hundred fled to the
rock Rimmon; as for the other 1000, it is highly probable, they fell in the two
first battles, as Ben Gersom and Abarbinel rightly suppose; for it is not
credible, that though they got such amazing victories, it was without the loss
of men, and these are as few as well can be imagined. Jarchi thinks these
thousand fled to the cities of Benjamin, and were slain when the Israelites
entered them, as after related, Judges 20:48 which
is much more probable than a tradition they have, that they went into the land
of Romania, and dwelt there. Now all those that were slain were men
that drew the sword; soldiers, not
husbandmen, artificers, &c. but armed men:
all these were men of valour; even those that fled,
who chose rather to lose their lives than ask for quarter.
Judges 20:47 47 But six hundred men turned
and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the
rock of Rimmon for four months.
YLT
47and there turn and flee
into the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they dwell in
the rock Rimmon four months.
But six hundred men,.... Who were all that
were left of 26,700
turned and fled to the wilderness; turned out of the
highway or common road, and being swift of foot, got to a wilderness; what
wilderness is not certain:
unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months; very probably
in a cave of that rock, which might be large enough to hold such a number; Saul
is said to have just the same number under it, and David had also a like number
in a cave at Engedi, 1 Samuel 14:2, and
from hence these men might send out of their number to fetch in provision for
them from parts adjacent, after the heat of the action was over, and the rage
and fury of the Israelites subsided.
Judges 20:48 48 And the men of Israel
turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the
edge of the sword—from every city, men and beasts, all who were found.
They also set fire to all the cities they came to.
YLT
48And the men of Israel have
turned back unto the sons of Benjamin, and smite them by the mouth of the sword
out of the city, -- men unto cattle, unto all that is found; also all the
cities which are found they have sent into fire.
And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin,.... After
they had destroyed their army, the city of Gibeah, and the inhabitants of it:
not content with this, in their wrath and fury, turned and went:
and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of
every city; even men, women, and children, in every city of Benjamin, at
least all that lay in their way; and which they might do to be avenged on them,
for sending out their militia against them, which had made such a slaughter
among them to the loss of 40,000 men, or to fulfil their oath, that such who
came not to Mizpeh should be put to death; for which reason also the
inhabitants of Jabeshgilead, as well as of the cities of Benjamin, were put to
death, men, women, and children, dealing in the same severity with them as with
the Canaanitish nations, or as with a city given to idolatry:
as the beast, and all that came to hand; spared no
living creature, herds and flocks:
also they set on fire all the cities that they came unto; which
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, so exceedingly wroth were they with them,
for protecting such that had been the authors of such abominable wickedness,
and for the loss of the lives of so many valuable men.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)