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Judges Chapter
Twenty
Judges 20
Chapter Contents
The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated.
The Israelites' abhorrence of the crime committed at
Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they
formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin
of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Judges》
Judges 20
Verse 1
[1] Then
all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together
as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD
in Mizpeh.
All —
That is, a great number, and especially the rulers of all the tribes, except
Benjamin, verse 3,12.
One man —
That is, with one consent.
Dan, … —
Dan was the northern border of the land, near Lebanon; and Beersheba the
southern border.
Gilead —
Beyond Jordan, where Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh were.
To the Lord — As
to the Lord's tribunal: for God was not only present in the place where the ark
and tabernacle was, but also in the assemblies of the gods, or judges, Psalms 82:1, and in all places where God's name
is recorded, Exodus 20:24, and where two or three are met
together in his name.
Mizpeh — A
place on the borders of Judah and Benjamin. This they chose, as a place they
used to meet in upon solemn occasions, for its convenient situation for all the
tribes within and without Jordan; and the being near the place where the fact
was done, that it might be more throughly examined; and not far from Shiloh,
where the tabernacle was, whither they might go or send.
Verse 2
[2] And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel,
presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred
thousand footmen that drew sword.
Four hundred thousand — The number is here set down, to shew their zeal and forwardness in
punishing such a villainy; the strange blindness of the Benjamites that durst
oppose so great and united a Body; and that the success of battles depends not
upon great numbers, seeing this great host was twice defeated by the
Benjamites.
Verse 3
[3] (Now
the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to
Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
Heard —
Like persons unconcerned and resolved, they neither went nor sent thither:
partly for their own pride, and stubbornness; partly because as they were loth
to give up any of their brethren to justice, so they presumed the other tribes
would never proceed to war against them; and partly, from a Divine infatuation
hardening that wicked tribe to their own destruction.
Tell us —
They speak to the Levite, and his servant, and his host, who doubtless were
present upon this occasion.
Verse 5
[5] And
the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by
night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that
she is dead.
Slain me —
Except I would either submit to their unnatural lust, which I was resolved to
withstand even unto death: or deliver up my concubine to them, which I was
forced to do.
Verse 6
[6] And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout
all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness
and folly in Israel.
Folly —
That is, a lewd folly; most ignominious and impudent wickedness.
Verse 7
[7]
Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.
Ye are —
The sons of that holy man, who for one filthy action left an eternal brand upon
one of his own sons: a people in covenant with the holy God, whose honour you
are obliged to vindicate, and who hath expressly commanded you to punish all
such notorious enormities.
Verse 8
[8] And
all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent,
neither will we any of us turn into his house.
His tent —
That is, his habitation, until we have revenged this injury.
Verse 10
[10] And
we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an
hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for
the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according
to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.
According, … —
That we may punish them as such a wickedness deserves.
In Israel —
This is added as an aggravation, that they should do that in Israel, or among
God's peculiar people, which was esteemed abominable even among the Heathen.
Verse 12
[12] And
the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What
wickedness is this that is done among you?
All the tribe —
They take a wise and a just course, in sending to all the parts of the tribe,
to separate the innocent from the guilty, and to give them a fair opportunity
of preventing their ruin, by doing what their duty, honour, and interest
obliged them to; by delivering up those vile malefactors, whom they could not
keep without bringing the curse of God upon themselves.
Verse 13
[13] Now
therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that
we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of
Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:
Evil —
Both the guilt and the punishment, wherein all Israel will be involved, if they
do not punish it.
Would not hearken —
From the pride of their hearts, which made them scorn to submit to their
brethren; from a conceit of their own valour; and from God's just judgment.
Verse 15
[15] And
the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty
and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which
were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
Were numbered —
"How does this agree with the following numbers? For all that were slain
of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand and one hundred men, verse 35, and there were only six hundred that
survived, verse 47, which make only twenty-five thousand and
seven hundred." The other thousand men were either left in some of their
cities, where they were slain, verse 48, or were cut off in the two first battles,
wherein it is unreasonable to think they had an unbloody victory: and as for
these twenty-five thousand and one hundred men, they were all slain in the
third battle.
Verse 16
[16]
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one
could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
Not miss — An
hyperbolical expression, signifying, that they could do this with great
exactness. And this was very considerable and one ground of the Benjamites
confidence.
Verse 17
[17] And
the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men
that drew sword: all these were men of war.
Men of Israel —
Such as were here present, for it is probable they had a far greater number of
men, being six hundred thousand before their entrance into Canaan.
Verse 18
[18] And
the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked
counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against
the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.
Children of Israel —
Some sent in the name of all.
House of God — To
Shiloh, which was not far from Mizpeh.
Which —
This was asked to prevent emulations and contentions: but they do not ask
whether they should go against them, or no, for that they knew they ought to do
by the will of God already revealed: nor yet do they seek to God for his help
by prayer, and fasting, and sacrifice, as in all reason they ought to have
done; but were confident of success, because of their great numbers, and
righteous cause.
Verse 21
[21] And
the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the
ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
Destroyed, … —
Why would God suffer them to have so great a loss in so good a cause? Because
they had many and great sins reigning among themselves, and they should not
have come to so great a work of God, with polluted hands, but should have
pulled the beam out of their own eye, before they attempted to take that out of
their brother Benjamin's eye: which because they did not, God doth it for them,
bringing them through the fire, that they might he purged from their dross; it
being probable that the great God who governs every stroke in battle, did so
order things, that their worst members should be cut off, which was a great
blessing to the whole common - wealth. And God would hereby shew, that the race
is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. We must never lay that
weight on an arm of flesh, which only the Rock of Ages will bear.
Verse 22
[22] And
the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again
in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
Encouraged —
Heb. strengthened themselves, supporting themselves with the consciousness of
the justice of their cause, and putting themselves in better order for
defending themselves, and annoying their enemies.
Verse 23
[23] (And
the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked
counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children
of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)
Wept —
Not so much for their sins, as for their defeat and loss. My brother-They
impute their ill success, not to their own sins, but to their taking up arms
against their brethren. But still they persist in their former neglect of
seeking God's assistance in the way which he had appointed, as they themselves
acknowledged presently, by doing those very things which now they neglected.
Verse 26
[26] Then
all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the
house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day
until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
Fasted —
Sensible of their not being truly humbled for their sins, which now they
discover to be the cause of their ill success.
Burnt, … — To
make atonement to God for their own sins.
Peace-offerings — To
bless God for sparing so many of them, whereas he might justly have cut off all
of them when their brethren were slain: to implore his assistance, yea and to
give thanks for the victory, which now they were confident he would give them.
Verse 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 Benjamin my
brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will
deliver them into thine hand.
Phinehas —
This is added to give us light about the time of this history, and to shew it
was not done in the order in which it is here placed, after Samson's death, but
long before.
Stood —
That is ministered as high-priest.
The Lord said —
When they sought God after the due order, and truly humbled themselves for
their sins, he gives them a satisfactory answer.
Verse 29
[29] And
Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
Liers in wait —
Though they were assured of the success, by a particular promise, yet they do
not neglect the use of means; as well knowing that the certainty of God's
promises doth not excuse, but rather require man's diligent use of all fit
means for the accomplishment of them.
Verse 30
[30] And
the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third
day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
The children of Israel — That is, a considerable part of them, who were ordered to give the first
onset, and then to counterfeit flight, to draw the Benjamites forth from their
strong-hold. See verse 32.
Verse 34
[34] And
there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the
battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
Chosen men —
Selected out of the main body, which was at Baal-tamar; and these were to march
directly to Gibeah on the one side, whilst the liers in wait stormed it on the
other side, and whilst the great body of the army laboured to intercept the
Benjamites, who having pursued the Israelites that pretended to flee, now
endeavoured to retreat to Gibeah.
Verse 37
[37] And
the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew
themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Drew along —
Or, extended themselves; whereas before they lay close and contracted into a
narrow compass, now they spread themselves, and marched in rank and file as
armies do.
Verse 44
[44] And
there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
There fell —
Namely, in the field, of battle.
Verse 45
[45] And
they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they
gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them
unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
Gleaned —
That is, a metaphor from those who gather grapes or corn so clearly and fully,
that they leave no relicks for those who come after them.
Verse 46
[46] So
that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that
drew the sword; all these were men of valour.
Twenty and five thousand — Besides the odd hundred expressed verse 35, but here only the great number is mentioned,
the less being omitted, as inconsiderable. Here are also a thousand more
omitted, because he speaks only of them who fell in that third day of battle.
Verse 48
[48] And
the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them
with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and
all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.
Turned again —
Having destroyed those that came to Gibeah, and into the field, now they follow
them home to their several habitations.
Men —
Comprehensively taken, so as to include women and children. If this seem harsh
and bloody, either it may be ascribed to military fury; or perhaps it may be
partly justified, from that command of God in a parallel case, Deuteronomy 13:15, and from that solemn oath by
which they had devoted to death all that came not up to Mizpeh, chap. 21:5, which none of the Benjamites did.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Judges》
20 Chapter 20
Verses 1-48
The men of Israel turned again upon the children of BenJamin.
From justice to wild revenge
It may be asked how, while polygamy was practised among the
Israelites, the sin of Gibeah could rouse such indignation and awaken the
signal vengeance of the united tribes. The answer is to be found partly in the
singular and dreadful device which the indignant husband used in making the
deed known. Womanhood must have been stirred to the fiercest indignation, and
manhood was bound to follow. Further, there is the fact that the woman so foully
murdered, though a concubine, was the concubine of a Levite. The measure of
sacredness with which the Levites were invested gave to this crime, frightful
enough in any view, the colour of sacrilege. There could be no blessing on the
tribes if they allowed the doers or condoners of this thing to go unpunished.
It is therefore not incredible, but appears simply in accordance with the
instincts and customs proper to the Hebrew people, that the sin of Gibeah
should provoke overwhelming indignation. There is no pretence of purity, no
hypocritical anger. The feeling is sound and real. Perhaps in no other matter
of a moral kind would there have been such intense and unanimous exasperation.
A point of justice or of belief would not have so moved the tribes. The better
self of Israel appears asserting its claim and power. And the miscreants of
Gibeah representing the lower self, verily an unclean spirit, are detested and
denounced on every hand. Now the people of Gibeah were not all vile. The
wretches whose crime called for judgment were but the rabble of the town. And
we can see that the tribes, when they gathered in indignation, were made
serious by the thought that the righteous might be punished with the wicked.
Not without the suffering of the entire community is a great evil to be purged
from a land. It is easy to execute a murderer, to imprison a felon. But the
spirit of the murderer, of the felon, is widely diffused, and that has to be
cast out. In the great moral struggle the better have not only the openly vile,
but all who are tainted, all who are weak in soul, loose in habit, secretly
sympathetie with the vile, arrayed against them. When an assault is made on
some vile custom the sardonic laugh is heard of those who find their profit and
their pleasure in it. They feel their power. They know the wide sympathy with
them spread secretly through the land. Once and again the feeble attempt of the
good is repelled. The tide turned, and there came another danger, that which
waits on ebullitions of popular feeling. A crowd roused to anger is hard to
control, and the tribes having once tasted vengeance, did not cease till
Benjamin was almost exterminated. Justice overshot its mark, and for one evil
made another. Those who had most fiercely used the sword viewed the result with
horror and amazement, for a tribe was lacking in Israel. Nor was this the end
of slaughter. Next, for the sake of Benjamin the sword was drawn, and the men
of Jabesh-gilead were butchered. The warning conveyed here is intensely keen.
It is that men, made doubtful by the issue of their actions whether they have
done wisely, may fly to the resolution to justify themselves, and may do so
even at the expense of justice; that a nation may pass from the right way to
the wrong, and then, having sunk to extraordinary baseness and malignity, may
turn, writhing and self-condemned, to add cruelty to cruelty in the attempt to
still the upbraidings of conscience. It is that men in the heat of passion
which began with resentment against evil may strike at those who have not
joined in their errors as well as those who truly deserve reprobation. We
stand, nations and individuals, in constant danger of dreadful extremes, a kind
of insanity hurrying us on when the blood is heated by strong emotion. Blindly
attempting to do right, we do evil; and again, having done the evil, we blindly
strive to remedy it by doing more. In times of moral darkness and chaotic
social conditions, when men are guided by a few rude principles, things are
done that afterwards appal themselves, and yet may become an example for future
outbreaks. During the fury of their Revolution, the French people, with some
watchwords of the true ring, as liberty, fraternity, turned hither and thither,
now in terror, now panting after dimly-seen justice or hope, and it was always
from blood to blood. We understand the juncture in ancient Israel, and realise
the excitement and the rage of a self-jealous people when we read the modern
tales of surging ferocity in which men appear now hounding the shouting crowd
to vengeance, then shuddering on the scaffold. In private life the story has an
application against wild and violent methods of self-vindication. Passing to
the final expedient adopted by the chiefs of Israel to rectify their error--the
rape of the women at Shiloh--we see only to how pitiful a pass moral blundering
brings those who fall into it. (R. A. Watson, M. A.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》