Lux Domini

Judges 20

Chapter context

What is happening in Judges 20?

apostasydeliverancedisorderleadership

Judges 20 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as the Levite concubine narrative and civil war. Judges recounts the troubled era of charismatic deliverers, recurring apostasy, local rescues, and the national unraveling summed up by the line that everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Read this chapter with the wider themes of apostasy, deliverance, and disorder in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

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.   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.   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?   4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.   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.   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.   7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.   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.   9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;   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.   11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.   12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?   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:   14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.   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.   16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.   17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.   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.   19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.   20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.   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.   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.   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.)   24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.   25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.   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.   27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,   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.   29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.   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.   31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.   32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.   33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.   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.   35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.   36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.   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.   38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.   39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.   40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.   41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.   42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.   43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.   44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.   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.   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.   47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.   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.  

Study helps

Glossary

Beersheba Place v. 1

Well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact ( Gen. 21:31 ). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name ( Gen. 26:31-33 ). Modern identification: Tel Beer Sheva.

Dan Place v. 1

Woodland Dan, a place probably somewhere in the direction of Dan, near the sources of the Jordan ( 2 Sam. 24:6 ). The LXX. and the Vulgate read “Dan-ja’ar”, i. e., “Dan in the forest. ”. Modern identification: Tel Dan.

Gilead Place v. 1

Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.

Jordan Place v. 1

Biblical river. Modern identification: Jordan River.

Mizpah Place v. 1, 3

Or Miz’peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1. ) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot ( Gen. 31:49 ) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Modern identification: Tell en Nasbeh.

Benjamin Person v. 3-4, 10, 12-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-25, 28, 30-32, 35-36, 39, 41, 44, 46, 48

Son of my right hand. (1. ) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel ( Gen. 35:18 ). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place.

Gibeah Place v. 4-5, 9-10, 13-15, 19-21, 25, 29-31, 34, 36-37, 43

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel el Ful.

Levite Tribe v. 4

A descendant of the tribe of Levi ( Ex. 6:25 ; Lev. 25:32 ; Num. 35:2 ; Josh. 21:3 , 41).

City People v. 11, 31-32, 37-38, 40, 48

The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).

Bethel Place v. 18, 23, 26-27, 31

House of God. (1. ) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz ( Gen. 28:19 ). Modern identification: Beitin.

Ark Object v. 27

Noah’s ark, a building of gopher-wood, and covered with pitch, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits broad, and 30 cubits high.

Eleazar Person v. 28

God has helped. (1. ) The third son of Aaron ( Ex. 6:23 ). His wife, a daughter of Putiel, bore him Phinehas ( Ex. 6:25 ). After the death of Nadab and Abihu.

Phinehas Person v. 28

Mouth of brass, or from old Egypt, the negro. (1. ) Son of Eleazar, the high priest ( Ex. 6:25 ).

Baal-tamar Place v. 33

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ras et Tawil.

Maareh-geba Place v. 33

Biblical natural area. Modern identification: Tel el Ful.

Nohah Place v. 43

Biblical settlement. Modern identification: not a place (adverb).

Gidom Place v. 45

Biblical natural area. Modern identification: El Jai Cave.

Rimmon Place v. 45, 47

Biblical natural area. Modern identification: El Jai Cave.