Chapter 20

1 The Levite in a general assembly declareth his wrong. 8 The decree of the assembly. 12 The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites. 18 The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand. 26 They destroy by a stratagem all the Benjamites, except six hundred.

1. Went out. That is, went out prepared for battle (see ch. 2:15; etc.).

As one man. It was a spontaneous assembling, the result of their serious discussion of the problem with one another.

Dan even to Beer-sheba. That is, from the northernmost settlement of Hebrews, the city of Dan (see ch. 18), to Beer-sheba, the most southern Israelite settlement on the fringe of the Negeb in southern Judah. The expression occurs seven times in the Bible (Judges 20:1; 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 3:10; 17:11; 24:2, 15; 1 Kings 4:25), and once as Beersheba even to Dan (1 Chron. 21:2).

Land of Gilead. This expression seems to include all the Hebrews east of the Jordan (see chs. 5:17; 11:5, 6; etc.). All the Hebrew settlements sent delegations, with the exception of the city of Jabesh-gilead (ch. 21:8, 10).

Unto the Lord. This does not necessarily mean that they brought the ark or tabernacle hither, nor yet that Mizpeh was Shiloh, where the ark was situated. David was made king in Hebron “before the Lord” (2 Sam. 5:3), and yet there was no ark there. The phrase may mean that they assembled to discuss together what course of action to take, and that they asked God to guide them in their deliberation (see on Joshua 24:1; see also on Judges 20:27).

Mizpeh. This settlement is often identified with the hill Nebйµ SamwйЖl, 5 mi. (8 km.) northwest of Jerusalem and 3 mi. (4.8 km.) from Gibeah, the scene of the crime. The hill is about 3,000 ft. (914 m.) high. More likely is the identification with Tell enРNasbeh, 7 1/2 mi. (12 km.) north of Jerusalem. Mizpeh in Benjamin served at other times as a gathering place of the tribes (1 Sam. 7:5–17; 10:17). This was the first great gathering of all the Hebrews since the days of Joshua.

2. Chief. Literally, “corners,” or “corner-stones.” The men who were the pillars, the mainstays, of the tribes all came to Mizpeh.

3. Benjamin heard. The word that the Israelites were assembling to punish the crime may have reached the Benjamites of Gibeah as soon as the first groups began to arrive at Mizpeh, or even before they got there. It may also be that the Benjamites received the same summons as the other tribes (see ch. 19:29).

Tell us. The words were addressed to the Levite. When the number of Israelites swelled to a throng, they asked the Levite to give them a firsthand description of the crime of which the men of Gibeah were guilty.

5. To have slain me. Although the previous chapter did not indicate this threat, it would probably have followed the carrying out of the intent recorded in ch. 19:22.

8. All the people arose. After the Levite had recounted the narrative of his outrage, the whole assembly united in protest and agreed that none of them should return to their homes until it was avenged.

9. Go up. Their decision was to go up in battle array against the town of Gibeah and demand the surrender of the guilty.

10. Ten men of an hundred. With so large a number of people encamped in one place, it was difficult to procure enough food for all. One tenth of the entire force, chosen perhaps by lot, were assigned the task of going out to gather food for the assembled forces. Thus one man was to provide food for nine men at the front.

11. Knit together as one man. Literally, “united together as a club [society].” It was remarkable that so great unanimity could be achieved in view of the divergent interests of the various Hebrew tribes.

12. Through all the tribe. Before resorting to force, the assembly expostulated with the tribe of Benjamin, urging them to recognize the enormity of the sin committed, and to deliver up the guilty men that they might be put to death. It was a fair proposition. Those that were guilty ought to pay the penalty for their misdeeds.

13. Put away evil. The sin committed was so grave that it called for the death penalty. Only in that way could the tribes be free from guilt (see Deut. 13:5; 17:7; 19:19–21).

Would not hearken. The tribe of Benjamin preferred civil war to giving up their criminals. Tribal pride and solidarity in this instance served to uphold and defend men of the worst sort.

14. Gathered themselves. The tribe of Benjamin displayed tremendous courage, but it was in an evil cause.

15. Twenty and six thousand men. This number was less than at the census taken at the end of the 40 years of sojourn in the wilderness (Num. 26:41), by more than one third. The same decrease is shown also in the other tribes (see on Judges 20:17).

16. Seven hundred. These expert marksmen with the sling were probably the same as the 700 men in their prime who, according to the previous verse, represented Gibeah in the army of Benjamin. It would not be likely that 2 different groups of 700 men would be mentioned together, and yet the possibility of such a coincidence is by no means excluded.

At an hair. This expression merely implies extreme accuracy. The Benjamites were also noted in later centuries as being skilled in the use of slings (1 Chron. 12:2). In secular history men are reported to have become so expert in the art that the stones they flung came with as much force as if hurled from a catapult, and pierced shields and helmets.

Miss. Heb.chataХ. This is the same word that in nearly all of its more than 200 occurrences is translated “to sin.” Its basic meaning is to miss the mark, and when it is used for the idea of “sin” it describes the act as one of missing the divine mark that God has for His people—the mark of perfection defined in the law of God.

17. Four hundred thousand. The Israelite population was declining. In the first year after the Exodus from Egypt the fighting men are said to have numbered 603,550 including 35,400 from Benjamin (Num. 1:46, 37). In the 40th year after the Exodus they are said to have numbered 601,730, including 45,600 Benjamites (Num. 26:51, 41).

18. Arose. Most likely only the leaders of the host would have journeyed to Shiloh to inquire before the ark regarding their plan of procedure. It is hardly to be considered that all the army of 400,000 men would march to the tabernacle to inquire of the Lord. However, the place may have been close at hand.

House of God. Heb. bethРХel. If this word is left untranslated, the phrase reads “went up to Bethel,” and that is the way it is given in modern versions. Some think it better to translate the word than to use it as a proper name indicating the nearby city of Bethel, for the tabernacle was at this time in Shiloh, 9 1/2 mi. (15.2 km.) north of Bethel and 12 1/2 mi. (20 km.) north of Mizpeh, where the army had encamped. It was usually to Shiloh, to the tabernacle, that they went to ask counsel of God (see ch. 21:2, 4, 12). However, there is the possibility that the ark may have been temporarily removed from Shiloh, as later in the time of Eli (1 Sam. 4:3, 4).

Which of us? Such a large army could not easily deploy around the small hill on which Gibeah was situated. They had decided that only one tribe would attack at a time.

Judah. This tribe had a reputation for being aggressive. They have held a position of pre-eminence from the beginning of the book (ch. 1:1, 2).

19. Rose up. Evidently from Mizpeh, where the bulk of the army was encamped.

21. Came forth. The whole army of Benjamin, 26,700 strong, had assembled within and around Gibeah. Courageously they came out of the walls and swept down the hill upon the army of Judah.

Down to the ground. That is, they fell slain upon the ground.

Twenty and two thousand. This means that the Benjamites slew almost a man apiece. No statement is made of Benjamite losses. There must certainly have been some.

22. Encouraged themselves. Some have suggested that v. 22 should follow v. 23 to make good sense and that some ancient copyist inadvertently reversed the order of these two verses. However, the narrative also is understandable with the events occurring in the sequence given.

23. Went up. It seems that the allied tribes sent another delegation to ask directions from the Lord.

Wept. Israel’s defeat led the people to humble themselves before the Lord and to recognize more fully their dependence upon Him. Perhaps they needed to learn the lesson that “he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” (John 8:7). Many of those who were so highly incensed at the crime of the men of Gibeah were probably guilty of similar offenses. For example, at Sinai and Baal-peor, all Israel had fallen into abominable forms of idolatry.

My brother. The Israelites felt uneasy, realizing that they were engaged in a fratricidal war. Their angry feeling began to soften toward the men of Benjamin. However, the Lord instructed them to continue the attack. The people of Benjamin also needed to be humbled and brought to a recognition of their guilt.

26. Fasted. For the second time the army of Israel had suffered disastrous losses at the hand of the defiant Benjamites. They were perplexed, nonplused, distressed. The Lord had instructed them to attack, yet they had suffered heavy casualties. To try to find the answer for their failure, they fasted and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. This is the first place in the Bible where the word “fast” occurs, although the practice, no doubt, began much earlier.

27. Ark of the covenant. This is the only mention made of the ark in the book of Judges.

There. Some have believed this to refer to Shiloh, and others to Bethel. The tabernacle apparently remained in Shiloh from the time Joshua pitched it there (Joshua 18:1) until the ark was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:10, 11) at the end of the judgeship of Eli. On the tabernacle being in Shiloh see Joshua 22:12; 1 Sam. 1:3; 2:14; 3:21; 4:3. For a possible removal of the ark to some temporary location see on Judges 20:18.

28. Phinehas. According to Joshua 22:12, 13, Phinehas was priest of the tabernacle in Shiloh during the days of Joshua. The mention of his name in this passage, therefore, places this incident concerning the Levite and his concubine in the lifetime of the first generation of the Israelites in Palestine. It supports the view, stated earlier (see on Judges 18:29, 30; 19:1), that the two incidents described in the last five chapters of Judges took place many years before the other events described in the book. It is interesting to note that in the narrative of the migration of the Danites, the probable grandson of Moses plays a prominent part, whereas in the story of the Levite, the grandson of Aaron is mentioned (see on Judges 18:30).

To morrow I will deliver. The Israelites were not allowed to win a victory until after a preparatory period. The setbacks effectively drove them to fasting and prayer and to an earnest inquiry as to the cause of their failure. The delay was God’s opportunity to point them to their own defects of character that needed correction as much as to the faults of others, of which they were so forcefully aware. The Israelites were far too ready to set out upon the work of correcting their brethren without being conscious of their own shortcomings. It was to correct this same type of shortcoming that Jesus made His statement about the beam and the mote (see Matt. 7:5).

29. Liers in wait. In the two previous battles the Israelite forces had been overconfident because they felt that their cause was just and because the weight of numbers was on their side. But such advantages do not preclude the need for careful preparation, much prayer, and cautious strategy.

31. Were drawn away. The Israelite army feigned retreat, thus causing the Benjamites to pursue them. In so doing, the rear and flanks of the army of Benjamin were exposed to the Israelite troops lying in ambush.

Highways. The route the Israelite army took in its feigned flight was along two highways, one running northward to Bethel and Shiloh, the other leading to a town named Gibeah. The latter, to distinguish it from the Gibeah where the Benjamites had their base, was called “Gibeah in the field.” Gibeah was a common name meaning “hill.” The latter village seems to have been situated not on a hill, as its name would suggest, but on a level field.

33. At Baal-tamar. Literally, “Baal of the palm tree.” The exact location is not known, but it must have been somewhere in the vicinity of Gibeah. Besides the men in ambush near Gibeah, another part of the Israelite army was stationed at this unknown site nearby. As the Benjamites were following the retreating army of Israel, they were unexpectedly opposed by this new and fresh group of forces; and at the same time those secreted in ambush near Gibeah attacked the army of Benjamin from the rear. It seems that the army of Israel had been divided into three parts.

34. Ten thousand chosen men. This was evidently the group who formed the ambush and who seem to have attacked Gibeah itself.

Knew not. Although the Benjamites recognized that they were having a hard battle, yet each one, busily engaged on his own front, did not perceive that their forces were completely surrounded and thus doomed to destruction.

With this and the following verse, the author interrupts the detailed description of the battle to state its final outcome, as if to relieve the reader’s concern.

36. So. Having described the main course of the battle, the author now goes back and adds other details. Verse 36 to the end of the chapter could very well be added to v. 33 so as to give a connected account of the battle, but the author inserted vs. 34 and 35 as a parenthetical explanation, apparently to inform the reader of the outcome of the engagement. Then with v. 36 he resumed the detailed account.

37. Smote all the city. The 10,000 men who had formed the ambush (v. 34) succeeded in capturing Gibeah and then set it on fire. This they did as a signal to their comrades that the ambush had succeeded, and that it was now time for them to turn from their feigned flight and engage the main force of the pursuing Benjamites.

39. When the men of Israel. It seems to make better sense to include the first part of v. 39 with the last part of v. 38 as a description of the plan that the Israelites agreed upon. The two clauses may then be understood as stating, “They should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city and then the men of Israel should turn in battle.” Having stated the plan, the author of the book takes up the account of the sequence of events with the words “Benjamin began to smite.” He then describes how the scheme worked out, exactly as planned (vs. 40, 41). The Benjamites saw the smoke of their city ascending behind them, and about the same time the heretofore fleeing Israelite forces suddenly turned in their flight and began to offer stiff resistance. Then the men of Benjamin recognized that they had been tricked and that they were caught between the Israelite forces with little chance of escape.

42. Wilderness. Evidently “the wilderness of Beth-aven” (Joshua 18:12), east of Gibeah, which descends from the highlands to the Jordan valley. The region is described in Joshua 16:1 as “the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Beth-el.”

Them which came out. Some of the ancient versions read here, “They which came out of the city [that is, the men who had captured Gibeah] destroyed them in their midst.” This would mean that the 10,000 Israelites, after burning Gibeah, intercepted the Benjamites who tried to flee into the wilderness. The meaning of the English version would probably be that the Benjamites fled to their own cities and were pursued thither in their flight and slain in their cities.

43. With ease. Heb. menuchah, meaning “rest.” The LXX translates this word by apo Noua, “from Nua,” as though it were a proper name. The meaning of the Hebrew may be that wherever some of the Benjamites sought refuge, the men of Israel sought them out and killed them.

44. Eighteen thousand. This number probably represents those slain in the initial engagement. The remainder of the 25,100 (v. 35) were overtaken and slain as they fled to the wilderness (v. 45).

45. Rock of Rimmon. Believed to be the steep, chalky hill visible from all directions about 3 1/2 mi. (5.6 km.) east of Bethel and 8 1/2 mi. (13.6 km.) northeast of Gibeah. A village on the site is today known as Rammuµn.

Gidom. A place unknown.

47. In the rock Rimmon. The only soldiers of the entire Benjamite army to escape were 600 men who hid in the limestone caves on the hill of Rimmon.

48. All that came to hand. This indiscriminate slaughter of noncombatants, not to mention that of the broken and fleeing army, was entirely uncalled for. The sin of the men of Gibeah needed to be punished, for it was great. However, when the effective resistance of the army of Benjamin was destroyed, the duty of the Israelite army was finished. The individual perpetrators of the deed could then be caught and punished. Their city, Gibeah, was already in ruins. It should have been enough. There was no excuse for the relentless extermination of the whole tribe, nor for the burning of its cities. However, the heat of battle seems to work men into an unreasoning passion which carries them on to actions they would not perpetrate in their saner moments. In such times men are often not their own masters; reason does not guide and the voice of conscience is not heard. This would be especially true when they were without an outstanding leader to whom the army could look for directions and who could exercise control. The wounded pride of the Israelite army, stinging under the two defeats by their much smaller adversary, led them to commit a greater wrong, measured by extent, than the sin they were trying to punish.