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Texts -- Judges 20:1-41 (NET)

Context
Civil War Breaks Out
20:1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba and from the land of Gilead left their homes and assembled together before the Lord at Mizpah . 20:2 The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people , which numbered four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers . 20:3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah . Then the Israelites said , “Explain how this wicked thing happened !” 20:4 The Levite , the husband of the murdered woman , spoke up , “I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. 20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died . 20:6 I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout the territory occupied by Israel , because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity in Israel . 20:7 All you Israelites , make a decision here !” 20:8 All Israel rose up in unison and said , “Not one of us will go home ! Not one of us will return to his house ! 20:9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah : We will attack the city as the lot dictates. 20:10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand , and a thousand of every group of ten thousand ) to get supplies for the army . When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel .” 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies . 20:12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin , saying , “How could such a wicked thing take place ? 20:13 Now , hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness .” But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers . 20:14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against the Israelites . 20:15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers , besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah . 20:16 Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers . Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. 20:17 The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin ) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers , every one an experienced warrior . 20:18 The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God , “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites ?” The Lord said , “Judah should lead .” 20:19 The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against Gibeah . 20:20 The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin ; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah . 20:21 The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day . 20:22 The Israelite army took heart and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before . 20:23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening . They asked the Lord , “Should we again march out to fight the Benjaminites , our brothers ?” The Lord said , “Attack them!” 20:24 So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day . 20:25 The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers . 20:26 So all the Israelites , the whole army , went up to Bethel . They wept and sat there before the Lord ; they did not eat anything that day until evening . They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace to the Lord . 20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days ; 20:28 Phinehas son of Eleazar , son of Aaron , was serving the Lord in those days ), “Should we once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers , or should we quit ?” The Lord said , “Attack , for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.” 20:29 So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah . 20:30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day ; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before . 20:31 The Benjaminites attacked the army , leaving the city unguarded . They began to strike down their enemy just as they had done before . On the main roads (one leads to Bethel , the other to Gibeah ) and in the field , they struck down about thirty Israelites . 20:32 Then the Benjaminites said , “They are defeated just as before .” But the Israelites said , “Let’s retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads .” 20:33 All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar , while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah . 20:34 Ten thousand men , well-trained soldiers from all Israel , then made a frontal assault against Gibeah – the battle was fierce . But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep . 20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel ; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites . 20:36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated . The Israelites retreated before Benjamin , because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah . 20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah . They attacked and put the sword to the entire city . 20:38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal . When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city , 20:39 the Israelites counterattacked . Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites ; they struck down about thirty men . They said , “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle .” 20:40 But when the signal , a pillar of smoke , began to rise up from the city , the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky . 20:41 When the Israelites turned around , the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Gibeah

    [ebd] a hill or hill-town, "of Benjamin" (1 Sam. 13:15), better known as "Gibeah of Saul" (11:4; Isa. 10:29). It was here that the terrible outrage was committed on the Levite's concubine which led to the almost utter extirpation ...
    [isbe] GIBEAH - gib'-e-a (gibh`ah, "hill"): The Hebrew word denotes generally an eminence or hill, in distinction from har, which is used for mountain, or mountain range. It occurs, however, in two instances, as a place-name. Under...
    [smith] a word employed in the Bible to denote a hill. Like most words of this kind it gave its name to several towns and places in Palestine, which would doubtless be generally on or near a hill. They are -- Gibeah, a city in the m...
    [nave] GIBEAH 1. Of Judah, Josh. 15:57. 2. Of Saul. Called also Gibeah of Benjamin. The people's wickedness, Judg. 19:12-30; Hos. 9:9; 10:9. Destroyed by the Israelites, Judg. 20. The city of Saul, 1 Sam. 10:26; 15:34; 22:6. Th...

  • Benjamin

    [ebd] 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. His mother died in giving him ...
    [isbe] BENJAMIN - ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin): 1. The Patriarch: The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my ...
    [nave] BENJAMIN 1. Son of Jacob by Rachel, Gen. 35:18, 24; 46:19. Taken into Egypt, Gen. 42-45. Prophecy concerning, Gen. 49:27. Descendants of, Gen. 46:21; Num. 26:38-41. Tribe of Census of, at Sinai, Num. 1:37; in the plain ...

  • War

    [smith] The most important topic in connection with war is the formation of the army which is destined to carry it on. [ARMY] In (1 Kings 9:22) at a period (Solomon?s reign) when the organization of the army was complete, we have ...
    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • ARCHERY

    [isbe] ARCHERY - ar'-cher-i: (1) The art of using the arcus, or bow and arrow for hunting and in battle is of great antiquity. It is mentioned in Gen 21:20, as well as in the Iliad and the Odyssey, and depicted on Egyptian monument...

  • Wolf

    [ebd] Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike character of that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah ...

  • BETHLEHEM

    [isbe] BETHLEHEM - beth'-le-hem (bethlechem; Baithleem, or Bethleem, "house of David," or possibly "the house of Lakhmu," an Assyrian deity): I. Bethlehem Judah: Bethlehem Judah, or EPHRATH or EPHRATHAH (which see) is now Beit Lahm...

  • Vows

    [nave] VOWS Mosaic laws concerning, Lev. 23:37, 38; Num. 29:39. Must be voluntary, see below. Must be performed, see below. Estimation of the redemption price of things offered in vows, to be made by the priest, according to age a...

  • Zeal

    [nave] ZEAL, Religious Josh. 24:15, 16; 2 Sam. 24:24, 25; 1 Kin. 9:4; 1 Kin. 15:14; 1 Chr. 29:17; 2 Chr. 15:15; 2 Chr. 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psa. 42:1, 2; Psa. 60:4; Psa. 96:2, 3, 10; Psa. 119:139; Prov. 11:30; Eccl. 9:10; ...

  • Armies

    [nave] ARMIES Who of the Israelites were subject to service in, Num. 1:2, 3; 26:2; 2 Chr. 25:5; who were exempt from service in, Num. 1:47-50; 2:33; Deut. 20:5-9; Judg. 7:3. Enumeration of Israel's military forces, Num. 1:2, 3; 26...

  • JUDAH, KINGDOM OF

    [isbe] JUDAH, KINGDOM OF - || I. CANAAN BEFORE THE MONARCHY 1. The Coming of the Semites 2. The Canaanites 3. The Israelite Confederacy 4. Migration into Canaan 5. The Bond of Union 6. Early Rulers 7. The Judges 8. Hereditary Kings...

  • Congregation

    [ebd] (Heb. kahal), the Hebrew people collectively as a holy community (Num. 15:15). Every circumcised Hebrew from twenty years old and upward was a member of the congregation. Strangers resident in the land, if circumcised, were,...

  • Strategy

    [nave] STRATEGY, in war, Gen. 14:14, 15; 32:7, 8; Josh. 8:3-25; Judg. 7:16-23; 20:29-43; 2 Sam. 15:32-34, with 2 Sam. 17:7-14; Neh. 6; Isa. 15:1; Jer. 6:5. See: Ambushes; Armies.

  • Ambush

    [nave] AMBUSH. Instances of At Ai, Josh. 8:2-22; Shechem, Judg. 9:25, 34; Gibeah, Judg. 20:29-41. Near Zemaraim, 2 Chr. 13:13. By Jehoshaphat, 2 Chr. 20:22. See: Armies. Figurative Jer. 51:12.

  • BETHEL

    [ebd] 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). The name Bethel was at first app...
    [isbe] BETHEL - beth'-el (beth-'el; Baithel and oikos theou, literally, "house of God"): (1) A town near the place where Abraham halted and offered sacrifice on his way south from Shechem. 1. Identification and Description: It lay ...
    [smith] (the house of God) well known city and holy place of central Palestine, about 12 mlles north of Jerusalem. If we are to accept the precise definition of (Genesis 12:8) the name of Bethel would appear to have existed at this s...

  • Urim and Thummim

    [isbe] URIM AND THUMMIM - u'-rim and thum'-im (ha-'urim weha-tummim (article omitted in Ezr 2:63; Neh 7:65); perhaps "light and perfection," as intensive plurals): 1. Definition: Articles not specifically described, placed in (next...
    [smith] (light and perfection). When the Jewish exiles were met on their return from Babylon by a question which they had no data for answering, they agreed to postpone the settlement of the difficulty till there should rise up "a pr...
    [nave] URIM AND THUMMIM, signifying light and perfection. In the breastplate, Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8. Eleazar to ask counsel for Joshua, after the judgment of, Num. 27:21. Priests only might interpret, Deut. 33:8; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:6...

  • Mizpah

    [ebd] 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. Here Jacob and Laban set up their memorial cairn of s...
    [nave] MIZPAH 1. A city allotted to Benjamin, Josh. 18:26. The Israelites assemble at, Judg. 20:1-3; and decree the penalty to be visited upon the Benjamites for their maltreatment of the Levite's concubine, Judg. 20:10. Assemble...

  • ARMY

    [ebd] The Israelites marched out of Egypt in military order (Ex. 13:18, "harnessed;" marg., "five in a rank"). Each tribe formed a battalion, with its own banner and leader (Num. 2:2; 10:14). In war the army was divided into thous...
    [isbe] ARMY - ar'-mi (chayil, "army," tsabha', "host," ma`arakhah, "army in battle array" gedhudh, "troop"): 1. The First Campaign of History 2. In the Wilderness 3. The Times after the Conquest 4. In the Early Monarchy 5. From the...

  • Baal-tamar

    [ebd] lord of palm trees, a place in the tribe of Benjamin near Gibeah of Saul (Judg. 20:33). It was one of the sanctuaries or groves of Baal. Probably the palm tree of Deborah (Judg. 4:5) is alluded to in the name.
    [isbe] BAAL-TAMAR - ba-al-ta'-mar ba`al tamar; Baal Thamar, "Baal of the palm tree"): Evidently a seat of heathen worship (Jdg 20:33) between Bethel and Gibeah (compare Jdg 20:18,31). The place was known to Eusebius (Onomasticon, w...
    [nave] BAAL-TAMAR, a place near Gibeah, Judg. 20:33.

  • LAW, JUDICIAL

    [isbe] LAW, JUDICIAL - joo-dish'-al: This was the form of Divine law which, under the dominion of God, as the Supreme Magistrate, directed the policy of the Jewish nation, and hence, was binding only on them, not on other peoples. ...

  • PALESTINE, 2

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 2 - III. Palestine in the Historic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Joshua: Joshua is the great geographical book of the Old Testament; and the large majority of the 600 names of places, rivers and mountains...
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Arts

Questions

  • The Ark of the Covenant was definitely real and was a part of the tabernacle, being placed in the Holy of Holies behind the curtain. I will include articles below from three Bible Dictionaries that will give you some informat...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • After Shechem the Canaanite raped Dinah, Simeon and Levi gained revenge by deceiving the Shechemites into being circumcised as the condition for Dinah's marriage. Then they murdered the incapacitated men of the city."The stor...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • This chapter contains one of the great failures of Israel that followed one of its great blessings.238As God was preparing to bless His people they were preparing to disobey Him."So now we come to the ultimate rebellion of Is...
  • The closest example of this ever happening in Israel that Scripture records occurs in Judges 20 in the case of Gibeah, a city in Benjamin. The circumstances were not exactly the same, but the other Israelites did discipline t...
  • Having completed the major addresses to the Israelites recorded to this point in Deuteronomy, Moses needed only to make a few final arrangements before Israel was ready to enter the land. The record of these events concludes ...
  • When the people had dealt with the sin of Achan as God had commanded, Israel was ready to engage the enemy again.8:1-2 In view of Israel's defeat God's encouraging words were necessary to strengthen Joshua's resolve (cf. 1:9)...
  • After the process of assigning land to the three tribes mentioned above, Israel's attention turned to relocating the tabernacle in a more central location (v. 1). God undoubtedly made the choice of Shiloh (lit. rest; cf. Deut...
  • Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently. Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey consistently. In this r...
  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • 1:1 The Book of Judges begins with a conjunction translated "now"or "and."God intended Judges to continue the narrative of Israel's history where the Book of Joshua ended (cf. Josh. 1:1). This verse provides a heading for the...
  • The first of six periods of oppression by Israel's enemies began while Othniel, Caleb's younger brother, was still alive and strong (cf. Josh. 15:17; Judg. 1:13). The writer identified each of these periods with the phrase "t...
  • The Moabites and Ammonites were not only neighbors who both lived to the southeast of Canaan, but they were also descendants of the same ancestor, Lot. The Amalekites lived on Israel's southern border and were descendants of ...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • God undoubtedly included the story of Micah and the Danites in the sacred record because it relates the establishment of image worship in Israel. This was a new and catastrophic departure from Yahweh for the Israelites. Image...
  • Chapter 19 records an event that provoked civil war in Israel. The account of that war follows in chapter 20. Then the consequences of the war unfold in chapter 21. This section of the book is the climactic and supreme demons...
  • Only a group of "worthless fellows"("sons of Beliel,"i.e., ungodly men, AV, RV) surrounded the stranger's house (v. 22). However the men of Gibeah as a whole defended the actions of this group. Furthermore the whole tribe of ...
  • This chapter continues the story begun in chapter 19. The emphasis in chapter 19 was on moral degeneracy and that of chapter 20 is Israel's political disorganization. One man's sin in chapter 19 resulted in over 65,000 deaths...
  • The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba"(v. 1) became a common expression during the united monarchy indicating the whole of Israel. Gilead refers to the part of Israel east of the Jordan River. The Mizpah referred to here (v. 1) w...
  • The 11 tribes wisely tried to settle this problem with the Benjamites peacefully (v. 12; cf. Josh. 22:13-20). Unfortunately the Benjamites decided to support the residents of Gibeah who were their kinsmen. They should have si...
  • The Lord granted the Benjamites success to discipline the other Israelites for their independence, not because He approved of the Benjamites' actions. The Benjamites became God's temporary instrument to discipline the other t...
  • Verses 29-36a give an overview of the battle, and 36b-48 provide a more detailed explanation.Israel's strategy was similar to what God had specified against Ai (Josh. 8:1-29) and what Abimelech used against Shechem (9:33-44)....
  • In chapter 20 Israel tried desperately to destroy the tribe of Benjamin.367In chapter 21 she tried just as hard to deliver this tribe from the extinction that her own excessive vengeance threatened to accomplish. The anarchy ...
  • The "wife oath"that the Israelites had taken at Mizpah (20:8-11) may have had some connection with God's commands concerning Israel's treatment of the Canaanites (Lev. 7:1-3). Israel was to destroy these enemies utterly and n...
  • Verses 5-7 stress the sorrow and the dilemma the Israelites felt because of the Benjamites' situation. The "great oath"(v. 5) seems to have been that any Israelites who did not participate in the nation's battles against her ...
  • Verse 25 concludes the story of the atrocity of the men of Gibeah and the Benjamites (chs. 19-21). This second vignette from the period of the judges began and ends with the same statement (cf. 19:1). It reflects the failure ...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
  • God had promised the Israelites that if they departed from Him He would discipline them by sending famine on the Promised Land (Deut. 28:17, 23, 38-40, 42).16The famine on Israel at this time indicates God's judgment for unfa...
  • These verses summarize Samuel's continuing ministry as a prophet in Israel. Samuel qualified for this privilege by his faithful obedience to God's will as he knew it. God sovereignly chose Samuel for this ministry, but his di...
  • The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
  • Admirably Saul sought no personal revenge on those who initially had failed to support him (10:27; cf. Judg. 20:13; Luke 19:27). Furthermore he gave God the glory for his victory (cf. Jon. 2:9; Ps. 20:7; Prov. 21:31). He was ...
  • When David volunteered to be Israel's champion, Saul scoffed at him because he evaluated David's chances for success solely in physical terms, as usual. The Hebrew word na'artranslated "youth"(v. 33) describes an older teenag...
  • The last major section of the Book of Samuel (2 Sam. 21-24) consists of six separate pericopes that together constitute a conclusion to the whole book (cf. Judg. 17-21). Each pericope emphasizes the theological message of the...
  • The priests presented the evening offering (v. 5) between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. in Jesus' day.130Ezra's prayer contains four primary characteristics: solidarity, confession, readiness to change, and faith in God's mercy.131In hi...
  • In contrast to Ahaz, who refused to listen to and obey God, the Lord would raise up a faithful king who would be born and reign in the future (the Millennium). This pericope climaxes the present section (7:1-9:7) dealing with...
  • This account describes other things associated with Jeremiah's being set at liberty. It contains more detail than 39:11-14.40:1 Evidently after Jeremiah's release in Jerusalem Babylonian soldiers rounded him up when they saw ...
  • This section stresses Israel's covenant disloyalty to Yahweh.6:4 The Lord twice asked rhetorically what He would do with Ephraim and Judah. The questions express frustration, helplessness, and despair more than inquiry. The l...
  • 9:7 Israel was to know that the days of her punishment and retribution were imminent because the nation's iniquity was fat and its hostility to the Lord was great. Another reason for her judgment was that the Israelites had r...
  • 10:9 The Israelites had sinned consistently since the days of the atrocity at Gibeah (Judg. 19-20; cf. 9:9; Isa. 1:10). The prophet visualized them as warriors standing at Gibeah. He asked rhetorically if the Lord's battle ag...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • 6:16 Fasting in Israel involved going without food to engage in a spiritual exercise, usually prayer, with greater concentration. Fasting fostered and indicated self-humiliation before God, and confession often accompanied it...
  • 16:18 "I say to you"(cf. 5:18, 20, 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 8:10) may imply that Jesus would continue the revelation the Father had begun. However the phrase occurs elsewhere where that contrast is not in view. Undoubtedly it ...
  • The first pericope gives hope for the future by showing that even now some Jews believe.11:1 The opening question carries on the rhetorical style of 10:18 and 19. God has not rejected the Israelites because they have, on the ...
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