Judges 20:8-11

Context

20:8 All Israel rose up in unison¹ and said, “Not one of us will go home!² Not one of us will return³ to his house! 20:9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates.⁴ 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.⁵ When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.”⁶ 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies.⁷

Judges 20:18

Context

20:18 The Israelites went up to Bethel⁸ and asked God,⁹ “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?”¹⁰ The Lord said, “Judah should lead.”

Judges 20:23

Context
20:23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we¹¹ again march out to fight¹² the Benjaminites, our brothers?”¹³ The Lord said, “Attack them!”¹⁴

Judges 20:26-28

Context

20:26 So all the Israelites, the whole army,¹⁵ went up to¹⁶ Bethel.¹⁷ They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything¹⁸ that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace¹⁹ 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 Lord²⁰ in those days), “Should we²¹ once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers,²² or should we²³ quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them²⁴ over to you.”

[20:8] ¹tn Heb “as one man.”

[20:8] ²tn Heb “to his tent.”

[20:8] ³tn Or “turn aside.”

[20:9] ⁴tn Heb “against her by lot.” The verb “we will go up” (נַעֲלֶה, na’aleh) has probably been accidentally omitted before “against her” (עָלֶיהָ, ’aleha).

[20:10] ⁵tn Or “people.”

[20:10] ⁶tn Heb “to do at their arrival in Geba of Benjamin according to all the disgraceful [thing] which he [collective = “Benjamin”] did in Israel.” Here “Geba” must be an error for “Gibeah.”

[20:11] ⁷tn Heb “gathered at the city as one man, united.”

[20:18] ⁸map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[20:18] ⁹tn Heb “They arose and went up to Bethel and asked God, and the Israelites said.”

[20:18] ¹⁰tn Heb “Who should go up for us first for battle against the sons of Benjamin?”

[20:23] ¹¹tn Heb “I” (collective singular).

[20:23] ¹²tn Heb “approach for battle.”

[20:23] ¹³tn Heb “my brother” (collective singular).

[20:23] ¹⁴tn Heb “Go up against him” (collective singular).

[20:26] ¹⁵tn Heb “and all the people.”

[20:26] ¹⁶tn Heb “went up and came [to].”

[20:26] ¹⁷map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[20:26] ¹⁸tn Traditionally, “fasted.”

[20:26] ¹⁹tn Or “peace offerings.”

[20:28] ²⁰tn Heb “standing before him.”

[20:28] ²¹tn Heb “I” (collective singular).

[20:28] ²²tn Heb “my brother” (collective singular).

[20:28] ²³tn Heb “I” (collective singular).

[20:28] ²⁴tn Heb “him” (collective singular).