XX Judges 20:1. The tribes meet at Mizpeh, and the Levite tells the story of the crime at Gibeah. Judges 20:8. The people rise like one man, and determine to punish Gibeah. Judges 20:12. The Benjamites espouse the cause of the guilty city. Judges 20:15. The forces on both sides. Judges 20:18. The Is... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONGREGATION WAS GATHERED TOGETHER. — This phrase is one which was familiar to the Israelites in the desert. It disappears after the days of Solomon (1 Kings 12:20). FROM DAN EVEN TO BEER-SHEBA. — This expression would be like _“_from John o’ Groat’s house to Land’s End “for England and Scotlan... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHIEF. — The Hebrew word is _pinnoth,_ “corner-stones,” as in 1 Samuel 14:38; Isaiah 19:13. FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND. — Hence we learn the interesting fact that in their struggles against the Canaanites the number of the people had been diminished one-third — i.e., to a far greater extent than the... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARD. — Probably the Benjamites had received the same summons as the other tribes (see Judges 19:29), but insolently refused to notice the summons. Tell us. — Literally, _Tell ye us._ The request is addressed to any who could give the necessary information.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEN OF GIBEAH. — Literally, _the lords of Gibeah,_ as in Judges 9:2. We cannot infer that they were heathen inhabitants of the town, though they behaved as if they were. If the phrase implies that they were men in _positions of authority,_ it perhaps shows why there was no rescue and little resi... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ARE ALL CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — There would not be much point in this remark. Rather, _ye are all here, children of Israel._ YOUR ADVICE AND COUNSEL. — Judges 19:30. “In the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom.”... [ Continue Reading ]
AROSE AS ONE MAN. — The same words are rendered “with one consent” in 1 Samuel 11:7. TO HIS TENT.... INTO HIS HOUSE. — Possibly many of the Trans-jordanic Israelites, who were chiefly graziers, were obliged by the necessities of nomadic life to live in tents, not in villages or cities.... [ Continue Reading ]
WE WILL GO UP BY LOT AGAINST IT. — The English Version follows the LXX. and other versions in supplying “we will go up.” This is like the decision of the Amphictyonic counsel against the guilty city of Crissa (Grote, iv. 85). But perhaps it should be rendered “we will cast the lot upon it,” to divid... [ Continue Reading ]
TEN MEN OF AN HUNDRED. — A tenth of the nation, chosen probably by lot, is to be responsible for the commissariat. They do not anticipate any other difficulty.... [ Continue Reading ]
KNIT TOGETHER AS ONE MAN. — The Hebrew word for “knit together” (marg., _fellows_) is _chabeerim._ It means that they were all as united as if they belonged to one _cheber,_ or club. It is the spirit of _clubbism_ (Greek, Tcupcfa), displayed in this instance in a good cause.... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH ALL THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. — It was equitable to send this embassy, although the Benjamites had not come to the sacred gathering at Mizpeh. The word for “tribe” is in the plural, so that it is, “the tribes of Israel sent men through all the _tribes_ of Benjamin.” Clearly, in the latter inst... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN WOULD NOT HEARKEN. — They were actuated by the same bad spirit of solidarity which has often made Highland clans defend a member of their body who has committed some grave outrage. That they should have preferred an internecine civil war to the giving up their criminals illu... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF THE CITIES. — They could only live in cities, because the Jebusites still held Jerusalem, and the Canaanites around them were very incompletely subdued. TWENTY AND SIX THOUSAND. — This seems to be the correct number, and is found in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. Josephus, however (_Antt.... [ Continue Reading ]
SEVEN HUNDRED CHOSEN MEN. — These words are omitted in the LXX. and Vulg. LEFT HANDED. — The same phrase as that employed in Judges 3:15. COULD SLING STONES AT AN HAIR BREADTH, AND NOT MISS. — The expression is perfectly simple, and merely implies extreme accuracy of aim. Bochart’s attempt (_Hieroz... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. — Rather, _to Bethel_ (as in the LXX., Syriac, Arabic, and Chaldee). The reason why our translators adopted their translation is shown by the Vulgate, which renders it “to the house of God _that is in Shiloh.”_ But _Beth El_ cannot mean “house of God,” which is always either _Be... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME FORTH OUT OF GIBEAH. — The whole armed force of the tribe had therefore assembled to save the wicked town from assault. Like many of the towns of Palestine (as their names indicate), it was on a hill, and therefore easily defensible against the very imperfect siege operations of the ancients.... [ Continue Reading ]
ENCOURAGED THEMSELVES. — Trusting, as the Vulgate adds, in their courage and numbers.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. — This verse is parenthetical and retrospective. The whole narrative is arranged in a very simple manner, and shows an unformed archaic style. AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN MY BROTHER. — The words “my brother” show a sort of compunction, an uneasy sense that possibly,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND DAY. — This does not mean the day after the first battle. One full day at least — the day of supplication — must have intervened between the two battles.... [ Continue Reading ]
DESTROYED... EIGHTEEN THOUSAND MEN. — This second defeat seems to have been due, like the first, to overweening confidence and carelessness. Thus in two battles the eleven tribes lost 40,000 men — _i.e.,_ 13,300 _more than the entire Benjamite army, which was only_ 26,700. Such a hideous massacre ca... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THE PEOPLE — i.e., the non-combatants as well as the fighting men. UNTO THE HOUSE OF GOD. — Rather, _to Bethel,_ as in Judges 20:18. AND WEPT. — These two battles must have caused an almost universal bereavement. (Comp. Lamentations 2:10; Psalms 137:1; Joel 1:8; Joel 2:12, &c.) FASTED...... [ Continue Reading ]
ENQUIRED OF THE LORD — i.e., of Jehovah, as in Judges 20:23. On the occasion of their first general inquiry (Judges 20:18) it is said that they “enquired of _Elohim,”_ but it is impossible to draw any certain inferences from this change of expression. It is clear, however, that the nation had been t... [ Continue Reading ]
PHINEHAS. — The fact that the high priest is. still the grandson of Aaron, who had shown such noble zeal in the desert (Numbers 25:8; Psalms 106:30), is. an important note of time, and proves decisively that this narrative, like the last, is anterior to much that has been recorded in the earlier Cha... [ Continue Reading ]
SET LIERS IN WAIT. — This exceedingly simple and primitive stratagem had also been successful against Ai (Joshua 8:4) and against Shechem (Judges 9:43). Here, as in Judges 20:22, the narrative follows a loose-order, the general fact being sometimes stated by anticipation, and the details subsequentl... [ Continue Reading ]
TO SMITE OF THE PEOPLE, AND KILL. — Rather, _to smite the wounded or beaten of the people._ It means, apparently, that when some of the Israelites had been wounded with slings, the Benjamites began to rush on them, for the purpose of killing them, and they feigned flight along two highways, of which... [ Continue Reading ]
SAID, LET US FLEE. — In a later historical style the _plan_ of the feigned flight would have been mentioned earlier. UNTO THE HIGHWAYS. — This would have the double effect of allowing the ambuscade to cut off their retreat, and of dividing their forces at the point where the roads branched off.... [ Continue Reading ]
PUT THEMSELVES IN ARRAY AT BAAL-TAMAR. — This is either a detail added out of place (so that we might almost suppose that there has been some accidental transposition of clauses), or it means that when the Israelites in their pretended rout had got as far as Baal-tamar (“Lord of the Palm”) they saw... [ Continue Reading ]
TEN THOUSAND CHOSEN MEN. — Though the verse is obscurely expressed, the meaning probably is that this was the _number of the ambuscade of picked warriors._ If it means that this was the Israelite force left after the slaughter of 40,000, we are not told the number of the ambush. THE BATTLE WAS SORE... [ Continue Reading ]
DESTROYED OF THE BENJAMITES... — Here again we have a summary of the final result, followed by details, in a manner which proves either that the narrative was compiled from various sources (one of which seems to have been a poem), or that it was penned before the “periodic style” of history (_lexis... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THEY WERE SMITTEN. — The “they” refers to the Israelites. The rest of the verse gives the reason for the feigned flight.... [ Continue Reading ]
Results of the ambuscade. (Comp. Joshua 8:15; Joshua 8:19.) DREW THEMSELVES ALONG. — The marginal suggestion, _made a long sound with the trumpet,_ is untenable (See Judges 4:6.) WITH THE EDGE OF THE SWORD. — See Judges 1:8; Joshua 8:24.... [ Continue Reading ]
signal which had been agreed upon. THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE. — Literally, _multiply to cause to ascend._ The actual words of the agreed on signal are quoted. For the word _hereb_ (which is an imperative) some MSS. read _chereb,_ “a sword,” and this is adopted by the LXX. (Cod. A). But the flash of a s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE MEN OF ISRAEL RETIRED. — This merely repeats with more graphic details the fact already mentioned in Judges 20:31. The “when” should be omitted, and from “Benjamin began” to the end of the next verse is parenthetic.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE FLAME BEGAN TO ARISE UP. — Rather, _when the column_ (of smoke), as in Judges 20:38. THE FLAME OF THE CITY. — Literally, _the whole of the city_ — i.e., the universal conflagration — a very powerful expression. (LXX., συντέλεια τῆς πόλεως.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE MEN OF ISRAEL TURNED AGAIN. — Another detail of the rally described in Judges 20:33, and its effect (Judges 20:34).... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS. — The wilderness is that known as “the wilderness of Bethaven” (Joshua 18:12). It is described in Joshua 16 as “the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout Mount Bethel.” (See Robinson, _Bibl. Res._ 1:572.) The first thought of fugitives in Eastern Palestine... [ Continue Reading ]
A strong and poetic description of the total rout and massacre which ensued. WITH EASE. — There is no “with” in the Hebrew, but perhaps it may be understood. The LXX. and Luther make it mean “from Noria.” Others render it “in their rest,” i.e., in the places to which they fled for refuge. The Vulg.... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO THE ROCK OF RIMMON — i.e., of the pomegranate. As the tree is common in Palestine (Numbers 20:25; Deuteronomy 8:8. &c.), the name is naturally common. There was one Rimmon in Zebulon (Joshua 19:13), another in Judah (Joshua 15:32), south of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:10; and see Joshua 21:25; Nehe... [ Continue Reading ]
TWENTY AND FIVE THOUSAND MEN. — Eighteen thousand killed in battle, ┼ 5,000 on the paved roads (_mesilloth_)_,_ ┼ 2,000 near Rimmon, ┼ 600 survivors, makes 25,600. But as the Benjamites were 26,700 (see Judges 20:15), either the total in Judges 20:15 is wrong, or we must make the much more natural s... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE ROCK RIMMON. — This may be quite literally taken, for there are four large caverns in the hill.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WELL THE MEN OF EVERY CITY, AS THE BEAST. — The phrase is literally, _from the city, men down to beast,_ reading _methim,_ “men,” for _methom,_ “entire.” The dreadful meaning which lies beyond these short and simple words is _the absolute extermination of_ a whole tribe of Israel, MEN, WOMEN, AND... [ Continue Reading ]