Judges20

All Israel gathers at Mizpeh, demanding justice for the heinous crime committed in Gibeah of Benjamin. When Benjamin refuses to surrender the culprits, a civil war erupts. After two initial defeats, Israel seeks the LORD's counsel, who promises victory on the third day. Israel then employs an ambush, decisively defeating Benjamin and inflicting heavy casualties, nearly annihilating the tribe.

Israel Gathers and Hears the Complaint

1
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, to the LORD at Mizpah. ​
2
The chiefs 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 who drew sword. ​
3
(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) The children of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness happen?” ​
4
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, “I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
5
The men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house by night. They thought to have slain me, and they forced my concubine, and she is dead.
6
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, you children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.”
8
All the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, neither will any of us turn to his house.
9
But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot;
10
and we will take ten men of one hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to get food for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have worked in Israel.”
11
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

Benjamin Refuses Justice

12
The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What wickedness is this that is happen among you? ​
13
Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.” But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the children of Israel.
14
The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. ​
15
The children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
16
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss. ​
17
The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew sword: all these were men of war.

The First Two Defeats

18
The children of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God; and they said, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.” ​
19
The children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.
20
The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.
21
The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty-two thousand men. ​
22
The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.
23
The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.” ​
24
The children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25
Benjamin went out 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.

Israel Seeks God's Counsel Again

26
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ​
27
The children of Israel asked 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?” The LORD said, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.” ​

The Third Battle and Victory

29
Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah. ​
30
The children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
31
The children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to strike and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
32
The children of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
33
All the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal Tamar: and the ambushers of Israel broke out of their place, even out of Maareh Geba.
34
There came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but they didn’t know that evil was close on them.
35
The LORD struck Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men: all these drew the sword. ​
36
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted the ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah.
37
The ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the ambushers drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
38
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.
39
The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, “Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.”
40
But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to the sky.
41
The men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil had come on them.
42
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in its midst.
43
They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and trod them down at their resting place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrise.
44
There fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.
45
They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them to Gidom, and struck of them two thousand men. ​
46
So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

The Remnant and Retaliation

47
But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon four months. ​
48
The men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the livestock, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire. ​

Study Notes for Judges 20

Verse 1

Mizpeh was a significant religious and tribal gathering place. The unity described, 'as one man,' emphasizes the gravity of the crime against the covenant community, necessitating a unified response.

Verse 2

The assembly included 400,000 footmen, a massive army. This mobilization highlights the seriousness with which the tribes viewed the breach of justice and covenant law committed in Gibeah.

Verse 3

The question 'how was this wickedness?' indicates that while they knew *of* the atrocity (from the severed pieces sent by the Levite), they needed the direct testimony and details before deciding on military action.

Verse 6

The Levite’s shocking act of dismemberment, though horrifying, successfully communicated the extreme nature of the crime—a covenant violation equivalent to national sacrilege ('lewdness and folly').

Verse 12

Israel followed proper convention by first attempting negotiation, demanding the surrender of the perpetrators (the 'children of Belial') before resorting to war against a brother tribe.

Verse 14

Benjamin’s refusal to surrender the criminals and their decision to mobilize for war demonstrates a profound failure of covenant responsibility, prioritizing tribal pride and protective loyalty over divine justice.

Verse 16

The 700 chosen men of Gibeah, known for their left-handed slinging accuracy, are specifically mentioned. This detail foreshadows the difficulty Israel will face and emphasizes the martial skill of the Benjamite forces.

Verse 18

The tribes correctly sought divine counsel at Bethel (the 'house of God') before engaging in battle. God’s command for Judah to go up first echoes the pattern of the conquest narratives (Judges 1:1).

Verse 21

The severe loss (22,000 men) despite God's initial authorization shows that obedience to the command does not guarantee immediate success. The defeats may be a test of Israel’s resolve or a chastisement for their own spiritual failures.

Verse 23

Israel wept and renewed their inquiry, showing perseverance and humility after their initial shock. God reiterates the command to fight, confirming the war’s legitimacy despite the high cost.

Verse 26

The third inquiry is marked by deeper repentance: weeping, fasting, and offering sacrifices. This change in posture suggests they realized the defeats were not just military setbacks but divine discipline.

Verse 27

The presence of the Ark of the Covenant confirms that the 'house of God' (Bethel) was serving as the central sanctuary at this time, lending authoritative weight to the divine consultation.

Verse 28

Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, serving as high priest, connects this late period of the Judges directly back to the Exodus generation. God promises victory, indicating the period of divine testing is over.

Verse 29

Having received divine assurance, Israel now employs military strategy (setting ambushes), combining faith in God's promise with prudent tactics for the third engagement.

Verse 35

The text explicitly attributes the definitive turning point to divine intervention: 'the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel.' This confirms the ultimate victory was God's judgment against Benjamin's wickedness and pride.

Verse 45

The pursuit was relentless. The Rock of Rimmon became the final refuge for the few survivors, setting up the conflict resolution and the dilemma of preserving the tribe in the next chapter.

Verse 47

The survival of 600 men ensures the continuity of the tribe of Benjamin, preventing its total extinction. This small remnant is crucial for maintaining the twelve-tribe covenant structure of Israel.

Verse 48

The final act of scorched earth—destroying cities, people, and livestock—demonstrates the extreme grief, anger, and commitment to total purification that followed the initial military victory, leaving the land devastated.

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