What number verse is Judges 20:42 in the Bible?

Judges 20:42 is the 7,097th verse of the Bible. Counting straight through the King James canon — all 31,102 verses from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 — Judges 20:42 sits at position 7,097.

Translation

King James Version

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

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KJV (with Strong's)

Therefore they turned ^H6437 their backs before ^H6440 the men ^H376 of Israel ^H3478 unto the way ^H1870 of the wilderness ^H4057; but the battle ^H4421 overtook ^H1692 them; and them which came out of the cities ^H5892 they destroyed ^H7843 in the midst ^H8432 of them.

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Complete Jewish Bible

they turned their backs on the men of Isra'el and made for the road to the desert. But the battle followed them, and those who came out of the city destroyed them from the rear.

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Berean Standard Bible

So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.

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American Standard Version

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof.

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World English Bible Messianic

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.

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Geneva Bible (1599)

Therefore they fled before the men of Israel vnto the way of the wildernesse, but the battell ouertooke them: also they which came out of the cities, slew them among them.

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Young's Literal Translation

and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed them; and those who are from the city are destroying them in their midst;

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Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Judges 20:42 starkly portrays the catastrophic and decisive defeat of the Benjamite forces during the brutal civil war against the united tribes of Israel. Following a meticulously planned ambush, the Benjamites, who had defiantly shielded the perpetrators of an egregious crime, attempted a desperate flight into the wilderness. However, the relentless pursuit of the Israelite army, empowered by divine judgment, overtook them, leading to their comprehensive destruction. This verse marks the climactic turning point in the conflict, underscoring the inescapable and severe consequences of unrepentant corporate sin and the profound judgment meted out by God through the instrument of His people.

CONTEXT

Literary Context: Judges 20:42 is situated at the devastating climax of the narrative in Judges 19-21, a grim account of moral decay and civil strife within Israel. The preceding chapters detail the horrific gang rape and murder of the Levite's concubine in Gibeah, a city within the tribal territory of Benjamin. The subsequent demand by the other Israelite tribes for justice—that the perpetrators be surrendered—was met with defiant refusal by the Benjamites, who chose instead to protect the wicked and prepare for war. Despite initial setbacks and heavy losses for the united tribes, who sought divine counsel, God ultimately granted them victory on the third day of battle. The Israelites executed a strategic ambush, luring the Benjamites out of Gibeah before encircling them. Verse 42 describes the desperate, panicked flight of the Benjamite remnants and the relentless, thorough pursuit by the Israelite forces, resulting in their near-annihilation. This verse sets the stage for the mournful aftermath and the subsequent efforts in Judges 21 to prevent the complete extinction of the tribe of Benjamin.
Historical & Cultural Context: The period of the Judges (approximately 1400-1050 BC) was a turbulent era for Israel, characterized by a lack of central governmental authority, cycles of apostasy, foreign oppression, and temporary deliverances, vividly summarized by the recurring phrase, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). This civil war exemplifies the severe breakdown of tribal unity and the catastrophic consequences when a tribe, like Benjamin, violated covenantal law by protecting gross wickedness rather than upholding justice. Warfare in ancient Israel was often brutal and decisive, aiming for complete victory or utter defeat. The concept of corporate responsibility was deeply ingrained; the unaddressed sin of individuals could bring divine judgment upon an entire community. The "wilderness" mentioned here refers to the rugged, uncultivated, and often desolate areas surrounding settled lands, which, while sometimes offering refuge, in this instance became a place of inescapable judgment for the fleeing Benjamites.
Key Themes: Judges 20:42 powerfully contributes to several profound themes within the book of Judges and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Divine Judgment and the Consequences of Unrepentant Sin. Benjamin's defiant protection of egregious evil and their subsequent armed rebellion against their brethren brought about their near-extermination, illustrating that sin, especially when corporately embraced and defended, incurs severe and inescapable repercussions. Secondly, the phrase "the battle overtook them" highlights the Relentless Pursuit of Justice. Even as they fled into the wilderness, there was no escape from the judgment that pursued the Benjamites, emphasizing the thoroughness of the Israelite victory, which was empowered by divine approval after their persistent inquiries of the Lord (Judges 20:28). Thirdly, the entire episode, culminating in this devastating defeat, serves as a tragic testament to the Tragedy of Disunity and Moral Decay within Israel. The civil war was a direct result of Israel's widespread failure to live by God's covenant, leading to internal strife and nearly destroying one of its own tribes, a stark contrast to the unity and holiness God intended for His people.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

turned (Hebrew, pânâh', H6437): A primitive root meaning "to turn," "to face," or "to turn away." In the context of Judges 20:42, with the implied addition of "their backs" (as they were fleeing), this word signifies a desperate and panicked retreat from battle. It denotes a complete abandonment of their fighting position and a desperate attempt to escape the overwhelming force of the Israelite army. This turning away is not a tactical withdrawal but a desperate flight from certain defeat, indicative of their broken morale and utter rout.
overtook (Hebrew, dâbaq', H1692): A primitive root meaning "to impinge," "to cling or adhere," and figuratively, "to catch by pursuit" or "to follow close (hard after)." This word powerfully emphasizes the relentless and successful pursuit by the Israelite forces. It conveys the idea that despite the Benjamites' efforts to flee into the wilderness, their escape was futile; the pursuit was so swift and thorough that the battle, personified, "adhered" to them, ensuring their destruction. This highlights the inescapable nature of the judgment upon them, leaving no avenue for escape.
destroyed (Hebrew, shâchath', H7843): A primitive root meaning "to decay," and causatively, "to ruin" (literally or figuratively), "to corrupt," or "to destroy." In this context, it signifies a violent and complete annihilation. It speaks to the utter devastation inflicted upon the Benjamites, leaving no room for survival or recovery for those caught in the pursuit. This word underscores the severity and finality of their defeat, indicating a comprehensive and merciless destruction of the fleeing forces, bringing about their ruin.

Verse Breakdown

"Therefore they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness;": This initial clause vividly describes the immediate and desperate reaction of the Benjamite army. Having been drawn out of Gibeah by the feigned Israelite retreat and then ambushed, their lines broke, and they fled in disarray. Their chosen escape route was towards the wilderness, likely a rugged, uncultivated area, in a desperate hope that its terrain would offer refuge or slow their relentless pursuers. This flight signifies their complete defeat in the main engagement and their desperate, panicked attempt to save themselves from the advancing Israelite forces.
"but the battle overtook them;": This powerful and concise phrase underscores the futility of their escape. Despite their desperate flight into the wilderness, "the battle"—a personification of the relentless Israelite pursuit and the divine judgment empowering it—caught up with them. This highlights the inescapable nature of the consequences of their actions. There was no safe haven, no respite from the judgment that was now upon them. The pursuit was thorough and effective, ensuring that their flight did not lead to safety but rather to their ultimate demise.
"and them which [came] out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.": This final clause emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the destruction. "Them which came out of the cities" likely refers to those who initially escaped the main battle, perhaps those who had been in other Benjamite towns, or had fled earlier, or even those who emerged from hiding places within the devastated cities. Regardless, they too were caught up in the general slaughter "in the midst of them," meaning within the fleeing throng or amidst the areas where the battle raged. This signifies that the destruction was not limited to the main fighting force but extended to all Benjamites encountered, ensuring the near-total annihilation of the tribe as a consequence of their corporate sin and defiance.

Literary Devices

Judges 20:42 employs several potent literary devices to convey its stark message of judgment and destruction. Personification is powerfully evident in the phrase "the battle overtook them," which attributes human-like agency to an abstract concept, emphasizing the relentless, inescapable, and almost sentient nature of the pursuit and its devastating outcome. The narrative also employs Dramatic Irony, as the Benjamites, initially confident in their military prowess and their ability to defy the other tribes, are ultimately trapped and destroyed in the very wilderness they sought for refuge, a fate they could not foresee despite their stubborn defiance. The choice of the "wilderness" as the place of their destruction serves as potent Symbolism, as the wilderness in biblical narratives often represents a place of testing, wandering, and divine judgment, here becoming the inescapable arena of doom for an unrepentant people. The entire passage is steeped in Pathos, evoking a profound sense of tragedy and sorrow over the near-annihilation of an entire tribe of Israel, serving as a grim and poignant warning about the devastating consequences of moral decay, unaddressed sin, and internal disunity within God's covenant people.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Judges 20:42 stands as a profound theological commentary on the gravity of corporate sin and the certainty of divine judgment. The Benjamites' unyielding refusal to purge evil from their midst, choosing instead to protect the perpetrators of a heinous crime and wage war against their brethren, brought about an overwhelming and inescapable consequence. This episode underscores the immutable biblical principle that God is just and that persistent rebellion against His moral standards will ultimately lead to judgment, whether individually or corporately. While the immediate agents of destruction were the other Israelite tribes, the narrative strongly implies divine sanction and direction for their actions, as they repeatedly sought the Lord's will and received His instruction to proceed. This account highlights the critical importance of communal righteousness and the severe dangers of protecting sin within a community, demonstrating that God's covenant people are called to uphold justice and holiness, even at immense cost. The relentless pursuit and comprehensive destruction illustrate that there is no true escape from the consequences of unrepentant sin, for God's justice will ultimately prevail.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Judges 20:42 serves as a solemn and powerful reminder that sin, particularly when it is condoned, protected, and allowed to fester within a community, carries devastating and far-reaching consequences. It compels us to critically examine our own lives and the communities we belong to—be it our families, churches, or broader societal groups. Are we quick to justify, rationalize, or protect wrongdoings, or do we possess the courage and moral clarity to confront sin and earnestly strive for righteousness and justice? The Benjamites' downfall was not merely a result of military defeat but a direct divine judgment on their collective moral failure and their defiance of God's righteous standards. This account profoundly prompts us to consider the indispensable importance of accountability, repentance, and the pursuit of holiness, both personally and corporately. We are called to be people who uphold God's standards, recognizing that ignoring or actively condoning evil can lead to profound spiritual, relational, and communal decay. While believers now live under the New Covenant of grace, the underlying principle that actions have consequences remains immutable, urging us to pursue holiness, seek reconciliation, and champion justice in all our relationships and spheres of influence.

Questions for Reflection

How does the Benjamites' refusal to surrender the wicked illustrate the profound danger of protecting sin within a community, and what are the contemporary parallels?
In what ways might we, individually or as a community, be tempted to justify or overlook sin rather than courageously confront it and pursue righteousness?
What does the "relentless pursuit" of the battle teach us about the inescapable nature of consequences for unrepentant sin, and how does this apply to our spiritual lives?
How can this tragic historical account inform our understanding of the importance of justice, accountability, and moral integrity in our contemporary society and in the Church?

FAQ

Why was Benjamin's punishment so severe, leading to near annihilation?

Answer: Benjamin's punishment was exceptionally severe because their defiance was profound and unrepentant, representing a deep moral corruption within the covenant community. The initial crime in Gibeah (Judges 19:25) was an abomination against God's law, human decency, and the covenant itself. When the other tribes of Israel, acting as instruments of divine justice, demanded that the perpetrators be handed over, Benjamin chose not only to protect them but to wage war against their own brethren. This was not merely a tribal dispute but a rebellion against the moral fabric and the very identity of Israel as God's holy people. Their stubborn refusal to purge evil from their midst, coupled with their willingness to shed the blood of their fellow Israelites, brought about a judgment commensurate with the gravity of their sin and defiance, highlighting God's abhorrence of unrepentant wickedness within His people.

Did God approve of this civil war, given the immense loss of life on both sides?

Answer: The narrative in Judges indicates that the other tribes of Israel repeatedly sought God's counsel before and during the war, demonstrating their desire to act according to His will (Judges 20:18, Judges 20:23, Judges 20:27-28). While the initial battles resulted in heavy Israelite losses, God ultimately instructed them to go up against Benjamin and promised victory. This suggests that God, in His sovereign justice and holiness, allowed and even directed this devastating conflict as a means of judgment against Benjamin's unrepentant sin and as a painful, purifying lesson for all of Israel regarding the consequences of moral decay and disunity. It was a tragic but necessary act of corporate discipline in a time when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25), demonstrating that God would not tolerate such blatant wickedness within His covenant people.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Judges 20:42, with its stark depiction of inescapable judgment and the relentless pursuit of justice against deep-seated sin, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound transformation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The devastating consequences of sin, so graphically illustrated in Benjamin's near-annihilation, powerfully point to the universal and immutable truth that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). However, unlike the Benjamites who faced judgment without a path to corporate repentance and restoration, Christ became the ultimate means by which divine justice is perfectly satisfied and true reconciliation is graciously offered. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, bearing the full weight of God's righteous wrath against sin on the cross, thereby redeeming us from its curse (Galatians 3:13). Where the civil war in Judges highlighted disunity, destruction, and internal strife, Christ's sacrificial death brings profound peace and unity, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between God and humanity, and among humanity itself (Ephesians 2:14). He offers not a relentless pursuit unto destruction, but a relentless pursuit of grace, calling sinners to repentance and offering forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life, ultimately reconciling all things to Himself through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Thus, the terrifying judgment of Judges 20:42 foreshadows the absolute necessity of dealing with sin, a necessity perfectly and mercifully met in the person and atoning work of Christ, who transforms judgment into salvation for all who believe.

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Commentary on Judges 20 verses 26–48

26 ¶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

27 And the children of Israel enquired 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? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points(1.) (2.) Details

We have here a full account of the complete victory which the Israelites obtained over the Benjamites in the third engagement: the righteous cause was victorious at last, when the managers of it amended what had been amiss; for, when a good cause suffers, it is for want of good management. Observe then how the victory was obtained, and how it was pursued.

I. How the victory was obtained. Two things they had trusted too much to in the former engagements - the goodness of their cause and the superiority of their numbers. It was true that they had both right and strength on their side, which were great advantages; but they depended too much upon them, to the neglect of those duties to which now, this third time, when they see their error, they apply themselves.

1.They were previously so confident of the goodness of their cause that they thought it needless to address themselves to God for his presence and blessing. They took it for granted that God would bless them, nay, perhaps they concluded that he owed them his favour, and could not in justice withhold it, since it was in defence of virtue that they appeared and took up arms. But God having shown them that he was under no obligation to prosper their enterprise, that he neither needed them nor was tied to them, that they were more indebted to him for the honour of being ministers of his justice than he to them for the service, now they became humble petitioners for success. Before they only consulted God's oracle, Who shall go up first? And, Shall we go up? But now they implored his favour, fasted and prayed, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings (Jdg 20:26), to make an atonement for sin and an acknowledgment of their dependence upon God, and as an expression of their desire towards him. We cannot expect the presence of God with us, unless we thus seek it in the way he has appointed. And when they were in this frame, and thus sought the Lord, then he not only ordered them to go up against the Benjamites the third time, but gave them a promise of victory: Tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand, Jdg 20:28.

2.They were previously so confident of the greatness of their strength that they thought it needless to use any art, to lay any ambush, or form a stratagem, not doubting but to conquer purely by a strong hand; but now they saw it was requisite to use some policy, as if they had an enemy to deal with them that had been superior in number; accordingly, they set liers in wait (Jdg 20:29), and gained their point, as their fathers did before Ai (Jos. 8), stratagems of that kind being most likely to take effect after a previous defeat, which has flushed the enemy, and made the pretended flight the less suspected. The management of this artifice is here very largely described. The assurance God had given them of success in this day's action, instead of making them remiss and presumptuous, set all heads and hands on work for the effecting of what God had promised.

(1.)Observe the method they took. The body of the army faced the city of Gibeah, as they had done before, advancing towards the gates, Jdg 20:30. The Benjamites, the body of whose army was now quartered at Gibeah, sallied out upon them, and charged them with great bravery. The besiegers gave back. retired with precipitation, as if their hearts failed them upon the sight of the Benjamites, which they were willing to believe, proudly imagining that by their former success they had made themselves very formidable. Some loss the Israelites sustained in this counterfeit flight, about thirty men being cut off in their rear, Jdg 20:31, Jdg 20:39. But, when the Benjamites were all drawn out of the city, the ambush seized the city (Jdg 20:37), gave a signal to the body of the army (Jdg 20:38, Jdg 20:40), which immediately turned upon them (Jdg 20:41), and, it should seem, another considerable party that was posted at Baal-tamar came upon them at the same time (Jdg 20:33); so that the Benjamites were quite surrounded, which put them into the greatest consternation that could be. A sense of guilt now disheartened them, and the higher their hopes had been raised the more grievous was this confusion. At first the battle was sore (Jdg 20:34), the Benjamites fought with fury; but, when they saw what a snare they were drawn into, they thought one pair of heels (as we say) was worth two pair of hands, and they made the best of their way towards the wilderness (Jdg 20:42); but in vain: the battle overtook them, and, to complete their distress, those who came out of the cities of Israel, that waited to see the event of the battle, joined with their pursuers, and helped to cut them off. Every man's hand was against them.

(2.)Observe in this story, [1.] That the Benjamites, in the beginning of the battle, were confident that the day was their own: They are smitten down before us, Jdg 20:32, Jdg 20:39. Sometimes God suffers wicked men to be lifted up in successes and hopes, that their fall may be the sorer. See how short their joy is, and their triumphing but for a moment. Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast, except he has reason to boast in God. [2.] Evil was near them and they did not know it, Jdg 20:34. But (Jdg 20:41) they saw, when it was too late to prevent it, that evil had come upon them. What evils may at any time be near us we cannot tell, but the less they are feared the heavier they fall. Sinners will not be persuaded to see evil near them, but how dreadful will it be when it comes and there is no escaping! Th1 5:3. [3.] Though the men of Israel played their parts so well in this engagement, yet the victory is ascribed to God (Jdg 20:35): The Lord smote Benjamin before Israel. The battle was his, and so was the success. [4.] They trode down the men of Benjamin with ease when God fought against them, Jdg 20:43. It is an easy thing to trample upon those who have made God their enemy. See Mal 4:3.

II. How the victory was prosecuted and improved in a military execution done upon these sinners against their own souls. 1. Gibeah itself, that nest of lewdness, was destroyed in the first place. The ambush that entered the city by surprise drew themselves along, that is, dispersed themselves into the several parts of it, which they might easily do, now that all the men of war had sallied out and very presumptuously left it defenceless; and they smote all they found, even women and children, with the sword (Jdg 20:37), and set fire to the city, Jdg 20:40. Sin brings ruin upon cities. 2. The army in the field was quite routed and cut off: 18,000 men of valour lay dead upon the spot, Jdg 20:44. 3. Those that escaped from the field were pursued, and cut off in their flight, to the number of 7000, Jdg 20:45. It is to no purpose to think of out-running divine vengeance. Evil pursues sinners, and it will overtake them. 4. Even those that tarried at home were involved in the ruin. They let their sword devour for ever, not considering that it would be bitterness in the latter end, as Abner pleads long after, when he was at the head of an army of Benjamites, probably with an eye to this very story, Sa2 2:25, Sa2 2:26. They put to the sword all that breathed, and set fire to all the cities, Jdg 20:48. So that of all the tribe of Benjamin, for aught that appears, there remained none alive but 600 men that took shelter in the rock Rimmon, and lay close there four months, Jdg 20:47. Now, (1.) It is difficult to justify this severity as it was Israel's act. The whole tribe of Benjamin was culpable; but must they therefore be treated as devoted Canaanites? That it was done in the heat of war, that this was the way of prosecuting victories which the sword of Israel had been accustomed to, that the Israelites were extremely exasperated against the Benjamites for the slaughter they had made among them in the two former engagements, will go but a little way to excuse the cruelty of this execution. It is true they had sworn that whosoever did not come up to Mizpeh should be put to death, Jdg 21:5. But that, if it was a justifiable oath, yet extended only to the men of war; the rest were not expected to come. Yet, (2.) It is easy to justify the hand of God in it. Benjamin had sinner against him, and God had threatened that, if they forgot him, they should perish as the nations that were before them perished (Deu 8:20), who were all in this manner cut off. (3.) It is easy likewise to improve it for warning against the beginnings of sin: they are like the letting forth of water, therefore leave it off before it be meddled with, for we know not what will be in the end thereof. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than all these desolations of a tribe. This affair of Gibeah is twice spoken of by the prophet Hosea as the beginning of the corruption of Israel and a pattern to all that followed (Hos 9:9): They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah; and (Hos 10:9), Thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah; and it is added that the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not (that is, did not at first) overtake them.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 26–48. Public domain.

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Ambrose of MilanAD 397

On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.115-16

When this [what had happened to the concubine] became known, (to be brief) almost all the people of Israel broke out into war. The war remained doubtful with an uncertain issue, but in the third engagement the people of Benjamin were delivered to the people of Israel, and being condemned by the divine judgment [they] paid the penalty for their widely immoral behavior.…And when at first the people of Israel were defeated, yet unmoved by fear at the reverses of the war, they disregarded the sorrow the avenging of chastity cost them. They rushed into the battle ready to wash out with their own blood the stains of the crime that had been committed.

Ambrose of MilanAD 397

LETTER 33

A proud retort was made, and plans for peace were changed to war. In the first and second encounters, when many were harmed by a few, the Israelites considered yielding, since the battles were so unfavorable. There were four hundred thousand men warring against twenty-five thousand of the tribe of Benjamin, and they strove with seven hundred Gabanites [Gibeonites] experienced in war. When two battles were unfavorable, Israel with eager spirit did not lose hope of victory nor of vengeance for the hope they had fostered.Superior in cause and number they yet fell back defeated in the battle’s outcome, and, feeling that God was offended, they tried with fasting and much weeping to gain a reconciliation of heaven’s favor. Begging the Lord’s peace, they returned more boldly to war, and they to whom prayer had given courage and who had entertained much hope were now able to do what they planned. On a pretext of withdrawing their front lines, setting ambushes at night in the rear of the city, where a segment of the enemy was located, they followed as some retired and thus were provided with an opportunity for invading the unprotected city. Fires were quickly set and flared up while raging flames and waves of heat revealed the sight of the taken city. Their spirits broken, they faced the enemy. The men of Benjamin who thought they were shut in and surrounded, even before they were invaded from the rear, began scattering and fleeing to the desert, while Israel pressed after with doubled force and pursued them as they wandered in rout.
About twenty-five thousand were slain, therefore, that is, almost all the men of Benjamin except six hundred who seized a fortification on a rough cliff and by virtue of its situation and with the help of nature and partly through fear were a terror to their victors. Success advises caution; in adversity, revenge is esteemed rather than victory. Not even a minority of the women stayed clear of that struggle, but all the women of the tribe of Benjamin, along with boys and girls of every age, were wiped out by sword or fire, and an oath was taken that no one would give his daughter to a man of that tribe in marriage, so that all chance of repairing the name was abolished.

Ambrose of MilanAD 397

LETTER 33

After you found out what transpired in our court, you kept to yourself; therefore, I now summon, as it were, part of my own soul, for I have a friendly yet sorrowful complaint against you for the outrage done to chastity. Was it necessary for an unsurpassed, unheard-of case of virginity to be subjected to a sentence? Could it not have been dismissed? In other words, unless with injury to herself she had been handed over from honored modesty to an indecent surrender of her body, though she offered strong proof regarding herself, she would be exposed to ridicule and marked out as a wanton individual! You have tendered this privilege to virginity, honor of a sort, to which they are pleased to be summoned and invited who plan to recover this boon! Thus, they lose the liberty of a common reputation, nor do they protect themselves by the statutes of sacred or public law; they may not ask their accuser or oppose an informer but may only put on shamelessness and expose themselves to harm.Our ancestors did not think chastity so to be despised; rather, they showed it such reverence that they would wage war on violators of modesty. In fact, so great was their desire for revenge that all the tribe of Benjamin would have been destroyed unless the six hundred who remained out of the war had been protected by a natural hill. This is the expression found in the account of the sacred lesson whose meaning it is profitable to consider.

JeromeAD 420

LETTER 108.8

At Gibeah also, now a complete ruin, she stopped for a little while remembering its sin, and the cutting of the concubine into pieces, and how in spite of all this three hundred men of the tribe of Benjamin were saved that in after days Paul might be called a Benjamite.

Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.

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Cross-References

Hosea 10:9
¶ O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
Joshua 8:15
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Lamentations 1:3
Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.
Hosea 9:9
They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
Joshua 8:24
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.