Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Judges 20:1) Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, to the Lord in Mizpeh.
In the last chapter and post, a Levite man and his concubine had lodged in an old man's house in Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin. The men of that city had surrounded the house and banged on the doors insisting that the Levite come out so they could sodomize him. He sent his concubine instead whom they used and abused all night, and she died. The Levite had carved up her body and sent it all over Israel to let them know what had happened. Now all of Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south met together in a group, also with the tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan. I imagine the tribe of Benjamin was not included in this assembly. They met before the Lord in Mizpeh, a city that lay on the borders of Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:38), a city near to Shiloh and said to be eight miles from Gibeah.
(2) And the chief of all people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.
The chief of each group of people, princes of the tribes and heads of families of all the tribes of Israel, except the tribe of Benjamin, presented themselves in this assembly of the people of God. They numbered four hundred thousand armed men.
(3) (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpeh.) Then the children of Israel said, "Tell, how was this wickedness?"
The tribe of Benjamin heard that all the other tribes had gathered in Mizpeh, realizing they had been left out. The children of Israel who had assembled together asked the Levite, as it appears from the next verse, how the wickedness they had heard about had come to be.
(4) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was slain, answered and said, "I came into Gibeah of Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. (5) And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me, and my concubine they have forced that she is dead."
The Levite told the chiefs of Israel how he and his concubine had come into Gibeah to lodge. He told how men of Gibeah surrounded the house wanting him. I suppose it's possible he imagined they wanted to kill him after they had sodomized him, but he left out the sodomy part which was their actual intent. He said they forced themselves on his concubine until she was dead. However, he actually was the one who gave the men his concubine in order to save himself.
(6) "And 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."
The Levite went on to tell how he had then cut his concubine into pieces and sent her throughout Israel so that they would see what lewd crimes and foolish wickedness had been committed in Israel.
(7) "Behold, all you children of Israel, give here your advice and counsel."
The Levite ended with asking the chiefs of Israel what they thought should be done.
(8) And all the people arose as one man, saying, "We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. (9) But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah by lot against it. (10) And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel."
All the people rose up in agreement as one saying that none of them would return to their homes. They would cast lots to see who would go up against Benjamin. They proposed to take ten percent of the men, 40,000, to fetch provisions for the rest of the men that they would be able to follow through with the punishment that Gibeah's wickedness deserved. All of Israel rose up united as one because of the word of one man, and that man had not been totally truthful. They should have risen up as one to enquire of the Lord before rushing to judgment on their own.
(11) So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. (12) And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What wickedness is this that is done among you?"
All of Israel was united against Gibeah. The tribes sent men through the tribe of Benjamin asking them about the wickedness that had been done within their tribe.
(13) "Now therefore, deliver the men, the children of Belial, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel." But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.
The men of Israel made the reasonable request that the tribe of Benjamin deliver to them the sons of Belial who had done the wickedness to the Levite and his concubine, so that they might be put to death, thus removing the evil from among the children of Israel. However, the Benjamites refused. It was probably pride that kept them from submitting to their brethren, but by refusing to allow the Israelites to remove the evil from among them, the Benjamites were voicing their agreement with the evil. Then again, perhaps they recognized the Israelites' rush to judgment and would not subject men of their own tribe to death without a fair hearing.
(14) But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
The Benjamites gathered themselves together at Gibeah to actually go to battle against the rest of Israel. It was much misplaced pride and arrogance that they believed one tribe could defend against eleven others, especially when the eleven just seemed to want to rid the evil from Israel. If the Benjamites did not want to submit to another tribe they thought was rash and unjust, they could have themselves brought the evildoers forth for investigation and then appropriate justice and perhaps satisfied the rest of Israel, but they seem to have doubled down in their defense of the wicked doers.
(15) And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men who drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
The armed men of Benjamin who had gathered from all the cities to Gibeah, numbered 26,000, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah which added another seven hundred.
(16) Among all this people were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; everyone could sling stones at a hair breadth and not miss. (17) And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were four hundred thousand men who drew sword, all these men of war.
Among the 26,700 armed men of Benjamin were seven hundred lefthanded men who could sling stones accurately and not miss their mark. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Benjamites could have confidence that 26,700 of them could go up against 400,000 Israelites.
(18) And the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God, and said, "Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Judah first."
The Israelites went to Shiloh to the tabernacle of God to enquire of Him who should go up first into battle against the Benjamites. The Lord, probably through the Urim and Thummim of the high priest, said that Judah should go first. It is commendable that the Israelites still sought counsel of the Lord when they had started to fall away from the correct worship of Him as deduced from the past few chapters. However, they only asked who should go first, already having determined on their own that they would go to battle against their brother.
(19) And the children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. (20) And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
The Israelite tribes rose in the morning and encamped across from Gibeah. They went to battle against Benjamin, putting themselves in array to fight against the Benjamites at Gibeah, presumably with Judah going first.
(21) And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty-two thousand men.
The Benjamites came out of Gibeah against the Israelites and killed dead on the spot 22,000 of them. Why would God allow 22,000 Israelites to be killed when theirs seemed a just cause in trying to rid Israel of the evil sons of Belial? They were also guilty of sin, of idolatry and worse, because everyone had been doing what was right in his own eyes and not adhering to the laws of God. They had rushed to judgment without a fair hearing with two or three witnesses as was required. They had been very zealous to avenge the death of the Levite's concubine but not so much to put away their spiritual adultery and idolatry that had been growing among them as evidenced by the past few chapters. They had gone to God to enquire only who should go first in a battle they had already determined to embark on themselves, but as John Wesley wrote in his Notes on the Bible, they had gone to Him "with polluted hands." They "should have pulled the beam out of their own eye, before they attempted to take that out of their brother Benjamin's eye." Because they did not repent of their own sins before God, God did it for them, "bringing them through the fire, that they might be purged from their dross." The Israelites should not have depended so heavily on their own numbers and strength. The result was due to the will of God, and this fulfilled Jacob's prophecy about his son, Benjamin, that he would be ravenous as a wolf devouring his prey (Genesis 49:27).
(22) And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
The men of Israel did not allow themselves to be discouraged after their loss of so many men. They once again set their battle lines in the same place as before.
(23) (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?" And the Lord said, "Go up against him.")
The fact that this verse was put in parentheses tells me that it probably happened before verse 22, that it was further explanation for verse 22. Otherwise, I don't see a good reason for making a parenthetical statement of something so important. The Israelites had gone before the Lord and had wept before Him for some time and asked if they should even go to battle against their brother, and the Lord had told them to go against Benjamin. Probably then the Israelites encouraged themselves and set themselves in battle lines again.
(24) And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. (25) And Benjamin went forth 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.
The Israelites went to battle against the tribe of Benjamin the second day. The Benjamites came out of Gibeah against the children of Israel and killed on the spot eighteen thousand of the Israelite armed men. The fact that the Israelites were defeated again has me rethinking verses 22 and 23. Perhaps the Israelites had encouraged themselves by their own will, and going before the Lord was secondary after they had already resolved what to do. They wept before the Lord, but it was likely for their defeat only and not because they had sinned against the Lord. The Lord always knows the truth of the hearts of men. He told them to go up against Benjamin, but He didn't say they would defeat Benjamin. Hosea 10:9 speaks specifically of this battle and states:
"O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them."
The Israelites had sinned. It is interesting that this was now 40,000 of the Israelites who had been killed, a sort of tithe of the 400,000 that had initially gone to battle against their brethren. Tithing acknowledges that all belongs to God. It was God's will that both sides learn a lesson. Both sides had sinned and required judgment. Unfortunately, it seems we learn best after going through trials. It was never God's plan that His people should fight against one another. In fact, God had specifically told them in Deuteronomy 13:13-17 how to deal with "children of Belial," in that case, those who would spread idolatry. If God's command and punishment against idolatry had been followed in the first place, evil would not have reached the level it had, and there would not be a civil war among the tribes.
(26) Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept and sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
It appears that the whole army of the Israelites with the rest of the people went to the house of God where they wept and fasted and offered burnt and peace offerings to the Lord. It seems they had finally acknowledged their sins and desired to make atonement for them with their offerings. They demonstrated their total dependence of Him.
(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 tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."
The children of Israel again inquired of the Lord at the house of God where the ark of the covenant was in Shiloh, through Phinehas who stood before the ark with the Urim and Thummim. They asked humbly if they should go again to battle against their brother or if they should cease battling. They had truly repented and realized that they could not trust in their large numbers or in the justness of their cause, but must submit wholly to the will of God. This time the Lord not only told them to go up to battle, but He promised them victory.
(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.
This time Israel set an ambush with men lying in wait all around Gibeah. Then the rest of their army put themselves in formation just as they had done the previous times and went up against the tribe of Benjamin.
(31) And the children of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
The Benjamites went out against the children of Israel and were drawn out of Gibeah. They struck the Israelites in the highways where it appears two highways met, one going to the house of God and the other to Gibeah in the field. It appears that the Israelites divided the army of the Benjamites as some went one way and the others went the other way. The children of Benjamin killed only thirty Israelites this time.
(32) And 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 from the city into the highways."
The Benjamites thought they had struck down the Israelites as they had done before, arrogant in their own ability. However, it had been the Israelites' plan to flee before them and draw them out of the city into the highways.
(33) And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in array at Baal Tamar, and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places out of the meadows of Gibeah.
The Israelites had fled to a nearby place called Baal Tamar where they once again lined up for battle. Also those who lay in wait around Gibeah came out from their hiding places to Baal Tamar.
(34) And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce, but they did not know that evil was near them.
I am imagining that the Israelite battle line at Baal Tamar went against the men of Gibeah who had been pursuing them as they pretended to flee, and then the men who had been lying in wait around Gibeah now came out of their hiding places around Gibeah, and that is the evil that the men of Gibeah had not expected to come up behind them.
(35) And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand and a hundred men; all these drew the sword.
The Lord gave the victory to Israel and destroyed 25,100 armed men of the tribe of Benjamin.
(36) So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, for the men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites because they relied on the liers in wait whom they had set beside Gibeah. (37) And the liers in wait hasted and rushed upon Gibeah, and the liers in wait drew along and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
Indeed, it appears that the battle went as I had been imagining it. The Israelites allowed the Benjamites ground as they fled from them because they knew the men lying in wait would come up behind them as they did. They rushed upon Gibeah and struck all the city. The Benjamites then saw they were defeated.
(38) Now there was an appointed signal 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.
There had been an appointed signal between the Israelites and the men who were lying in wait. Those lying in wait were to make a great fire in the city and when the Israelites saw the smoke from it, they would know that the city had been taken.
(39) And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, 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 the first battle."
When the Israelites appeared to give up and start fleeing, that is when the Benjamites killed thirty men (verse 31), and they believed it would be the same as it had been in the previous battles that they would strike down the Israelites.
(40) But when the flame began to rise 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 had come upon them.
But when the flame arose out of the city, the Israelites turned back toward the Benjamites, and when the Benjamites saw the smoke of the city behind them and the Israelites turned back toward them, they were alarmed for they saw that disaster had come upon them.
(42) Therefore they turned before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
The Benjamites turned away from the Israelites to flee into the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. Those Benjamites who came out of the city and the surrounding towns were also destroyed in the midst of the battle.
(43) They enclosed the Benjamites round about, chased them, and trod them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
The Israelites were then able to close in on the Benjamites all around, and they chased them and trod them down easily across from Gibeah toward the east, the sunrise.
(44) And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.
The Israelites had killed 18,000 Benjamite soldiers.
(45) And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men and pursued hard after them to Gidom and killed two thousand men of them. (46) So that all who fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.
The Benjamites then turned and fled toward the wilderness to a rock called Rimmon, but the Israelites picked off five thousand of them in the highways. The Israelites then pursued them to a place called Gidom and killed two thousand more of them. Considering the Benjamites started with 26,700 men (verse 15), killing 25,000 was an almost total destruction.
(47) But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
Either 600 Benjamites turned again and fled back to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon, or perhaps these were part of the thousands who had fled there previously (verse 45), and the Israelites killed of them there 5000, leaving 600 who managed to get away. These 600 men abode in the rock Rimmon for four months.
(48) And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all who came to hand; also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.
The Israelites turned from the wilderness and killed every man and beast they came upon and set on fire every city they came to. That sounds as if they indiscriminately killed anyone they came upon, man, woman, child, or animal. It seems excessive and beyond what was necessary to defeat Benjamin. They had treated Benjamin as severely as they had the Canaanite nations. They almost wiped out the entire tribe of Benjamin. There had been much sin and slaughter on both sides because there was no judge or spiritual leader, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).
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