Judges 20:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

NIV: Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

NASB: Out of all these people seven hundred choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

CSB: There were seven hundred fit young men who were left-handed among all these troops; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

NLT: Among Benjamin’s elite troops, 700 were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing.

KJV: Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

NKJV: Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.

The people of Benjamin have decided to stand against all the other tribes of Israel. Men of the town of Gibeah (Judges 19:14) committed a horrific atrocity (Judges 19:22–27). The rest of Israel heard what happened and are determined to hold the evildoers responsible (Judges 20:1–10). Instead of cooperating, the tribe of Benjamin seems to resent this interference in their region. So, they rally their armies to oppose their countrymen (Judges 20:11–15).

The other tribes sent a quantity of troops listed as 400 'eleph, described using a Hebrew word which can refer to "thousands" or to "units" or "divisions." The tribe of Benjamin has 26 'eleph, plus seven hundred more who are probably militia from Gibeah. The scenario is incredibly lopsided.

However, among this army are seven hundred men—a separate group from those in Gibeah—who have a special skill. These men fight with slings rather than swords. In that era, slings were not the "slingshots" modern people associate with children and recreation. These weapons were long strips of cloth or leather, cracked like whips, launching eyeball-sized stones at incredible speeds (1 Samuel 17:49). Some ancient slings used rocks as large as a person's fist, thrown faster than a professional baseball pitcher.

These Benjaminites are extremely proficient with these weapons. Commentators suggest the term translated as "left-handed" might mean the men were ambidextrous: trained to use slings with both the right and left hand. That skill seems to have been a hallmark of Benjamin's warriors (Judges 3:15; 1 Chronicles 12:2). In any case, their accuracy is described using a figure of speech, poetically saying they could fire stones with almost perfect accuracy. They will help to even to the odds stacked against Benjamin's smaller army.

Judges 20:1–17 depicts Israel's response to an atrocity in Gibeah, a town of the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 19:22, 25). The people agree to punish Gibeah, saying their intent is to purge evil from Israel. When the Benjaminites refuse to hand over the guilty men, the other eleven tribes prepare a large army to invade. Benjamin rallies their own troops and prepares to defend the city of Gibeah.

A massive army collected from eleven of the twelve tribes of Israel gather near the town of Gibeah. Their goal is to purge evil from the land (Judges 19:22–28). The tribe of Benjamin refuses to cooperate. Instead, they assemble an army about one-fifteenth the size of Israel's army. After two failed attempts and a promise of victory from the Lord, Israel uses a false retreat and ambush strategy to destroy Gibeah. This results in the loss of Benjamin's entire army. Israel's wrath spills over onto the territory, itself. All the people, animals, and towns in the tribe's territory are attacked, and it appears that only 600 Benjaminite men survive.

In the prior chapter, Benjaminite men of the town of Gibeah committed an act of heinous sin (Judges 19:22–25). In response, the murdered woman's husband rallies Israel with a gruesome message (Judges 19:29–30). Chapter 20 depicts how the tribe of Benjamin refuses to hand over the guilty men. Civil war ensues, resulting in near-total annihilation of their tribe. This creates a new crisis in Israel, as described in chapter 21; Israel doesn't want Benjamin to become extinct.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).