Judges 20:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, "Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Judah shall go up first."

NIV: The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" The Lord replied, "Judah shall go first."

NASB: Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, 'Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?' Then the Lord said, 'Judah shall go up first.'

CSB: They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God. The Israelites asked, "Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites?" And the Lord answered, "Judah will be first."

NLT: Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, 'Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?' The Lord answered, 'Judah is to go first.'

KJV: 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 shall go up first.

NKJV: Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The Lord said, “Judah first!”

Combined armies from eleven of the twelve tribes of Israel stand together, ready to go to war "as one man." They have gathered to purge evil from Israel in the form of Gibeah's culture of open rape and murder of innocent travelers (Judges 19:22–28). They have the will to win, as well as the numbers; Israel's forces outnumber Benjamin's about fifteen-to-one (Judges 20:14–17).

This episode would have been over quickly if the people of Benjamin had agreed to hand over the guilty men from Gibeah. Instead, Benjamin has decided to defend them by amassing their own army. War is inevitable. The tribe of Benjamin has settled into a defensive posture.

Before attacking, the leaders of the eleven tribes do something unusual during this period: they turn to the Lord, asking God for direction. Their specific question is which of the eleven tribes' armies should attack first. They present this question to the Lord at Bethel. This probably means the town of Bethel north of Jerusalem, not far from where they amassed at Mizpah. Some scholars suggest bethel might refer to wherever the ark and sacrifices were located, and that this location moved. Other verses indicated the house of God was at Shiloh (Judges 18:31).

Bethel was a special place for meeting with God. At the very beginning of Israel's history, Abraham built an altar to the Lord there (Genesis 12:8), as did Jacob (Genesis 31:13; 35:7, 15). Now the ark of the covenant was being kept at Bethel, with priests overseeing the worship of God (Judges 20:27–28).

Judges does not describe how this delegation from the tribes of Israel made their inquiry of God. This might have been related to the Urim and Thummim associated with the priesthood (Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21). Whatever form was used, the Lord heard and graciously responded: Judah was to go first. This answer from God implies that He approved of Israel's commitment to destroying the sin of Gibeah, even if it meant going to war against their own brothers.

Judges 20:18–34 describes three battles between eleven tribes of Israel and the twelfth, Benjamin. Benjamin's forces are outnumbered about fifteen-to-one as they defend the city of Gibeah (Judges 19:14, 22; 20:13). The first two attacks fail, with almost a tenth of the Israelite fighters killed. After a day of fasting and sacrifices, God promises Israel victory. Israel's army uses a new strategy and succeeds. The following section begins with a summary of their eventual victory (Judges 20:35).

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).