Judges 20:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.

NIV: The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

NASB: Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel.

CSB: The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand men of Israel on the field that day.

NLT: But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

KJV: And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

NKJV: Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.

The outcome of the first day of battle between Benjamin and the rest of the tribes of Israel (Judges 20:15–17) is shocking. Israel's cause was just. They had come to restore righteousness to Israel by destroying guilty rapists and murderers in the city of Gibeah (Judges 19:22–28; 20:12–14). Israel had also taken the then-unusual step of asking the Lord for specific direction before they attacked. Their total army numbers fifteen times the size of Benjamin's forces, but the tribe of Judah is called on to attack first (Judges 20:18–21).

Despite massive numbers, more than one in twenty of Israel's forces are killed and Benjamin is still in control of their home territory. As is typical of ancient accounts, the casualties of the winning side are not listed. In almost all cases where people defend native territory from invaders, knowledge of the local terrain would have been an enormous advantage. It's possible the landscape around Gibeah provided especially useful natural defenses, a strategic advantage which mere numbers could not overcome. And yet, it's unlikely anyone expected the day to end with so many of Israel's own army killed in the battle.

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).