Judges 20:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

NIV: The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah.

NASB: So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

CSB: In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

NLT: So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah.

KJV: And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

NKJV: So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

Eleven of Israel's twelve tribes have been outraged by the reports of atrocities done in Gibeah. This city of the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 19:14) tolerated the heinous rape and murder of travelers by a frenzied mob (Judges 19:22–28). Israel's response was to send a massive collection of troops and demand the guilty men be handed over (Judges 20:12–13). Instead of cooperating with their fellow Israelites, the Benjaminites decided to defend their territory. They have amassed their own army, including several hundred specially trained stone slingers. Yet their army is only about one-fifteenth the size of their attackers (Judges 20:15–17).

When Benjamin rejected the demands of Israel, the eleven tribes sought God's direction for who would attack first (Judges 20:18). The fighters of the tribe of Judah position themselves to attack Gibeah, as the Lord has directed them. The time for discussion has passed, and war is imminent.

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).

Accessed 5/5/2024 1:57:43 PM