Judges 20:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.

NIV: But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day.

NASB: But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day.

CSB: But the Israelite troops rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.

NLT: But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.

The armies of eleven of Israel's twelve tribes have suffered devastating losses. What began as a police action to hold Gibeah responsible for abominable sins has become a civil war (Judges 20:12–20). Rather than cooperate by punishing the guilty, the people of Benjamin decided to defend their city. The armies of Israel had a fifteen to one advantage in numbers over the fighting men of Benjamin (Judges 20:15–17). But at the end of the first day's battle, about one in twenty of Israel's men have been killed. Gibeah has not fallen.

Israel's warriors refuse to give in to despair. They choose courage and form the same battle lines against Gibeah they had formed the day before. They are ready to attack again, determined to overpower the Benjaminites this time. Israel will again insist on making sure that God is with them in this fight (Judges 20:23).

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 4/27/2024 4:45:18 PM