What does Judges 20:29 mean?
ESV: So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
NIV: Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah.
NASB: So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
CSB: So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.
NLT: So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.
KJV: And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
NKJV: Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
Verse Commentary:
God assured the Israelites they will defeat Gibeah in their third attack (Judges 20:19–28). Since the full tribe of Benjamin is defending Gibeah (Judges 19:14), this means the Israelites will overcome their brothers in that tribe, as well.
Exact maneuvers of the previous two attacks were not described. Here, however, Israel seems to employ a new strategy. They position parts of their army in hiding around the city to ambush the Benjaminites. This appears to be connected to a classic feint, a tactic meant to incite a response which can then be exploited. Israel will draw the Benjaminite fighters out from Gibeah, then attack the city when the bulk of the army of Benjamin is too far away to protect it (Judges 20:30–31).
Verse Context:
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).
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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).
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