Judges 20:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city

NIV: The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

NASB: Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

CSB: The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

NLT: They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.

KJV: Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

NKJV: Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,

Israel's ambush (Judges 20:19) has worked perfectly. When their false retreat drew away the bulk of Benjamin's army (Judges 20:32–34), specially chosen fighters ambushed the city, killing everyone inside as God's judgment for the city's wickedness (Judges 19:22–28; 20:12). After defeating the inhabitants, Israel's forces set fire to the city.

This is not merely an act of destruction. The massive cloud of smoke which rises into the sky as the city burns serves as a signal. It will inform the rest of Israel's army that Gibeah is destroyed. The Israeli fighters luring the Benjaminites with a false retreat will see the smoke, know the Benjaminites have nowhere to fall back, and can turn to counterattack (Judges 20:40–42).

Judges 20:35–48 starts with a summary of the final conflict between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel. This is followed by details about how that result was obtained. The prior passage explained the other eleven tribes preparing for war, struggling, then eventually finding a winning strategy. Benjamin's armies are almost completely wiped out. Israel rages through the territory, destroying everything and everyone they encounter. Only 600 men remain alive out of the entire tribe.

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 5/7/2024 2:21:19 PM