Judges 20:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.

NIV: On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters.

NASB: So all those of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were valiant men.

CSB: All the Benjaminites who died that day were twenty-five thousand armed men; all were warriors.

NLT: So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords,

KJV: So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

NKJV: So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

The Israelite army lost about ten percent of their forces in their first two attacks on the army of Benjamin in and around the city of Gibeah (Judges 20:17, 21, 25). That loss felt even more humiliating because the total number of Benjaminite troops was less than the number of Israeli men killed (Judges 20:15). On the third day, the situation reversed, and God gave Israel victory during a brutal, bloody day.

God intends to use the other eleven tribes—all except Benjamin—to judge sinful abominations against the innocent and against Him (Judges 19:22–28; 20:12–13). On the field of battle, all who are caught are killed. For Benjamin, the number of the dead includes most of the men of fighting age from their already-small tribe. This is a catastrophic disaster for them and their people.

This verse again refers to these fallen warriors as "men of valor." They were not directly associated with the crimes of the men of Gibeah. The valor referred to is about their fighting spirit, ferocity, bravery, and skill as warriors. Nobody is said to celebrate their deaths.

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 4/28/2024 10:29:29 PM