士師記 20:12-15 JCB

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 20:12-17

Here is, I. The fair and just demand which the tribes of Israel, now encamped, sent to the tribe of Benjamin, to deliver up the malefactors of Gibeah to justice, Jdg. 20:12, 13. If the tribe of Benjamin had come up, as they ought to have done, to the assembly, and agreed with them in their resolution, there would have been none to deal with but the men of Gibeah only, but they, by their absence, taking part with the criminals, application must be made to them all. The Israelites were zealous... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:12

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of Benjamin ,.... Meaning the families of Benjamin; for as sometimes a tribe is called a family, Joshua 7:17 so a family is called a tribe; and there were ten families in the tribe of Benjamin, according to the number of his sons, the fathers of these families. Genesis 46:21 , which being numerous and powerful, and consisting of men of courage, and expert in war, thought themselves a match for the ten tribes of Israel now... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:13

Now, therefore, deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah ,.... Those wicked men that were the authors of that abominable wickedness there committed: that we may put them to death ; as they deserved, since they were guilty both of adultery and murder; their meaning is, that they in conjunction with the tribe of Benjamin might condemn them to death and punish them with it, as their crime deserved: and put away evil from Israel ; prevent both the spread of such a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:14

But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah ,.... To protect and defend it against the other tribes, being a city of theirs and where the persons charged with the crime lived; these got together thither out of the several cities of the tribe of Benjamin, as many as could bear arms: to go out to battle against the children of Israel ; they neither denied the fact, nor attempted to palliate and excuse it, nor sought for peace but at once betook... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:15

And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities ,.... All that they could muster up, and gather together out of their several cities, were no more man than twenty and six thousand men that drew the sword able bodied men fit for war, and expert in it: beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men young, stout, and strong, and in all but 26,700; and what are these to an army of 400,000 men, or however 360,000 that came up... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 20:13

Deliver us the men - Nothing could be fairer than this. They wish only to make the murderers answerable for their guilt. Benjamin would not hearken - Thus making their whole tribe partakers of the guilt of the men of Gibeah. By not delivering up those bad men, they in effect said: "We will stand by them in what they have done, and would have acted the same part had we been present." This proves that the whole tribe was excessively depraved. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 20:15

Twenty and six thousand - Some copies of the Septuagint have twenty-three thousand, others twenty-five thousand. The Vulgate has this latter number; the Complutensian Polyglot and Josephus have the same. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 20:15-17

Comparing the numbers here with those in Numbers 1:0; Numbers 26:0, it is seen that in the case both of the Benjamites and the Israelites the numbers are diminished by about one-third, i. e., they appear as about two-thirds only of what they were at the last numbering in the plains of Moab. This diminution seems to indicate disturbed and harassing times. With this agrees the mention of the cities, as containing the whole Benjamite population. The inference is that the open country and unwalled... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 20:12

Judges 20:12. The tribes of Israel sent men, &c. Before they marched forward they sent an embassy to the Benjamites, to complain of the wickedness that had been committed, and the injury that had been done by some of their tribe, and to demand that the offenders might be delivered up to justice. This was a wise and just course, that the innocent might be separated from the guilty, and a fair opportunity given them of preventing their own ruin by doing what their duty, honour, and... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 20:13

Judges 20:13. That we may put away evil from Israel Both the guilt and punishment wherein all Israel will be involved if they do not punish it. The children of Benjamin would not hearken From the pride of their hearts, which made them scorn to submit to their brethren; from a conceit of their own valour; and from God’s just judgment. Certainly the degeneracy among them must have been very great, and it is probable the offenders might be men of considerable rank and power, which made the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 20:12-17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:15

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 20:13

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 20:15

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 20:15-17

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 20:12

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 20:13

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