Judges 20:12-48

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 20:18-25

We have here the defeat of the men of Israel in their first and second battle with the Benjamites. I. Before their first engagement they asked counsel of God concerning the order of their battle and were directed, and yet they were sorely beaten. They did not think it was proper to ask of God whether they should go up at all against Benjamin (the case was plain enough, the men of Gibeah must be punished for their wickedness, and Israel must inflict the punishment or it will not be done), but... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 20:26-48

We have here a full account of the complete victory which the Israelites obtained over the Benjamites in the third engagement: the righteous cause was victorious at last, when the managers of it amended what had been amiss; for, when a good cause suffers, it is for want of good management. Observe then how the victory was obtained, and how it was pursued. I. How the victory was obtained. Two things they had trusted too much to in the former engagements?the goodness of their cause and the... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:16

Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded ,.... According to Ben Gersom, these were the seven hundred men of Gibeah; but this does not appear from the text, but, on the contrary, that these were among all the people; or there were so many to be selected out of them all, who were lefthanded men; nor is it likely that all the inhabitants of one place should be such. Benjamin signifies a son of the right hand, yet this tribe had a great number of lefthanded men in it,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:17

And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin ,.... Who did not join them in this affair, but opposed them: were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword : see Judges 20:9 . all these were men of war ; inured to it, skilful and courageous. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 20:18

And the children of Israel arose ,.... From Mizpeh, where they were assembled, having heard that the Benjaminites were gathered together to defend the men of Gibeah: and went up to the house of God ; to the tabernacle which was in Shiloh, Judges 18:31 , see Joshua 18:1 though the Targum takes Bethel for the name of a place so called; and so do Ben Gersom and Josephus F16 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10.) , which was near Shiloh, for Shiloh is said to be on the north... read more

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