Judges 20:1

THE CIVIL WAR; THE DESTRUCTION OF GIBEAH AND THE NEAR-EXTERMINATION OF THE ENTIRE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN;

THE GRAND ASSEMBLY OF ALL ISRAEL (Judges 20:1-3)

"Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah. And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass?"

This paragraph confounds and frustrates the critics, who declare that such unity in Israel is utterly unlike the disunity exhibited in the other episodes of Judges. "This unity of Israel and the greatly exaggerated figures indicate later expansion."[1] "The word `congregation' is a post-exilic term."[2] Such remarks are irresponsible. The word congregation was frequently used throughout the Pentateuch and in the Book of Joshua. What such critics fail to see is that the events of this chapter are closely related to the times of Joshua, perhaps within twenty years of his death. "`Congregation' here is a technical term for the whole community of Israel and is an indication of the early date of these transactions."[3] Myers even branded the expression, "from Dan to Beersheba" as evidence of "late date."[4] Although it is true that the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" resulted from the migration of the Danites after the events of this chapter, the expression was certainly well known in the days of Samuel whom we have received as the author of Judges. Armerding observed that the events of Judges 20-21 are included here at the end of Judges, "For theological reasons; but there is good reason to believe that the events took place much closer to the beginning of Judges."[5] As these chapters stand, they provide a summary explanation of "How Israel developed into the disunited apostate people of the entire era of the Judges." Terrible as the events of these chapters most certainly are, "There is a glimmer of hope for Israel, because they knew that the Law of God had been violated, and that judgment must be rendered."[6] Nevertheless, the bitterness of this disastrous war was directly responsible for the gross disunity, and Israel's subsequent attitude, "everybody on his own," and "doing what was right in his own eyes," which conditions made the institution of the monarchy imperative if Israel as a united people was to survive.

"Assembled ... unto Jehovah at Mizpah" (Judges 20:1,3). The reason for the assembly here was that, "It was in three miles of Gibeah,"[7] in the heart of Benjamite territory.