Judges 20:15

THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN MOBILIZES FOR WAR (Judges 20:15-16)

"And the children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. Among all this people, there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss."

In Joshua 18:21-28, there is a list of the twenty-six cities of the Benjamites, not including all of their villages, and the mobilization of 26,000 men from Benjamin is altogether reasonable. We reject the nonsense about these figures being "exaggerated." Modern commentators, knowing absolutely nothing about the situation, have carved for themselves a very unenviable position in contradicting the plain statements of God's Word.

"Comparing the numbers here with those in Numbers 1, and Numbers 26, both in the case of the Benjamites and that of the Israelites, their total numbers of fighting men had decreased by about one third."[11]

This falling off of the numbers of Israel's fighting men suggests that the conquest had taken its toll, and that the continuing ravages of the Canaanite enemies left unconquered in Palestine was also another factor eroding Israel's strength.

"Everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss" (Judges 20:16). The slings of ancient armies were deadly weapons, and it appears that the Benjamites were unusually skillful in their use. It was with such a weapon that David slew Goliath of Gath. Cundall tells us that, "It has been estimated that stones weighing up to one pound could be projected with uncanny accuracy at speeds up to 90 miles per hour."[12]