NOTES for Jdg 20:1-23
1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. |
2 And the chief 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. |
3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness? |
4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. |
5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. |
6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. |
7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel. |
8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. |
9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; |
10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. |
11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. |
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? |
13 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel: |
14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. |
15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men. |
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. |
17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war. |
18 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first. |
19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. |
20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. |
21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men. |
22 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. |
23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.) |
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Righteous anger stirred the people, who had begun to grow accustomed to their cooling relationship with the Lord, and made them turn to Him again. The same anger led the eleven tribes to a unanimous decision to eradicate wickedness. But for the sons of Benjamin, tribal solidarity proved stronger than horror at evil. And so the whole people take up arms against the Benjaminites, and yet another fratricidal war begins.
Yes, the war was provoked by those who, refusing to eradicate evil, shared responsibility with those who committed it. Innocent blood falls upon those who shed it and their accomplices. Yet that brings no relief. Even while carrying out the Lord's will to eradicate wickedness, even in their anger, the Israelites do not forget that they are forced to shed the blood of their brothers. The evil that entered the world continues to grow and multiply.
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