Judges 20:21

21 And the sons of Benjamin went out of Gibeah, and killed of the sons of Israel in that day two and twenty thousand men.

Judges 20:21 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:21

And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah
Which was their place of rendezvous, and which they came to defend; and in and about which they had stationed their whole army of 26,000 men:

and destroyed down to the ground:
killed dead upon the spot:

of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men;
wanting but 4000 of their whole number, excepting the men of Gibeah, which was such a rebuff the Israelites did not expect, being engaged in so just a cause, and having such a numerous army. Several Jewish, writers ^F17 think this was on account of their idolatry, that though they were very zealous to revenge corporeal adultery in the case of the Levite's concubine, and to remove such iniquity from Israel; yet were not zealous to revenge and put away spiritual adultery or idolatry in the case of the Danites, who had set up the image of Micah, and so had spread idolatry not only in their own tribe, but throughout Israel; and therefore God took this opportunity to avenge his own quarrel, and rebuke them for their sin; and now did Benjamin raven as a wolf, according to Jacob's prophecy, ( Genesis 49:27 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 103. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 28. Jarchi & Kimchi in loc.

Judges 20:21 In-Context

19 And anon the sons of Israel rose early, and setted tents against Gibeah. (And so early in the morning the Israelites rose up, and then pitched their tents opposite Gibeah.)

20 And from thence they went out to battle against Benjamin, and Israel began to fight against Gibeah.

21 And the sons of Benjamin went out of Gibeah, and killed of the sons of Israel in that day two and twenty thousand men.

22 And again (the next day,) the sons of Israel trusted in their own strength, and in (the) number of (their) people, and they dressed [the] battle array, in the same place in which they (had) fought before;

23 so nevertheless that they went up before to the house (of God), and they wept before the Lord unto [the] night, and they counselled with him, and said, Shall I go forth more to fight against the sons of Benjamin, my brethren, either nay? To whom he answered, Ascend ye to them, and begin ye the battle. (for they had gone up the evening before to the House of God, and they had wept before the Lord into the night, and had counselled with him, and had said, Should we go forth again to fight against our kinsmen, the Benjaminites, or not? To whom he answered, Go ye up to them, and make ye the battle.)