Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 20:28
And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar … – A most important chronological statement, which makes it probable that these events occurred within twenty years of the death of Joshua.
To-morrow – The two former answers only bade them go up against Benjamin; now, for the first time, the promise is added, Tomorrow, etc. (compare Jos 8:1).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar] This was the same Phinehas who is mentioned Nu 25:7, and consequently these transactions must have taken place shortly after the death of Joshua.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Phinehas the son of Eleazar: this is added to give us some light about the time of this history, and to show it was not done in the order in which it is here placed, after Samsons death, but long before.
Stood, i.e. ministered, as the word stand oft signifies, as Deu 10:8; 18:7; Pro 22:29; Jer 52:12, compared with 2Ki 25:8, because standing is the usual posture of servants.
Before it, i.e. before the ark; or, before his, i.e. the Lords face, or presence; which shows that he was the high priest, for none else might appear there.
Or shall I cease? which, if thou requirest, we are willing to do, notwithstanding the provocation they have given us, and our own inclination to revenge.
Tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand: now, when they had sought God after the due order, and truly humbled themselves for their sins, he gives them a full and satisfactory answer to their desires.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,…. Before the ark, ministering before the Lord, which shows that this affair was long before the times of Samson, though placed after them; or otherwise Phinehas must have been more than three hundred years of age, which is not probable r. Phinehas’s standing before the ark was the posture of the priest when he inquired of the Lord for any by Urim and Thummim; the person that inquired stood before him that was inquired of, as Kimchi observes, and he that was inquired of stood before the Shechinah, or the presence of the divine Majesty, of which the ark was a symbol:
saying, shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? in which the question is put in somewhat different manner than before, not only desiring to know whether it was the will of God they should renew the battle or not, since Benjamin was their brother, but whether they should have success or not; intimating, that if the Lord would bless and help them, they were willing to go up, but if not they chose to desist; for they were fully convinced now they were wrong in depending on their numbers, or the justness of their cause; whereas success depended wholly on the will and pleasure of God, to which they desired to submit:
and the Lord said, go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand; now they are not only directed to go up to the battle, but are promised victory.
r Vid. Rainold. de lib. Apocryph. Praelect. 149, 150. p. 345, 353, 354.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(28) Phinehas.The fact that the high priest is. still the grandson of Aaron, who had shown such noble zeal in the desert (Num. 25:8; Psa. 106:30), is. an important note of time, and proves decisively that this narrative, like the last, is anterior to much that has been recorded in the earlier chapters. It is remarkable that the chief personages in these two wild scenes are the grandson of Moses and the grandson of Aaron, and it is a strange illustration of the disorder of the times that while the latter fulfils the supreme functions of the high priest, the former, who has sunk to the condition of a poor wandering Levite, does not go to his powerful cousin, but serves an unknown and schismatic image for a most paltry pittance.
Tomorrow.Comp. Jdg. 4:14; Jos. 8:1. This is the first promise of success. The people needed to be taught that even in a religious war they could by no means rely on their own strength. How often has history laughed to scorn the cynical remark of Napoleon that Providence usually favours the strongest battalion !
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Phinehas This mention of the grandson of Aaron, like that of Moses’ grandson in Jdg 18:30, (where see note,) shows that the events of this chapter, like those recorded in chaps. 17 and 18, must have occurred early in the period of the Judges, and not many years after the death of Joshua.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jdg 20:28 a
‘(And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days).’
Assuming this to be the Phinehas, son of Eleazar mentioned in Num 25:7; Jos 24:33, who was known as a young man to Moses, and whose father died not long after Joshua (Jos 24:33) this incident took place within forty or fifty years of the death of Moses and therefore very early in the Judges period before most of the incidents in Judges. But it may have been a later Phinehas, ‘son of’ meaning ‘descendant of’. It was clearly a priestly family name (compare 1Sa 2:34).
“Stood before it.” That is, before the Ark when ministering in the Holy Place. To ‘stand before the Ark’ may well have been a technical phrase referring to the current Priest. But it may also refer to his posture when using the Urim and the Thummim.
Jdg 20:28 b
‘Saying, shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?’
The question not only reflects their concern about their defeat, but also their concern about whether they should be fighting against this wayward member of the tribal confederacy. It was probably put in two parts. ‘Should we go up?’ and ‘Will You deliver them into our hand.’ It is possible that the Urim and Thummim could only give the answers ‘yes’ (compare 1Sa 23:9-12) or ‘no reply’ (1Sa 28:6). No example of a ‘no’ reply is known. Alternatively it has been suggested that each had a yes side and a no side. When tossed down, two yeses meant yes, two noes meant no and a yes and a no meant no reply.
Jdg 20:28 c
‘And Yahweh said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.’
These were the answers of the Urim and the Thummim. God not only told them to go forward, but also promised victory on the morrow.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 20:28. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, &c. This was that Phinehas who had signalized his zeal for the glory of God on a former occasion. See Numbers 25. Had this war been posterior to the death of Samson, Phinehas must have been above three hundred years old; but, as we have before remarked, its epocha was between the death of Joshua and the appointment of the first judge. The Alexandrian Chronicle assigns only twenty-five years to the priesthood of Phinehas, and mentions three other priests between him and Eli. See Selden de Success. in Pontif. lib. 1: cap. 2. It has appeared surprising to many, that the Israelites should have been defeated in this manner by the Benjamites, when they seem not only to have had justice, but the approbation of God on their side. Now, besides the general answer given from the secret purposes and wisdom of God, who might intend to humble them, and shew them their absolute dependence upon him, it has been observed, that they took this warlike step, not by his appointment, but wholly of themselves, without consulting the Divine oracle; which, as God was the king of their nation, was a kind of high treason against him: nor does it by any means appear, whether they were actuated by a zeal for his glory, or by private pique and prejudice only; since the rest of their conduct implies no such zeal, as the state of things among them, particularly their allowance of Micah and his idols, shews. In the 18th verse, it is true, they ask counsel of God; but not whether they should go to war with Benjamin or not; they only ask, who of them shall go up first against Benjamin; a proper answer to which question is given, but no success promised. Convinced, no doubt, of the impropriety of their conduct by their ill success, and having duly humbled themselves before the Lord, they now, by Phinehas, applying properly, are answered, and succeed accordingly, They who would see this matter more fully defended may consult Leland on the Div. Auth. of the Old and New Testament, vol. 1: cap. 8 and Psalmanazar’s 4th Essay.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jdg 20:28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
Ver. 28. Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them. ] Now they have a promise, which before they had none. Josephus saith a that when they inquired of God by Urim and Thummim, as here they did, the splendour and brightness of the high priest’s breastplate foreshowed victory. Certain it is that this promise did so.
a Antiq., lib. iii. cap. 3.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Phinehas. The grandson of Aaron, the contemporary of Jonathan the grandson of Moses (Jdg 18:30). This is the only mention of the high priest throughout the book.
Aaron. Some codices, with Syriac, add “the priest”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Phinehas: It is evident, from this mention of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, that these transactions must have taken place not long after the death of Joshua. Num 25:7-13, Jos 22:13, Jos 22:30-32, Jos 24:33
stood: Deu 10:8, Deu 18:5
Shall I yet: Jos 7:7, 1Sa 14:37, 1Sa 23:4-12, 1Sa 30:8, 2Sa 5:19-24, 2Sa 6:3, 2Sa 6:7-12, Pro 3:5, Pro 3:6, Jer 10:23
Go up: Jdg 1:2, Jdg 7:9, 2Ch 20:17
Reciprocal: Exo 6:25 – Phinehas Exo 28:30 – General Deu 20:2 – General Jos 9:14 – asked not Jos 11:6 – morrow Jdg 1:1 – asked 1Sa 10:22 – inquired 1Sa 14:18 – Bring hither 1Ch 6:4 – Phinehas Ezr 7:5 – Phinehas Joh 11:51 – being
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 20:28. Phinehas the son of Eleazar This is added to give us light respecting the time of this history, and to show, that this war did not take place in the order in which it is here recorded, after the death of Samson, but long before; probably not long after the death of Joshua. Stood before it Namely, the ark: that is, ministered as high-priest. Against the children of Benjamin my brother This is a more humble inquiry than either of the former. At first they only asked what tribe should first go up, presuming that the war ought to be made; and the second time, only whether God would have them renew the fight. But now they ask whether they should proceed in the war or desist altogether. That is, they leave the matter wholly to Gods will and pleasure, desiring to take no further step, if he did not see fit to accompany them with his blessing. Accordingly, as they now sought God after the due order, truly humbled themselves for their sins, and resigned themselves and the whole business up to his direction and disposal, he condescended to give them a gracious answer, assuring them of a speedy victory.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
20:28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, {n} stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
(n) Or, served in the priest’s office in those days: for the Jews write that he lived three hundred years.