Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 20:45
And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
45. the rock of Rimmon ] now Rammn, rises from the plateau due E. of Beth-el, visible from all sides; it lies rather more than 8 m. N.E. of Tell el-Fl.
gleaned of them ] For the figure cf. Jdg 8:2.
unto Gidom ] Site unknown; the Versions therefore guess, LXX. cod. A Gilead, Syr Gibeon. With the change of a vowel, we may read until they cut them off ( gid‘m), the word used in Jdg 21:6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Rimmon – A village named Rummon, situated on the summit of a conical chalky hill, still exists, and forms a remarkable object in the landscape, visible in all directions. It lies 15 miles north of Jerusalem. It is a different place from Rimmon in the south of Judah Jos 15:32, and Remmon in Zebulon Jos 19:13. Gidom, mentioned nowhere else, was evidently close to Rimmon.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 45. Unto the rock of Rimmon] This was some strong place, but where situated is not known. Here they maintained themselves four months, and it was by these alone that the tribe of Benjamin was preserved from utter extermination. See the following chapter.
IT is scarcely possible to imagine any thing more horrid than the indiscriminate and relentless slaughter of both innocent and guilty mentioned in this chapter. The crime of the men of Gibeah was great, but there was no adequate cause for this relentless extermination of a whole tribe. There was neither justice nor judgment in this case; they were on all sides brutal, cruel, and ferocious: and no wonder; there was no king in Israel – no effective civil government, and every man did what was right in his own eyes. There was no proper leader; no man that had authority and influence to repress the disorderly workings of the pell-mell mob.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They gleaned, i.e. they cut off the remainders in the pursuit, and spared none; a metaphor from those who gather grapes or corn so clearly and fitly, that they leave no relics for those who come after them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
45. they turned and fled toward thewilderness unto the rock of RimmonMany of the fugitives foundrefuge in the caves of this rocky mountain, which is situated to thenortheast of Beth-el. Such places are still sought as secure retreatsin times of danger; and until the method of blowing up rocks bygunpowder became known, a few men could in such caves sustain a siegefor months.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon,…. Which signifies pomegranate; perhaps it was in the form of one, and may be the same as in 1Sa 14:2 where Saul is said to be under a pomegranate tree, or under Rimmon, the rock Rimmon, for that is said to be near Gibeah, as this was. There was a village in the times of Jerom called Remmon, fifteen miles from Jerusalem to the north c, but could not be near this rock to have its name from thence; hither the rest of the army fled for shelter:
and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; who were scattered one from another, and as they were found in the highways, and picked up, they were slain one after another, just as ears of corn are gleaned one by one, after the harvest is got in, or as grapes in single berries, after the vintage is over:
and pursued hard after them unto Gidom; which perhaps had its name from the cutting off of the Benjaminites there:
and slew two thousand men of them; that is, 2000 more besides the 5000 before mentioned.
c De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(45) Unto the rock of Rimmoni.e., of the pomegranate. As the tree is common in Palestine (Num. 20:25; Deu. 8:8. &c.), the name is naturally common. There was one Rimmon in Zebulon (Jos. 19:13), another in Judah (Jos. 15:32), south of Jerusalem (Zec. 14:10; and see Jos. 21:25; Neh. 11:29). This Rimmon is a steep conical hill of white limestone (Robinson, 1:440), not far from Gibeah, and fifteen miles north of Jerusalem, six miles east of Bethel (towards the sun-rising). It is still called Rimmon.
They gleaned.A metaphor from the vintage, like the trode down of Jdg. 20:43. (See Jer. 6:9 : They shall glean the remnant of Israel as a vine.)
Unto Gidom.A place entirely unknown, and hence omitted in the Vulg.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
45. Rock of Rimmon “About ten miles north of Jerusalem, and nearly four east of Beth-el, is a very conspicuous white limestone tell, rising like a cone above the neighbouring hilltops, and overlooking the whole wilderness down to the Jordan valley. Upon it stands a large modern village called Rummon. This is unquestionably the rock Rimmon, on which the Benjamites took refuge. It is admirably adapted for the purpose. A deep and wild ravine cuts off the approach from the south, and others skirt its western and northern sides, rendering it a natural fortress of great strength. The sides of the tell are steep, bare, and rocky, and could be defended by a few resolute men against a host. The top is rounded, affording ample space for the refugees, while along the sides are some large caverns.” J.L. Porter.
Gleaned of them in the highways That is, they discovered many small companies of men fleeing or seeking to defend themselves here and there along the roads, and they at once enclosed them and cut them off; like gleaning scattered stalks of grain which the reapers had overlooked.
Gidom Another place northeast of Gibeah, whose exact site is now unknown.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jdg 20:45 a
‘And they turned and fled toward the wilderness towards the rock of Rimmon.’
This would be a rocky cliff with caves, possibly modern Rammon, eight miles east of Bethel. They knew that if they reached that rocky fortress they would be able to hide and defend themselves against any who tried to encroach. Rimmon means ‘pomegranate’. Perhaps that was what it looked like.
Jdg 20:45 b
‘And they gleaned of them in the highways five eleph men, and pursued hard after them to Gidom, and smote two eleph men of them.’
The picture is dreadful, but vivid. One by one the men of Benjamin were picked off as they used the highways to try to reach Rimmon, a whole five units of men. The gleanings were the bits that were left over when the harvest was reaped, to be picked up a little at a time, and they were the gleanings.
“And pursued hard after them to Gidom, and smote two eleph men of them.” Two units managed to reach Gidom, but there they had to make a stand and were defeated. The name means ‘a cutting down, a breaking in pieces’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 20:45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
Ver. 45. Unto Gidom. ] Or, Unto their occasion, destruction.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rimmon: Jos 15:32, 1Ch 6:77, Zec 14:10
Reciprocal: 1Sa 14:2 – a pomegranate
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
20:45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they {x} gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
(x) They slew them one by one, as they were scattered abroad.