Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 20:17
And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these [were] men of war.
The men of Israel, to wit, such as were here present, Jdg 20:2, for otherwise it is most probable they had a far greater number of men, being 600,000 before their entrance into Canaan, Num 1:2.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14-17. the children of Benjamingathered themselves together out of the cities unto GibeahAllowingtheir valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion andunbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the fieldagainst their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin,…. Who did not join them in this affair, but opposed them,
were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: see
Jud 20:9
all these were men of war; inured to it, skilful and courageous.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The forces of the other tribes amounted when numbered to 400,000 men. These numbers (26,000 Benjaminites and 400,000 Israelites) will not appear too great if we consider that the whole of the congregation of Israel took part in the war, with the simple exception of Jabesh in Gilead (Jdg 21:8), and that in the time of Moses the twelve tribes numbered more than 600,000 men of twenty years old and upwards (Num 26), so that not much more than two-thirds of the whole of the fighting men went out to the war.
Jdg 20:18 Before opening the campaign the Israelites went to Bethel, to inquire of God which tribe should commence the war, i.e., should fight at the head of the other tribes (on the fact itself, see Jdg 1:1); and God appointed the tribe of Judah, as in Jdg 1:2. They went to Bethel,
(Note: Rendered “the house of God” in the English version. – Tr.)
not to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was standing, because that place was too far from the seat of war. The ark of the covenant was therefore brought to Bethel, and Phinehas the high priest inquired of the Lord before it through the Urim and Thummim (Jdg 20:27, Jdg 20:28). Bethel was on the northern boundary of the tribe of Benjamin, and was consecrated to this purpose before any other place by the revelations of God which had been made to the patriarch Jacob there (Gen 28 and 35).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Israel Defeated in Two Battles Jdg. 20:17-23
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.)
9.
Why was Judah selected to lead in the battle? Jdg. 20:18
Judah had led in the exodus. Her standard went first whenever the armies of Israel marched. It was the tribe of Judah who led in the conquest and settlement of Canaan (Judges, chapters one and two). It would have been very unusual for another tribe to have taken the lead in this instance, since Judah had repeatedly been chosen for such responsibilities. The people of Israel asked God to indicate which tribe was to go first, and God again chose Judah.
10.
Why was Israel defeated when God approved? Jdg. 20:21-25
God was testing the devotion of the other tribes to their sense of duty. Furthermore, some significance is to be attached to the absence of any expression of genuine sorrow as they began such an unpleasant but necessary task as punishing the criminals at Gibeah. Before the first battle, they asked counsel of God (Jdg. 20:18). Before the final battle all the children of Israel, and all the people (Jdg. 20:26) went up and came to the house of God. On this occasion they wept, offering burnt-offerings and peace offerings. There must have been sin in the minds of the people of Israel therefore as they went into the first two battles. They had gone in their own self confidence; but when they finally trusted the Lord completely, He gave them victory.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
‘ And the men of Israel, excluding Benjamin, were numbered four hundred eleph men who drew sword. All these were men of war.’
The opposing tribal confederacy had four hundred fighting units (see Jdg 20:2). But as verse 10 may be telling us, they were at first only committing forty. Again they were recognised warriors.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 20:17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these [were] men of war.
Ver. 17. Four hundred thousand men. ] Besides those that supplied the camp when they came out of Egypt, they were six hundred thousand: but then Benjamin also was reckoned with them: and there were not a few cut off in the late conquest of Canaan, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
four hundred: Jdg 20:2, Num 1:46, Num 26:51, 1Sa 11:8, 1Sa 15:4, 1Ch 21:5, 2Ch 17:14-18
Reciprocal: Jdg 8:10 – fell an hundred Jdg 20:22 – encouraged Hos 10:9 – the battle
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 20:17. The men of Israel were four hundred thousand That is, those that were here present, for it is probable they had a far greater number of men, being six hundred thousand before their entrance into Canaan.