Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 20:27
And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,
Inquired of the Lord, to wit, by Urim and Thummim, Num 27:21.
Was there in Shiloh, where they were now assembled.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord,…. By the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, and which has the same expression in
Jud 20:18 for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days; in Shiloh, where the tabernacle was.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Having made these preparations, they inquired of the Lord whether they should continue the war, and received this reply: “ Go up (against Benjamin); for to-morrow I will give it unto thy hand ” ( , the hand of the congregation carrying on the war). To this the supplementary remark is appended, that the ark of the covenant was at Bethel in those days, and the high priest served before it. The expression “in those days” implies that the ark of the covenant was only temporarily at Bethel, and therefore had been brought thither from the tabernacle at Shiloh during this war.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(27) Enquired of the Lordi.e., of Jehovah, as in Jdg. 20:23. On the occasion of their first general inquiry (Jdg. 20:18) it is said that they enquired of Elohim, but it is impossible to draw any certain inferences from this change of expression. It is clear, however, that the nation had been thoroughly and beneficially humiliated by these two terrible reverses, and that their approach to Jehovah on this occasion was far more solemn and devout than it had been at first.
Was therei.e., at Bethel, though Bethel has not been mentioned in the English Version, owing to the erroneous rendering of the name by House of God in Jdg. 20:18-26.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. The ark was there in those days When and why it was brought there, and how many days it continued there, the sacred writer does not tell us, and we must be content to remain uninformed. Some understand, as our translators seem to have done, that the adverb there refers to Shiloh, and that Beth-el in the Hebrew text of Jdg 20:26; Jdg 20:18 should be rendered house of God, meaning the tabernacle at Shiloh; but the tabernacle is never called Beth-el. Hengstenberg and Keil suppose that the ark was brought only temporarily to Beth-el, and to serve some special design on this occasion; but the phrase in those days is hardly consistent with such an explanation. Compare the same phrase in Jdg 18:1; Jdg 19:1; Jdg 21:25, and frequently. And if the ark had been brought from Shiloh merely for this occasion, it is not clear why it was not brought to Mizpeh rather than to Beth-el. More plausible is the supposition, that as Beth-el was a sacred place in Israelitish history, the ark was sometimes brought there, accompanied by the high priest, and abode there for many days at a time, in honour of the holy spot which Jacob regarded as the gate of heaven. Gen 28:17. Hence, after Shiloh’s desolation, it naturally became a central seat of worship. See 1Sa 10:3, note.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the children of Israel enquired of Yahweh, for the Ark of the Covenant was there in those days.’
This confirms that at this time for some reason the Ark was at Bethel, and probably the Tabernacle, although it was mostly at this time at Shiloh (Jos 18:1; Jos 18:8-10; Jos 19:51; Jdg 18:31 ; 1Sa 1:3; 1Sa 1:24; 1Sa 2:14 ; 1Sa 3:21; 1Sa 4:3-4; 1Sa 14:3). (Although ‘Beth-el’ can translate as ‘the house of God (or El)’ it was not the usual expression for ‘the house of God’ when spoken of as such, which was Beth ha-elohim – Gen 28:17; Jdg 18:31 ; 1Ch 6:48 (33); 1Ch 9:11 etc. Beth-el naturally means Bethel).
There they ‘enquired of Yahweh’, again through the Urim and Thummim or by lot. The mention of the Ark of the Covenant, in which were the ten commandments against which the men of Gibeah were judged, stresses the fact that they saw their activity as very much involved with the covenant.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,
Ver. 27. And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord. ] Now they could find the way to do everything well, as having paid for their learning. Affliction exciteth devotion; but
“ Rarae fumant felicibus arae. ”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
inquired: Jdg 20:18, Jdg 20:23, Num 27:21
the ark: Jos 18:1, 1Sa 4:3, 1Sa 4:4, Psa 78:60, Psa 78:61, Jer 7:12, The loss of two battles at length brought this stiff-necked people to enquire of the Lord; for all the company at this time met at Shiloh, and kept a day of fasting and prayer with great earnestness and solemnity. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isa 59:1
Reciprocal: Exo 25:22 – and I will Exo 28:30 – General Num 10:33 – the ark Deu 20:2 – General 1Sa 14:18 – Bring hither 1Ch 15:29 – as the ark Jer 21:2 – Inquire Joh 11:51 – being
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 20:27. The children of Israel inquired of the Lord They had inquired of the Lord before, but not as they ought to have done. For, confiding in the justice of their cause, and their vast forces, they seem to have made but slight and languid addresses to God before they undertook the war.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] {m} there in those days,
(m) That is, in Shiloh.