Judg 20:18-48 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 18. Went up to the house of God ] Some think that a deputation was sent from Shiloh , where Phinehas the high priest was, to inquire, not concerning the expediency of the war, nor of its success , but which of the tribes should begin the attack. Having so much right on their side, they had no doubt of the justice of their cause. Having such a superiority of numbers, they had no doubt of success. . And the Lord said, Judah ] But he did not say that they should conquer.

‏ Judges 20:18-48

Verse 18. Went up to the house of God] Some think that a deputation was sent from Shiloh, where Phinehas the high priest was, to inquire, not concerning the expediency of the war, nor of its success, but which of the tribes should begin the attack. Having so much right on their side, they had no doubt of the justice of their cause. Having such a superiority of numbers, they had no doubt of success. See Clarke on Jud 20:1.

And the Lord said, Judah] But he did not say that they should conquer.

Verse 21. Destroyed down to the ground-twenty-two thousand men.] That is, so many were left dead on the field of battle.

Verse 23. Go up against him.] It appears most evident that the Israelites did not seek the protection of God. They trusted in the goodness of their cause and in the multitude of their army. God humbled them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and showed them that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

Verse 26. And wept] Had they humbled themselves, fasted, and prayed, and offered sacrifices at first, they had not been discomfited.

And fasted that day until even] This is the first place where fasting is mentioned as a religious ceremony, or as a means of obtaining help from God. And in this case, and many since, it has been powerfully effectual. At present it is but little used; a strong proof that self-denial is wearing out of fashion.

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.

Verse 29. Israel set liers in wait] Though God had promised them success, they knew they could expect it only in the use of the proper means. They used all prudent precaution, and employed all their military skill.

Verse 32. Let us-draw them from the city] They had two reasons for this: 1. They had placed an ambuscade behind Gibeah, which was to enter and burn the city as soon as the Benjamites had left it. 2. It would seem that the slingers, by being within the city and its fortifications, had great advantage against the Israelites by their slings, whom they could not annoy with their swords, unless they got them to the plain country.

Verse 33. Put themselves in array at Baal-tamar] The Israelites seem to have divided their army into three divisions; one was at Baal-tamar, a second behind the city in ambush, and the third skirmished with the Benjamites before Gibeah.

Verse 35. Twenty and five thousand and a hundred] As the Benjamites consisted only of twenty-six thousand and seven hundred slingers; or, as the Vulgate, Septuagint, and others read, twenty-five thousand, which is most probably the true reading; then the whole of the Benjamites were cut to pieces, except six hundred men, who we are informed fled to the rock Rimmon, where they fortified themselves.

Verse 38. Now there was an appointed sign] From this verse to the end of the chapter we have the details of the same operations which are mentioned, in a general way, in the preceding part of the chapter.

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.