A HARD AND BLOODY WAR

Passage: Judges 20:17-48

Key verse: 28

NIV

17 Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.

18 The Israelites went up to Bethel[a](A) and inquired of God.(B) They said, “Who of us is to go up first(C) to fight(D) against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah(E) shall go first.”

19 The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20 The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21 The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites(F) on the battlefield that day. 22 But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord(G) until evening,(H) and they inquired of the Lord.(I) They said, “Shall we go up again to fight(J) against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

24 Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25 This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites,(K) all of them armed with swords.

26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord.(L) They fasted(M) that day until evening and presented burnt offerings(N) and fellowship offerings(O) to the Lord.(P) 27 And the Israelites inquired of the Lord.(Q) (In those days the ark of the covenant of God(R) was there, 28 with Phinehas son of Eleazar,(S) the son of Aaron, ministering before it.)(T) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”

The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.(U)”

29 Then Israel set an ambush(V) around Gibeah. 30 They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away(W) from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel(X) and the other to Gibeah. 32 While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,”(Y) the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

33 All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place(Z) on the west[b] of Gibeah.[c] 34 Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize(AA) how near disaster was.(AB) 35 The Lord defeated Benjamin(AC) before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36 Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

Now the men of Israel had given way(AD) before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush(AE) they had set near Gibeah. 37 Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword.(AF) 38 The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke(AG) from the city,(AH) 39 and then the Israelites would counterattack.

The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.”(AI) 40 But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke.(AJ) 41 Then the Israelites counterattacked,(AK) and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come(AL) on them. 42 So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily[d] overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters.(AM) 45 As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon,(AN) the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

46 On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite(AO) swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47 But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48 The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.(AP)

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Footnotes
  1. Judges 20:18 Or to the house of God; also in verse 26
  2. Judges 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Judges 20:33 Hebrew Geba, a variant of Gibeah
  4. Judges 20:43 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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Source: BibleGateway

ESV

17 And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered (A)400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.

18 The people of Israel arose and went up to (B)Bethel and inquired of God, (C)“Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, (D)“Judah shall go up first.”

19 Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. 21 (E)The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites. 22 But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. 23 (F)And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”

24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin (G)went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who (H)drew the sword. 26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to (I)Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (J)(for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and (K)Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, (L)ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

29 (M)So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30 And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31 And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, (N)one of which goes up to (O)Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the people of Benjamin said, (P)“They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.” 33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from Maareh-geba.[a] 34 And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, (Q)but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them. 35 And the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who (R)drew the sword. 36 So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.

The men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. 37 (S)Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city 39 the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, (T)“Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40 But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, (U)the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. 41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, (V)for they saw that disaster was close upon them. 42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in (W)the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. And those who came out of the cities were destroying them in their midst. 43 Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from Nohah[b] as far as opposite Gibeah on the east. 44 Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor. 45 And they turned (X)and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of (Y)Rimmon. Five thousand men of them were cut down in the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down. 46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. 47 But 600 men turned and (Z)fled toward the wilderness to the rock of (AA)Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. 48 And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

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Footnotes
  1. Judges 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts place west of Geba
  2. Judges 20:43 Septuagint; Hebrew [at their] resting place
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. The Benjamites defeat the Israelites (17-25) The Benjamites were confident of victory. They had some skillful special forces. The Israelites were defeated in the first two onslaughts. Though they sought God's direction, they were not humbly depending on him. God allowed them to suffer horrific losses and humiliating defeat. 2. The Israelites defeat the Benjamites (26-48) On the third day, the Israelites -- and their entire army -- wept, fasted, prayed and sought God's help humbly. Consequently, God gave them assurance of victory. They set a successful ambush and won the war. Then they put all the towns in Benjamin to the sword. Only 6 men survived. Those who tried to purge evil from Israel became eviler in their vengeance.

Prayer: Lord, sinful people cannot carry out justice but only disintegrate into anarchy. Turn my heart and the hearts of the people of this land back to you and save us.

One Word: We need God as our King