In this chapter, we see that Israel are going to destroy Benjamin for what they did to that poor woman in the previous chapter. Israelites from the north, that is, Dan and south, that is in Beersheba extremities of Palestine assembled before the LORD in Mizpah, Judges 11:11, in order to enact judgment upon Benjamin, Judges 20:1.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Mizpeh.
‘Mizpeh in Benjamin, Joshua 18:26, from its connection with Bethel and Ramah, is probably meant here. It is the same as that which appears as a place of national assembly in 1 Samuel 7:5 / 1 Samuel 10:17 / 2 Kings 25:23-25. It must have been near Shiloh and Gibeah, and in the north of Benjamin. The Benjamites were duly summoned with the other tribes; so that their absence was contumacious Judges 20:3.’
Notice that they are united as one, Joshua 20:1, except Benjamin, this is the first time they have become one since the death of Joshua. What’s really sad about this, is if the Israelite army isn’t going to fight the real enemy, that is the Canaanites, they are getting ready to fight against one of the tribes of Israel.
The leaders of the tribes took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords and we are told that the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah and understandably, they want to know how awful thing happened, Judges 20:2-3. In other words, all of Israel, except the Benjamites, gather to discuss this horrific affair.
The Levite husband tells his side of the story and notice he told the truth, Judges 20:4-6, but rather conveniently didn’t mention the cruel and callous way he abandoned his concubine to the mob, Judges 20:25.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Some have referred to this report as a fair account of what happened, but this writer does not see it that way. Seven times the Levite used the pronouns, ‘I,’ ‘me’ and ‘my’ along with very slight mention of the concubine. Furthermore, he failed to report that it was his own shameful cowardice that handed the concubine over to her abusers. Also, the text does NOT say that the men of Gibeah attempted to kill him; they wanted to abuse him homosexually.’
The Levite now asks the Israelites to speak up and tell him what they have decided to do, Judges 20:7. All the men rise up together as one and declare that no one is going home Judges 20:8, but what they will do to is go up against Gibeah in the order decided by casting lots, Judges 20:9 / Proverbs 16:33. They will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army, Judges 30:10.
Notice they say, ‘when the army arrives at Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel,’ Judges 20:10. This was perfectly in line with God’s commands, Deuteronomy 13:12-18. And so, all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city, Judges 20:11.
It’s important to note that the Israelites tried to solve the issue before going to war and so, they demand that the tribe of Benjamin give up the guilty men in Gibeah, Judges 20:12-13, but Benjamin refuses, Judges 20:13 / Proverbs 29:1, and so this meant war. It’s possible that Benjamin thought their brethren wouldn’t attack them but how wrong they were.
Israel gathers a huge posse, Judges 20:14-15, including seven hundred left-handed soldiers who could sling stones with devastating accuracy, Judges 20:16 / Judges 3:15, four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle Judges 20:17.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Comparing the numbers here with those in Numbers 1, and Numbers 26, both in the case of the Benjamites and that of the Israelites, their total numbers of fighting men had decreased by about one third.’
And so, the tribes of Israel were now prepared for a small civil war against the tribe of Benjamin. It appears that Israel’s disgust with the crime which happened was greater than the respect they had for Benjamin.
Notice in this first battle, despite seeking the Lord, at long last, Judges 20:18. They asks God who among them is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites? And God tells them Judah is to go first, Judges 20:19. The next morning the Israelites get up and pitched camp near Gibeah and the Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and take up battle positions against them at Gibeah, Judges 20:19-20.
The Israelites finally remember who God is but as we have seen throughout this whole book, they only seek God when things are getting tough. However, they still failed to defeat the Benjamites, they lost twenty-two thousand men, Judges 20:21. After this first day of battle, it appeared that the Benjamites might actually successfully resist the other tribes of Israel.
As we can imagine, Israel is getting worried, but notice they encouraged one another, Judges 20:22 / 1 Samuel 30:6. Israel wept before the Lord until evening, Judges 20:23, to prepare for the next battle, which shows us their humility, and ask the Lord again if they should continue fighting and God says ‘yes’, Judges 20:23.
On the second day of battle, Israel is defeated again by Benjamin losing eighteen thousand men, Judges 20:24-25. This means that Israel has suffered two defeats with the loss of forty-thousand men. These two defeats would remind them in the future that they should never fight among themselves. Israel now repents before God after the second defeat. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God, Judges 20:26 / Leviticus 3.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The regular time for ending a fast among the Hebrews was sunset, 1 Samuel 14:24 / 2 Samuel 1:12. Such national fasts are called by the rabbis ‘fasts of the congregation,’ and were enjoined in times of great affliction.’
The Israelites inquired of God and we are told that in those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it, Judges 20:27. Notice the Ark of the covenant is mentioned, which is the only time it is mentioned in the Book of Judges.
Phinehas son of Eleazar was a descent of Aaron, Numbers 25:7 / Numbers 25:11. It appears that God didn’t want the two days of humbling to make Israel think that they could never win and so, after if they should continue the fight, God tells them to go out tomorrow and trust God, Judges 20:28.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Israel did not go to Shiloh, because that place was too far from the seat of the war. The Ark of the Covenant had been brought to Bethel, and Phinehas the High Priest inquired of the Lord before the Ark of the Covenant by means of the Urim and Thummim, Judges 20:27-28.’
As Israel enters the third day of battle, they hide part of their army around Gibeah, Judges 20:29-30, whilst other soldiers draw Benjamin’s army out of the city. Benjamin then chases them into the highways and fields outside the city killing thirty men, Judges 20:31.
While the Benjamites were saying, they are defeating them as before, the Israelites were saying, let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads, Judges 20:32. Meanwhile, the hidden warriors around Gibeah come out, Judges 20:33, and ransack the city.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Baal-Tamar, Judges 20:33.
‘Baal-Tamar is only mentioned here. It took its name from some palm-tree that grew there; perhaps the same as the ‘palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel’, Judges 4:5, the exact locality here indicated, since ‘the highway’, Judges 20:31, along which the Israelites enticed the Benjamites to pursue them, leads straight to Ramah, which lay only a mile beyond the point where the two ways branch off.’
Ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah and we are told that the fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites didn’t realize how near disaster was, Judges 20:34. Notice it was the LORD who defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down twenty-five thousand, one hundred Benjamites, all armed with swords and then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten, Judges 20:35-36.
The men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah, Judges 20:37. Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword, Joshua 20:38. The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, and then the Israelites would counterattack, Judges 20:39. This strategy is very similar to the strategy which Joshua used at Ai, Joshua 8.
The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, about thirty, and they say they are defeating Israel as in the first battle, Judges 20:40. However, when the Israelites in Gibeah start a huge fire to signal to their army that they’ve taken the city, Judges 20:41, the Benjamites realise that they’ve been fooled, Judges 20:41, they try to run into the wilderness, but the Israelites slaughter them, Judges 20:42 / Judges 20:15.
Israel surrounds the Benjamites, chased them and easily overran them, Numbers 10:33 / Psalms 95:11, in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east, Judges 20:43.
Josephus, in his writings, says the following.
‘They were all destroyed except six hundred, which formed themselves into a close body of men, and forced their way through the midst of their enemies, and fled to the neighbouring mountains, and, seizing upon them, remained there.’
Although eighteen thousand Benjamites perished, Judges 20:44, five thousand men Benjamites escape into the wilderness to a place called the rock of Rimmon, Judges 20:45. Israel kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more, Judges 20:45. On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters but six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months, Judges 20:46-47.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In Judges 20:35, the number given is 25,100. Judges 20:44-46, give the details of the loss on that day, 18,000, 5,000, and 2,000, in all 25,000. But as the Benjamites numbered 26,700 men, Judges 20:15, and six hundred escaped to the rock of Rimmon, it is clear that 1,100 are unaccounted for, partly from no account being taken of those who fell in the battles of the two first days, partly from the use of round numbers, or from some other cause. The numbers given both here and in Judges 20:35, are expressly restricted to those who fell on ‘that’ (the third) ‘day’.’
Israel’s army continue its war against Benjamin, killing every man and beast and burning every Benjamite city, Judges 20:48. Isn’t this a sad affair? When brother fights against brother, it’s never a great time.
However, as we’re about to read in the final chapter, Israel’s judgment against Benjamin was over the top and too severe. This is something they will come to realise and try and come up with a solution.