29 And Israel setteth liers in wait against Gibeah, round about, 30 and the sons of Israel go up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, and arrange themselves against Gibeah, as time by time. 31 And the sons of Benjamin come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and begin to smite 'some' of the people—wounded as time by time, in the highways (of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field), 'are' about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the sons of Benjamin say, 'They are smitten before us as at the beginning;' but the sons of Israel said, 'Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways.' 33 And all the men of Israel have risen from their place, and arrange themselves at Baal-Tamar, and the ambush of Israel is coming forth out of its place, out of the meadow of Gibeah. 34 And they come in over against Gibeah—ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel—and the battle 'is' grievous, and they have not known that the evil is striking against them. 35 And Jehovah smiteth Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroy in Benjamin, on that day, twenty and five thousand, and a hundred men; all these 'are' drawing sword. 36 And the sons of Benjamin see that they have been smitten—and the men of Israel give place to Benjamin, for they have trusted unto the ambush which they had set against Gibeah, 37 and the ambush have hasted, and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draweth itself out, and smiteth the whole of the city by the mouth of the sword. 38 And there was the appointed sign to the men of Israel with the ambush—their causing to go up a great volume of smoke from the city. 39 And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin hath begun to smite the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, 'Surely they are utterly smitten before us, as 'at' the first battle; 40 and the volume hath begun to go up from the city—a pillar of smoke—and Benjamin turneth behind, and lo, gone up hath the perfection of the city toward the heavens. 41 And the men of Israel have turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the evil hath stricken against them— 42 and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed them; and those who 'are' from the city are destroying them in their midst; 43 they have compassed the Benjamites—they have pursued them—with ease they have trodden them down till over-against Gibeah, at the sun-rising. 44 And there fall of Benjamin eighteen thousand men—the whole of these 'are' men of valour; 45 and they turn and flee toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon; and they glean of them in the highways five thousand men, and follow after them unto Gidom, and smite of them two thousand men. 46 And all those falling of Benjamin are twenty and five thousand men drawing sword, on that day—the whole of these 'are' men of valour; 47 and there turn and flee into the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they dwell in the rock Rimmon four months. 48 And the men of Israel have turned back unto the sons of Benjamin, and smite them by the mouth of the sword out of the city,—men unto cattle, unto all that is found; also all the cities which are found they have sent into fire.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 20:29-48
Chapter Contents
The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated.
The Israelites' abhorrence of the crime committed at Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.