Albert Barnes

They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for…

“A street - Probably the square or place within the gates, where courts were held, bargains made, and where the chief men and strangers congregated.”

That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the…

“Which was also of Mount Ephraim - i. e., of the country of the Levite. This single giver of hospitality was himself a stranger and sojourner at Gibeah.”

The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from.

“The house of the Lord - Probably at Shiloh (marginal references). The Levite was probably one of those who ministered at the tabernacle. His two donkeys and servant show him to have been in good circumstances, and he had a home of his own.”

The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house.

“This man is come into mine house - He appeals to the sacred rights of hospitality, just as Lot did Gen 19:8.”

When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of…

“A knife - Rather, “the” “knife”. The single household implement used, not like our knives at our meals, but for slaughtering and cutting up the animals into joints for eating Gen 22:6, Gen 22:10; Pro 30:14. Together with her bones ...”

Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

“The “congregation” is the technical term for the whole community of the Israelite people. Its occurrence here is an indication of the early date of these transactions.”

Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.

“By lot - To determine who should go up first Jdg 20:18. The shape of the ground probably made it impossible for the whole force to operate at once; and the question of spoil would have something to do with the arrangement. (Compare 1Sa 30:22-25.)”

On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.

“Comparing the numbers here with those in Num. 1; 26, it is seen that in the case both of the Benjamites and the Israelites the numbers are diminished by about one-third, i.”

And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

“Gibeah, being on a hill, was difficult of access to an attacking army, and gave great advantage to the defenders, who fought from higher ground, and probably defended a narrow pass, while their companions on the walls could gall the assailants with their slingstones.”

So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.

“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” Jdg 4:5, the exact locality here indicated, since “the highway” Jdg 20:31 along which the Israelites enticed the…”

So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.

“The way of the wilderness - i. e., the wilderness which extended from Jericho to the hills of Bethel. Them which came out of the cities - These must be the Benjamites Jdg 20:15.”

They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.

“The language and construction of this verse is poetical; it seems to be an extract from a song, and to describe, in the language of poetry, the same event which the preceding verse described in that of prose.”

Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads.

“Rimmon - A village named “Rummon”, situated on the summit of a conical chalky hill, still exists, and forms a remarkable object in the landscape, visible in all directions. It lies 15 miles north of Jerusalem.”

That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.

“In Jdg 20:35 the number given is 25,100. Jdg 20:44-46 give the details of the loss on that day: 18,000, 5,000, and 2,000; in all 25,000.”

And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found.

“They treated Benjamin as devoted to utter destruction, as Jericho had been Jos 6:17, Jos 6:21, and the whole tribe was all but actually extirpated.”

“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”

“The repetition of the name of Israel is very striking in connection with the title of Yahweh as “God of Israel.” It contains a very forcible pleading of the covenant, and memorial of the promises.”

So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in…

“To Shiloh - Whither, as the usual place of meeting for the national assembly, the Israelites had moved from Bethel (a distance of about 10 miles), during the expedition of the 12,000 to Jabesh-Gilead.”

But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

“For the children of Israel have sworn - See Jdg 21:1. Compare Saul’s rash oath 1Sa 14:24, and his breach of the oath made to the Gideonites 2Sa 21:2. For the guilt of a broken oath, see Eze 17:15-20; Exo 20:7.”

“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem…

“The Feast was probably the Passover, or one of the three great Jewish Feasts. In these unsettled times men went up to Shiloh (Seilun) only once a year 1Sa 1:3 instead of thrice; only the males kept the Feasts, and therefore the virgins of Shiloh…”

The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught.

“Compare the very similar account of the rape of the Sabine women by the Romero youths at the festival of the Consualia, as related by Livy.”

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

“The repetition of this characteristic phrase (compare Jdg 17:6; Jdg 18:1; Jdg 19:1) is probably intended to impress upon us the idea that these disorders arose from the want of a sufficient authority to suppress them.”