Judges 20:10
in Judges 20We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.
KJV
And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseTen men of a hundred - Expecting that they might have a long contest, they provide suttlers for the camp; and it is probable that they chose these tenths by lot.
This site's exposition
all the people stood as one man
on Judges 20:8-11
The assembly binds itself before it asks God anything, vowing “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house”. Verse 9 assigns the assault by lot, as Numbers 26:55 and Joshua 15:1 divided the land, and verse 10 sets aside ten men in a hundred for provisions, the only supply arrangement in Judges. A second oath sworn at Mizpah stands at 21:1.
This site's exposition
ten men out of every hundred
Barnes counts the men set aside for provisions at forty thousand, one in ten of the army. Henry explains that the tenth kept the rest from scattering to find food. In Clarke's reading they expected a long fight.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And we will take ten men of an hundred, throughout all the tribes of Israel,....
God's judgments are a great deep, and his way is in the sea. Clouds and darkness are often round about him, but judgment and justice are always the habitation of his throne. We may be sure of the righteousness, when we cannot see the reasons, of God's proceedings.
This was to prevent their scattering to forage for themselves, for, if they had done this, it would have been hard to get them all together again, especially all in so good a mind. Note, When there appears in people a pious zeal for any good work it is best to strike while the iron is hot, for such zeal is apt to cool quickly if the prosecution of the work be delayed.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
all the people arose as one man--The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
In order to make it possible for the force of Israel to keep the field, and do to the men of Gibeah what their wickedness deserved, every tenth man (40,000 in all) was appointed to find provisions for the whole army.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
When taking action in their engagement in this engagement with Givas Binyomin, as befits their entirely loathsome, etc.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלָקַ֣חְנוּ | velakachnu | and we will take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| עֲשָׂרָה֩ | ʾasarah | ten | H6235 → | 176 times |
| אֲנָשִׁ֨ים | ʾanashim | men | H582 → | 566 times |
| לַמֵּאָ֜ה | lameah | to the hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| לְכֹ֣ל׀ | lekhol | of all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| שִׁבְטֵ֣י | shivtei | [the] tribes of | H7626 → | 190 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וּמֵאָ֤ה | umeah | and one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| לָאֶ֙לֶף֙ | laelef | to the thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| וְאֶ֣לֶף | veelef | and one thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| לָרְבָבָ֔ה | larevavah | to the ten thousand | H7233 → | |
| לָקַ֥חַת | lakachat | to bring | H3947 → | 966 times |
| צֵדָ֖ה | tzedah | provision[s] | H6720 → | |
| לָעָ֑ם | laam | for the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֗וֹת | laasot | to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לְבוֹאָם֙ | levoam | to coming their | H935 → | 2568 times |
| לְגֶ֣בַע | legeva' | to Geba | H1387 → | |
| בִּנְיָמִ֔ן | binyamin | of Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| כְּכָל־ | kekhol- | according to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַ֨נְּבָלָ֔ה | hanevalah | the disgraceful folly | H5039 → | 13 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָשָׂ֖ה | ʾasah | it did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | beyisrael | in Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וְלָקַ֣חְנוּand we will take
velakachnuH3947 →966 times
עֲשָׂרָה֩ten
ʾasarahH6235 →176 times
אֲנָשִׁ֨יםmen
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
לַמֵּאָ֜הto the hundred
lameahH3967 →581 times
לְכֹ֣ל׀of all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
שִׁבְטֵ֣י[the] tribes of
shivteiH7626 →190 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וּמֵאָ֤הand one hundred
umeahH3967 →581 times
לָאֶ֙לֶף֙to the thousand
laelefH505 →505 times
וְאֶ֣לֶףand one thousand
veelefH505 →505 times
לָרְבָבָ֔הto the ten thousand
larevavahH7233 →
לָקַ֥חַתto bring
lakachatH3947 →966 times
צֵדָ֖הprovision[s]
tzedahH6720 →
לָעָ֑םfor the people
laamH5971 →1873 times
לַעֲשׂ֗וֹתto do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
לְבוֹאָם֙to coming their
levoamH935 →2568 times
לְגֶ֣בַעto Geba
legeva'H1387 →
בִּנְיָמִ֔ןof Benjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 times
כְּכָל־according to all
kekhol-H3605 →5413 times
הַ֨נְּבָלָ֔הthe disgraceful folly
hanevalahH5039 →13 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עָשָׂ֖הit did
ʾasahH6213 →2628 times
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃in Israel
beyisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.