Judges 20:35
in Judges 20The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.
KJV
And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
10 notes on this verseTwenty and five thousand and a hundred - As the Benjamites consisted only of twenty-six thousand and seven hundred slingers; or, as the Vulgate, Septuagint, and others read, twenty-five thousand, which is most probably the true reading; then the whole of the Benjamites were cut to pieces, except six hundred men, who we are informed fled to the rock Rimmon, where they fortified themselves.
This site's exposition
The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel
on Judges 20:35-36
The narrator gives the outcome to God before the tactics are described, saying “The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel”. Then the account doubles back. Keil and Barnes read verses 36 to 46 as a fuller telling of the same battle, so Israel “had retreated before Benjamin” at verse 36 after Benjamin fell at verse 35.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Begging the Lord's peace, they returned more boldly to war, and they to whom prayer had given courage and who had entertained much hope were now able to do what they planned. On a pretext of withdrawing their front lines, setting ambushes at night in the rear of the city, where a segment of the enemy was located, they followed as some retired and thus were provided with an opportunity for invading the unprotected city. Fires were quickly set and flared up while raging flames and waves of heat revealed the sight of the taken city.
The war remained doubtful with an uncertain issue, but in the third engagement the people of Benjamin were delivered to the people of Israel, and being condemned by the divine judgment [they] paid the penalty for their widely immoral behavior.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): The Lord smote Benjamin before Israel. The battle was his, and so was the success. [4.] They trode down the men of Benjamin with ease when God fought against them,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness? 4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Folly - That is, a lewd folly; most ignominious and impudent wickedness. Ye are - The sons of that holy man, who for one filthy action left an eternal brand upon one of his own sons: a people in covenant with the holy God, whose honour you are obliged to vindicate, and who hath expressly commanded you to punish all such notorious enormities.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel,.... Gave Israel the victory over them at Baaltamar; for notwithstanding all the art and stratagem they used, their numbers and their valour, victory was of the Lord, and to him it is ascribed; for until now Benjamin, though fewer in number, had been always victorious; and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjaminites that day 25,100; which is the total sum of all that were slain of them that day, the particulars of which are afterwards given: all these drew the sword; were armed men.
Sometimes God suffers wicked men to be lifted up in successes and hopes, that their fall may be the sorer. See how short their joy is, and their triumphing but for a moment. Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast, except he has reason to boast in God. [2.] Evil was near them and they did not know it,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּגֹּ֨ף | vaiyigof | and he defeated | H5062 → | 49 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה׀ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בִּנְיָמִן֮ | binyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיַּשְׁחִיתוּ֩ | vaiyashchitu | and they destroyed | H7843 → | 146 times |
| בְנֵ֨י | venei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| בְּבִנְיָמִן֙ | bevinyamin | among Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֔וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| עֶשְׂרִ֨ים | ʾesrim | twenty | H6242 → | 315 times |
| וַחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה | vachamishah | and five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| אֶ֛לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| וּמֵאָ֖ה | umeah | and one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| אִ֑ישׁ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֵ֖לֶּה | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| שֹׁ֥לֵף | sholef | [was] drawing | H8025 → | 25 times |
| חָֽרֶב׃ | charev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
וַיִּגֹּ֨ףand he defeated
vaiyigofH5062 →49 times
יְהוָ֥ה׀Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בִּנְיָמִן֮Benjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֒Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיַּשְׁחִיתוּ֩and they destroyed
vaiyashchituH7843 →146 times
בְנֵ֨י[the] people of
veneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֤לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
בְּבִנְיָמִן֙among Benjamin
bevinyaminH1144 →166 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֔וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
עֶשְׂרִ֨יםtwenty
ʾesrimH6242 →315 times
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֥הand five
vachamishahH2568 →343 times
אֶ֛לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
וּמֵאָ֖הand one hundred
umeahH3967 →581 times
אִ֑ישׁman
ʾishH376 →1663 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֵ֖לֶּהthese
ʾelehH428 →746 times
שֹׁ֥לֵף[was] drawing
sholefH8025 →25 times
חָֽרֶב׃a sword
charevH2719 →413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 20:5the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
it leads to
- Psalms 37:35–36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
- Job 18:5–6
Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
- Job 8:12–13
While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass.
- Psalms 73:18–20
Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
- Job 27:8
For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
- Psalms 37:35–36
Through
Judges 20:15On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
it leads to
- Numbers 26:41
These were the clans of Benjamin, and their registration numbered 45,600.
- Numbers 1:37
those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
- Judges 20:25
That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
- Numbers 26:41
About Judges
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ambrose of Milan, LETTER 33; Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.115-16; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.