Judges 20:41
in Judges 20Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil was come upon them.
KJV
And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the men of Israel would turn in the battle
on Judges 20:39-41
Verse 40 echoes Joshua 8:20, where the men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of their city rising into the sky. Benjamin likewise “looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke”, and verse 41 says they “realized that disaster had come upon them”, answering verse 34, where they did not realize it. The men of Benjamin “were terrified”, and the retreating army turns.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
After you found out what transpired in our court, you kept to yourself; therefore, I now summon, as it were, part of my own soul, for I have a friendly yet sorrowful complaint against you for the outrage done to chastity. Was it necessary for an unsurpassed, unheard-of case of virginity to be subjected to a sentence? Could it not have been dismissed?
Their spirits broken, they faced the enemy. The men of Benjamin who thought they were shut in and surrounded, even before they were invaded from the rear, began scattering and fleeing to the desert, while Israel pressed after with doubled force and pursued them as they wandered in rout. About twenty-five thousand were slain, therefore, that is, almost all the men of Benjamin except six hundred who seized a fortification on a rough cliff and by virtue of its situation and with the help of nature and partly through fear were a terror to their victors. Success advises caution; in adversity, revenge is esteemed rather than victory.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
) they saw, when it was too late to prevent it, that evil had come upon them. What evils may at any time be near us we cannot tell, but the less they are feared the heavier they fall. Sinners will not be persuaded to see evil near them, but how dreadful will it be when it comes and there is no escaping!
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.
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And when the men of Israel turned again,....
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
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֤ישׁ | veish | and [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| הָפַ֔ךְ | hafakh | he turned | H2015 → | 94 times |
| וַיִּבָּהֵ֖ל | vaiyibahel | and he was terrified | H926 → | |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| בִּנְיָמִ֑ן | binyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| רָאָ֔ה | raah | he saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָגְעָ֥ה | nageah | it had touched | H5060 → | 150 times |
| עָלָ֖יו | ʾalav | to him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָרָעָֽה׃ | haraah | <the> calamity | H7451 → | 662 times |
וְאִ֤ישׁand [the] man of
veishH376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
הָפַ֔ךְhe turned
hafakhH2015 →94 times
וַיִּבָּהֵ֖לand he was terrified
vaiyibahelH926 →
אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
בִּנְיָמִ֑ןBenjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 times
כִּ֣יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
רָאָ֔הhe saw
raahH7200 →1300 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נָגְעָ֥הit had touched
nageahH5060 →150 times
עָלָ֖יוto him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
הָרָעָֽה׃<the> calamity
haraahH7451 →662 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
1 Thessalonians 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
it leads to
- Luke 21:34–35
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Matthew 24:37–39
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
- Luke 17:26–30
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:
- Revelation 18:7–8
As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow…
- Hebrews 2:3
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- Luke 21:34–35
Through
2 Peter 2:12These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
it leads to
- Jude 1:10
These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
- Jeremiah 12:3
But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.
- Jude 1:10
Through
Luke 21:26Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will…
- Matthew 24:29
About Judges
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ambrose of Milan, LETTER 33; 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.