Judges 20:48
in Judges 20And 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. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.
KJV
And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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. We see in the punishment inflicted the same ferocity which marked both the crime and the Levite’s mode of requiring vengeance.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Not even a minority of the women stayed clear of that struggle, but all the women of the tribe of Benjamin, along with boys and girls of every age, were wiped out by sword or fire.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
If this seem harsh and bloody, either it may be ascribed to military fury; or perhaps it may be partly justified, from that command of God in a parallel case, Deut. xiii, 15, and from that solemn oath by which they had devoted to death all that came not up to Mizpeh, chap. xxi, 5, which none of the Benjamites did.
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.
And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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].
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
But doubtless the Israelites were only the agents of inflicting the righteous retributions of God; and the memory of this terrible crisis, which led almost to the extermination of a whole tribe, was conducive to the future good of the whole nation.
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֨ישׁ | veish | and [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| שָׁ֣בוּ | shavu | they turned back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֵ֤י | benei | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בִנְיָמִן֙ | vinyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| וַיַּכּ֣וּם | vaiyakum | and they struck them | H5221 → | 499 times |
| לְפִי־ | lefi- | to [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| חֶ֔רֶב | cherev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| מֵעִ֤יר | meir | from a city of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מְתֹם֙ | metom | soundness | H4974 → | |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בְּהֵמָ֔ה | behemah | animal | H929 → | |
| עַ֖ד | ʾad | unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | everything | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַנִּמְצָ֑א | hanimtza' | which was found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| גַּ֛ם | gam | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הֶעָרִ֥ים | hearim | the cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| הַנִּמְצָא֖וֹת | hanimtzaot | which were found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| שִׁלְּח֥וּ | shilechu | they sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| בָאֵֽשׁ׃ פ | vaesh | in <the> fire | H784 → | 378 times |
וְאִ֨ישׁand [the] man of
veishH376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
שָׁ֣בוּthey turned back
shavuH7725 →1056 times
אֶל־against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנֵ֤י[the] descendants of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
בִנְיָמִן֙Benjamin
vinyaminH1144 →166 times
וַיַּכּ֣וּםand they struck them
vaiyakumH5221 →499 times
לְפִי־to [the] mouth of
lefi-H6310 →498 times
חֶ֔רֶב[the] sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
מֵעִ֤ירfrom a city of
meirH5892 →1090 times
מְתֹם֙soundness
metomH4974 →
עַד־unto
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
בְּהֵמָ֔הanimal
behemahH929 →
עַ֖דunto
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
כָּל־everything
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַנִּמְצָ֑אwhich was found
hanimtza'H4672 →455 times
גַּ֛םalso
gamH1571 →769 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הֶעָרִ֥יםthe cities
hearimH5892 →1090 times
הַנִּמְצָא֖וֹתwhich were found
hanimtzaotH4672 →455 times
שִׁלְּח֥וּthey sent
shilechuH7971 →845 times
בָאֵֽשׁ׃ פin <the> fire
vaeshH784 →378 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
Proverbs 18:19An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
- Acts 15:39
Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
- Proverbs 6:19
a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
- 1 Kings 12:16
When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your…
- Genesis 37:3–5
Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
- Proverbs 16:32
Through
2 Chronicles 25:13Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 16:29
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.
- 1 Kings 16:24
He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.
- 1 Kings 9:17
So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon,
- 1 Kings 16:29
About Judges
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.