Skip to content
mannafest.faith

Judges 20:30

in Judges 20

On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

KJV

And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

This verse in Judges 20

Commentary

10 notes on this verse
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day,.... Not the day following the second battle, since it would take more time to go to Shiloh, and fast and offer sacrifices there, but on the third day from the second battle: and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times; as they had done on the first and second days of battle.

This site's exposition

Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah

on Judges 20:29-31

The third day is fought by the plan that took Ai at Joshua 8. Its parts are an ambush behind the city, a feigned retreat, the town set on fire and the smoke as the signal. Every one of those parts stands in verses 29 to 40.

This site's exposition

On the third day the Israelites went up

Gill counts this third day from the second battle, allowing time for the weeping, fasting and offerings of verse 26. Wesley reads the force arrayed here as one detachment, sent to open the fight and then feign a flight. The rest waited in position.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Ambrose of Milan

On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.115-16 · Written before 397.

proposed

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.

A commentator

Ambrose of Milan

LETTER 33 · Written before 397.

proposed

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 Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

The children of Israel - That is, a considerable part of them, who were ordered to give the first onset, and then to counterfeit flight, to draw the Benjamites forth from their strong-hold.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

The Benjamites, the body of whose army was now quartered at Gibeah, sallied out upon them, and charged them with great bravery. The besiegers gave back, retired with precipitation, as if their hearts failed them upon the sight of the Benjamites, which they were willing to believe, proudly imagining that by their former success they had made themselves very formidable.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

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

13 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיַּעֲל֧וּand they went up

    vaiyaaluH5927 →890 times

  • בְנֵֽי־[the] people of

    venei-H1121 →4930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • אֶל־against

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • בְּנֵ֥י[the] descendants of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • בִנְיָמִ֖ןBenjamin

    vinyaminH1144 →166 times

  • בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day

    baiyomH3117 →2304 times

  • הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י<the> third

    hashelishiH7992 →

  • וַיַּעַרְכ֥וּand they deployed

    vaiyaarkhuH6186 →74 times

  • אֶל־against

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • הַגִּבְעָ֖ה<the> Gibeah

    hagivahH1390 →45 times

  • כְּפַ֥עַםas time

    kefaamH6471 →118 times

  • בְּפָֽעַם׃on time

    befaamH6471 →118 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Where this verse is studied

About Judges

Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.

This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.115-16; 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 Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; 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.