Judges 20:30
in Judges 20On 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.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd 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
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.
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
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.
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
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 & 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
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּעֲל֧וּ | vaiyaalu | and they went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בִנְיָמִ֖ן | vinyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י | hashelishi | <the> third | H7992 → | |
| וַיַּעַרְכ֥וּ | vaiyaarkhu | and they deployed | H6186 → | 74 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַגִּבְעָ֖ה | hagivah | <the> Gibeah | H1390 → | 45 times |
| כְּפַ֥עַם | kefaam | as time | H6471 → | 118 times |
| בְּפָֽעַם׃ | befaam | on time | H6471 → | 118 times |
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

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
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.
