Judges 20:44
in Judges 20And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.
KJV
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
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This verse in Judges 20
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
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.
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?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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 there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men,.... Just the number they had slain of Israel in the second battle. This is the number of them that were slain when Israel turned upon them, and by that time they got to the east of Gibeah; afterwards 5000 more were slain on the highways, and 2000 near Gidom, as after related: all these were men of valour; as appears by three times facing and engaging with the army of Israel, so vastly superior to them, and twice beating them.
1 more voice on this verse
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
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּפְּלוּ֙ | vaiyipelu | and they fell | H5307 → | 435 times |
| מִבִּנְיָמִ֔ן | mibinyamin | of Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| שְׁמֹנָֽה־ | shemonah- | eight- | H8083 → | 109 times |
| עָשָׂ֥ר | ʾasar | teen | H6240 → | 338 times |
| אֶ֖לֶף | ʾelef | thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| אִ֑ישׁ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֵ֖לֶּה | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| אַנְשֵׁי־ | ʾanshei- | [were] men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| חָֽיִל׃ | chayil | strength | H2428 → | 246 times |
וַֽיִּפְּלוּ֙and they fell
vaiyipeluH5307 →435 times
מִבִּנְיָמִ֔ןof Benjamin
mibinyaminH1144 →166 times
שְׁמֹנָֽה־eight-
shemonah-H8083 →109 times
עָשָׂ֥רteen
ʾasarH6240 →338 times
אֶ֖לֶףthousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
אִ֑ישׁman
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֵ֖לֶּהthese
ʾelehH428 →746 times
אַנְשֵׁי־[were] men of
ʾanshei-H582 →566 times
חָֽיִל׃strength
chayilH2428 →246 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Judges

This page draws on 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.
