Judges 20

Chap. XX. Ver. 1—48. Outrage of the men of Gibeah.— The abhorrence of the crime here expressed, and the determination of the Israelites to punish the criminals, were very proper; but they seem to have acted with too much precipitation and resentment. There were “with them also sins against the Lord:” the abomination of Gibeah was both an evidence and effect of national degeneracy; and it called for deep humiliation and lamentation, that such wickedness had been wrought in Israel, as well as for indignation against the criminals. They ought, therefore, to have [had] penance and reformation; with solemn sacrifices, and earnest supplications. This was required in other wars, and much more in such a war as this.

No absolute resolution should have been made, till these things had been thoroughly attended to; or till inquiry had been made of the Lord, what he would have them to do on so melancholy an occasion. They were not commanded to levy war against any tribe or city in Israel, except for idolatry: and they had attempted nothing against the idolatrous Danites; whose conduct, though less destructive to the peace of society, more immediately struck at the honour of God and the interests of religion; and more begun with repent[ance] directly belonged to the injunction given by Moses. Not attending to these previous duties and considerations, but going forth to battle under the guilt of their own unrepented sins; confiding in their superior numbers, and the goodness of their cause; and elated with self-preference, on account of their exemption from this crime, and their zeal to punish it; they at first met with severe rebukes; and the Benjamites were employed to chastise them, before they executed the vengeance of God upon the Benjamites, for their far more atrocious wickedness.

These observations may help to explain the difficulty, which strikes the reader at the first perusal of this chapter; how it was that with so good a cause, and such ardent zeal, they should be for a time unsuccessful, and suffer such heavy losses. The conduct of the Israelites was very equitable in this demand: but perhaps the rulers or elders of Gibeah ought previously to have been applied to, to deliver up all the criminals to justice. However, the refusal of the Benjamites, and their protection of those who had committed this horrible wickedness, because they were of their own tribe, prove them to have been deeply corrupted, and (all their advantages considered) as ripe for divine vengeance, as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had been.—Confiding in their own valour and military skill, they seem to have first prepared for battle in this unequal contest with such superior numbers.— J. Scot.

Chap. XXI. Ver. 1—25. Benjamin nearly destroyed.— When the passions are vehemently excited, those measures appear needful, which are afterwards perceived to be unreasonable and unlawful; and therefore when we at all suspect this to be our case, we should be sure to proceed with great caution and deliberation, if we would not make work for bitter repentance. This danger attends all contests, public and private; and a good cause often becomes the occasion of great crimes, as the excess of zeal carries men beyond all the bounds of equity and humanity.—Well might the politic Romans refuse a triumph to the commander who conquered in civil war; in which the common interest is weakened, and the common enemies exult, whatever party acquires the ascendency.

Such unnatural contentions are generally conducted with the most pertinacious fury, and envenomed resentment, through the depravity of the human heart and the subtlety of Satan. But this enemy is most of all gratified, when he can excite divisions and contentions in the church, by which the truth is disgraced, the weak and prejudiced are stumbled, and the enemies of religion alone rejoiced. Yet again persons of aera godliness use greater asperity against their brethren, who are not exactly of their mind, than against the avowed opposers of all religion! But contests thus managed end in bitterness; and the combatants will ere long weep over the effects of their own success.—Nothing can be more absurd, than solemn oaths and vows made in the heat of passion: many have by them entangled themselves in inextricable perplexity; and been thus induced to add one

Notes on the verses

Ver. 15. No man took them in.—[There was probably no inn, or house of public entertainment in this place; and therefore they could not have a lodging unless furnished by mere hospitality. But these Benjamites seem to have added to their other vices, avarice and inhospitality, like the inhabitants of Akoura in mount Lebanon, mentioned by Burckhardt.]—Bagster.

Ver. 18. House of the Lord.—[The LXX., “I am going to my own house;” which is probably the true reading, as we find (ver. 29.) that he really went home; yet he might have gone previously to Shiloh, or to “the house of the Lord,” because that was also in mount Ephraim.]—Bagster.

Ver. 20. All thy wants.—[Here was genuine hospitality:—‘Keep your bread and wine for yourselves, and your straw and provender for your asses; you may need them before you finish your journey: I will supply all your wants for this night; only do not lodge in the street.”]—Bagster.

Ver. 24. Here is my daughter.—We have no hesitation in admitting, that sodomy is the worst species of uncleanness; and we know the high point of honour to which hospitality is carried in the East; but how to account for the “righteous Lot” and this hospitable stranger offering their own daughters to pacify these ruffians, we do not know; still less can we account for the conduct of this Levite, in going so far to fetch home his concubine, in treating her with so much kindness all the way, and then sacrificing her to the brutal lust of these wretches. There are mysteries in human conduct, as well as in nature and religion, which we cannot explain; but that day in which “God shall judge the secrets of men’s hearts,”—that day “shall declare it.” (Romans 2:16). (1 Corinthians 3:13).

Ver. 29. Divided her into twelve pieces.—(It is probable, that with the pieces he sent to each tribe a circumstantial account of the barbarity of the men of Gibeah; and that they considered each of the pieces as expressing an execration. That a similar custom prevailed in ancient times is evident from (1 Samuel 11:7). And Lucian, speaking of the Scythians and Molossians, says, “When any one had received an injury, and had not the means of avenging himself, he sacrificed an ox, and cut it in pieces, which he caused to be dressed and publicly exposed; then he spread out the skin of the victim, and sat upon it with his hands tied behind him. All who chose to take part in the injury which had been committed took up a piece of the ox, and swore to supply and maintain for him, one five horses, another ten, others still more; some infantry; each according to his strength and ability. They who had only their persons, engaged to march themselves. Now, an army composed of such soldiers, far from retreating or disbanding, was invincible, as it was engaged by oath.”]—Bagster.

Chap. XX. Ver. 1. Unto the Lord in Mizpeh.—The extraordinary conduct of the Levite respecting his concubine was, it should seem, understood, and had the effect intended. A grand council of the tribes of Israel is collected at Mizpeh, on the confines both of Judah and Benjamin, when the Levite relates his case before them, and the people unanimously resolve on vengeance.

They therefore send deputies to the children of Benjamin, in whose country Gibeah was, demanding that the murderers should be delivered up to justice; instead of which, however, the Benjamites prepare for battle, to defend them; a circumstance that seems to indicate a very great degree of depravity among them.

Ver. 16. Left-handed.—By (1 Chronicles 12:2). it should rather seem that these Benjamites were ambidexters; i.e. persons who could use both hands alike.

—Sling-stones.—(The sling was a very ancient warlike instrument; and, in the hands of those who were skilled in the use of it, produced astonishing effects. The inhabitants of the islands of Baleares, now Majorca and Minorca, were the most celebrated slingers of antiquity.

They did not permit their children to break their fast, till they had struck down the bread they had to eat from the top of a pole or some distant eminence. Vegetius tells us, that slingers could, in general, hit the mark at 600 feet distance.)—Bagster.

Ver. 18. House of God.—Hebrew, Beth-el; (so ver. 26 and 31.) Dr. Boothroyd supposes the ark, which was sometimes taken from the tabernacle, might be now at Beth-el, which was in the way to Gibeah, and Phinehas with it, See ver. 28. Others, however, suppose that they went to Shiloh.—Which of us shall go up first?—It is observable, the inquiry was not whether they should go to battle, this was determined by themselves, without consulting the Lord, who, as King of Israel, should certainly have been consulted; and this is generally considered as the ground of their defeat being in the first instance Ver. 23.

Go up against him.—That is, Benjamin. This answer is certainly sufficiently express: How then shall we account for the second defeat of Judah? They had wept before the Lord, and asked counsel of him, and yet were defeated a second time with great slaughter. In a former case—the attack of Ai, under Joshua,—when Israel was defeated, it was found that they had been guilty of some secret iniquity, and the similarity of circumstances in this case, would lead us to a similar conclusion: but if so, the cause is not revealed. Some have indeed supposed, it was their connivance at the system of idolatry, practised in the tribe of Dan, that rendered them so unsuccessful against Benjamin; but for this we have no authority, for nothing of the kind is hinted at by the inspired historian; we must leave this, therefore, among the mysteries which a future state only can explain.

The only thing we can ascertain, with any certainty is, that all parties were deeply criminal, and were employed to punish one another; first, the Benjamites were criminal, in protecting the wicked inhabitants of Gibeah; secondly, the Israelites, in waging war of extermination against the Benjamites, and especially before inquiring of God whether they did right to wage such war.

Ver. 28. Phinehas.—(It is evident from this mention of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, that these transactions must have taken place not long after the death of Joshua.)—Bagster.

Ver. 32. Let us see was done, not only because they had placed an ambuscade behind Gibeah, which was to enter and burn the city as soon as the Benjamites left it; but it would seem, that the slingers, by being within the city and its fortifications, had great advantage over the Israelites by their slings, when they could not come among them with their swords, unless they got them in the plain country.—Bagster.

Ver. 38. A great flame with smoke.—Hebrew, “Elevation of smoke;” that is, a pillar reaching to the clouds apparently.

Ver. 47. Rock Rimmon.—(The rock Rimmon was doubtless a strong place; but it is uncertain where situated. It is probable, however, that it was near, and took its name from the village of Remmon, mentioned by Eusebius, fifteen miles north from Jerusalem. It appears that rocks are still resorted to in the East as places of security; and some of them are even capable of sustaining a siege. Dela Roque says, that ‘the Grand Seignor, wishing to seize the person of the emir, (Fakr-eddin, prince of the Druzes,) gave orders to the pacha to take him prisoner: he accordingly came in search of him, with a new army, in the district of Chouf, which is part of mount Lebanon, wherein is the village of Gesin, and close to it the rock which served for a retreat to the emir.

It is named in Arabic, Magara Gesin, i.e. the cavern of Gesin, by which name it is famous. The pacha pressed the emir so closely, that this unfortunate prince was obliged to shut himself up in the cleft of a great rock, with a small number of his officers. The pacha besieged him there several months; and was going to blow up the rock by a mine, when the emir capitulated.”)—B.