The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  30Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of 6Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan iuntil the day of the captivity of the land.

  31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, jall the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

  Judges 19

  The Levite’s Concubine

  1And it came to pass in those days, awhen there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from bBethlehem in Judah.

  2But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months.

  3Then her husband arose and went after her, to cspeak 1kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him.

  4Now his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there.

  5Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, d“Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.”

  6So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.”

  7And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again.

  8Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate.

  9And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get 2home.”

  10However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came to opposite eJebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him.

  11They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city fof the Jebusites and lodge in it.”

  12But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on gto Gibeah.”

  13So he said to his servant, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in hRamah.”

  14And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

  15They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would itake them into his house to spend the night.

  16Just then an old man came in from jhis work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites.

  17And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

  18So he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to kthe house of the LORD. But there is no one who will take me into his house,

  19“although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.”

  20And the old man said, l“Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; monly do not spend the night in the open square.”

  21nSo he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. oAnd they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

  Gibeah’s Crime

  22As they were penjoying themselves, suddenly qcertain men of the city, rperverted3 men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, s“Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!”

  23But tthe man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, udo not commit this outrage.

  24v“Look, here is my virgin daughter and 4the man’s concubine; let me bring them out now. wHumble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!”

  25But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they xknew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

  26Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, till it was light.

  27When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold.

  28And he said to her, “Get up and let us be going.” But ythere was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place.

  29When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and zdivided her into twelve pieces, 5limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

  30And so it was that all who saw it said, “No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, aconfer, and speak up!”

  Judges 20

  Israel’s War with the Benjamites

  1So aall the children of Israel came out, from bDan to cBeersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD dat Mizpah.

  2And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers ewho drew the sword.

  3(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the children of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?”

  4So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and fI went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night.

  5g“And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, hbut instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.

  6“So iI took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they jcommitted lewdness and outrage in Israel.

  7“Look! All of you are children of Israel; kgive your advice and counsel here and now!”

  8So all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house;

  9“but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up lagainst it by lot.

  10“We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel.”

  11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.

  12mThen the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?

  13“Now therefore, deliver up the men, nthe 1perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and oremove the evil from Israel!” But the children of Benjamin would not
listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.

  14Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel.

  15And from their cities at that time pthe children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men.

  16Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were qleft-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.

  17Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

  18Then the children of Israel arose and rwent up to 2the house of God to sinquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, t“Judah first!”

  19So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

  20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah.

  21Then uthe children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.

  22And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.

  23vThen the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against him.”

  24So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day.

  25And wBenjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.

  26Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, xwent up and came to 3the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

  27So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (ythe ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

  28zand Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, astood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

  29Then Israel bset men in ambush all around Gibeah.

  30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times.

  31So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways c(one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

  32And the children of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

  33So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.

  34And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. dBut 4the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them.

  35The LORD 5defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.

  36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. eThe men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.

  37fAnd the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.

  38Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of gsmoke rise up from the city,

  39whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun 6to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

  40But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites hlooked behind them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven.

  41And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come upon them.

  42Therefore they 7turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst.

  43They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the east.

  44And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.

  45Then 8they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of iRimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed two thousand of them.

  46So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were 9men of valor.

  47jBut six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.

  48And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword—from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.

  Judges 21

  Wives Provided for the Benjamites

  1Now athe men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

  2Then the people came bto 1the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,

  3and said, “O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”

  4So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and cbuilt an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

  5The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the LORD?” dFor they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

  6And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today.

  7“What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”

  8And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the LORD?” And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from eJabesh Gilead to the assembly.

  9For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.

  10So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, f“Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.

  11“And this is the thing that you shall do: gYou shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.”

  12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at hShiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

  13Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin iwho were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.

  14So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.

/>   15And the people jgrieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

  16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

  17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.

  18“However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, kfor the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”

  19Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly lfeast of the LORD in mShiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the nhighway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

  20Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

  21“and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out oto perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin.

  22“Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”

  23And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they prebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

  24So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

  25qIn those days there was no king in Israel; reveryone did what was right in his own eyes.

  Judges Commentaries

  Judges 1

  1:1 after the death of Joshua. Ca. 1383 B.C. (cf. Josh. 14:7–10 with Josh. 24:29). Descriptions of the book’s setting in Judg. 1, 2 vary between times after Joshua’s death and flashbacks summarizing conditions while he was alive (as 2:2–6). Compare Josh. 1:1, “After the death of Moses….”