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                        CHAPTER 20 THE HORRIBLE WAR
_ 1. The Levite's story (Judges 20:1)_
2. The uprising (Judges 20:8)
3. The slaying of the Israelites (Judges 20:12)
 4. Benjamin exterminated except six hundred men ... 
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                        JUDGES 20. THE OUTRAGE AVENGED.The congregation (LXX Synagô gç) is a
post-exilic term. The words as one man suggest a unity of action such
as was not secured till long after the time of the Judges. Th... 
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                        _the tribe of Benjamin_ So the Versions, reading the singular. The
plural (see marg.) is probably due to a mistaken repetition of the
plur. form of the word in the preceding sentence.... 
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                        _The War Against the Benjamites Judges 20:1-14_
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was
gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the
land _of_ Gilead... 
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                        _SO ALL THE MEN OF ISRAEL WERE GATHERED AGAINST THE CITY, KNIT
TOGETHER AS ONE MAN._
No JFB commentary on these verses.... 
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                        THE SLAUGHTER OF THE BENJAMITES
The Levite recounts his wrongs to a full assemblage of the tribes, who
decree punishment upon Benjamin. Their first two attacks are
unsuccessful, but the third results... 
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                        LIFE WITHOUT LAW
JUDGES
_PHILIP SMITH_
CHAPTER 20
 V1 Then all the *Israelites from Dan to Beersheba came to meet
together. They also came from the area called Gilead. They all met at
Mizpah, wher... 
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                        THROUGH ALL THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN.
 — It was equitable to send this embassy, although the Benjamites
had not come to the sacred gathering at Mizpeh. The word for
“tribe” is in the plural, so that it i... 
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                        וַֽ יִּשְׁלְח֞וּ שִׁבְטֵ֤י
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים בְּ... 
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                        Judges 20:1; Judges 21:1
FROM JUSTICE TO WILD REVENGE
Judges 19:1; Judges 20:1;... 
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                        The action of the Levite served its purpose. The nation was stirred
momentarily to its center. A great moral passion flamed out.
Underneath all the degeneracy was a true stratum of religious
convictio... 
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                        The other tribes called upon Benjamin to release to them the wicked
men that they might be put to death in accord with the law
(Deuteronomy 22:22). By refusing to release them, the rest of the
tribe o... 
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                        And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the (h) tribe of
Benjamin, saying, What wickedness [is] this that is done among you?
(h) That is, every family of the tribe.... 
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                        Sent. The law of nations requires that satisfaction be demanded,
(Calmet) before a war commence. (Menochius) --- The former resolution
(ver. 9,) was only conditional, if the Benjamites should prefer
d... 
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                        This fair appeal common justice required. The wicked only are to be
punished in his iniquity. And this with a view also, to stop the
execution of God's wrath. How lost therefore was Benjamin to refuse... 
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                        My object being no more than a sketch, as most of you know, I desire
to say but a few words on such of the Chapter s as bear a similar
character to that which has been already pointed out in the early... 
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                        THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 17 THROUGH 21.
The Chapter s that follow (17-21) are not comprised in the historical
order of this book. They lift the veil to disclose some incidents of
the... 
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                        AND THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL SENT MEN THROUGH ALL THE TRIBES OF
BENJAMIN,.... Meaning the families of Benjamin; for as sometimes a
tribe is called a family, Joshua 7:17 so a family is called a tribe;
and... 
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                        And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin,
saying, What wickedness [is] this that is done among you?
Ver. 12. _And the tribes of Israel sent men._] They would treat before
t... 
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                        _The tribes of Israel sent men_, &c. Before they marched forward they
sent an embassy to the Benjamites, to complain of the wickedness that
had been committed, and the injury that had been done by som... 
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                        1 The Leuite in a generall assembly declareth his wrong.
8 The decree of the assembly.
12 The Beniamites being cited, make head against the Israelites.
18 The Israelites in two battels loose fourty... 
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                        And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe, the families
of the tribe, OF BENJAMIN, SAYING, WHAT WICKEDNESS IS THIS THAT IS
DONE AMONG YOU?... 
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                        THE BENJAMITES REFUSE TO DELIVER UP THE GUILTY... 
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                        THE TRIBE, Heb. _tribes_; either the plural number for the singular;
or rather _tribe_ is put for _family_, as was noted before, as
_families_ are elsewhere put for _tribes_. They take a wise and a ju... 
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                        Judges 20:12 tribes H7626 Israel H3478 sent H7971 (H8799) men H582
tribe H7626 Benjamin H1144 saying H559 ... 
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                        Judges 20:12 a
‘And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of
Benjamin.'
The plural for tribes is used indicating sub-tribes (as in Numbers
4:18; 1 Samuel 9:21). The emphasis is on the... 
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                        CONTENTS: Civil war in which the Benjamites are punished.
CHARACTERS: God, a Levite, Phinehas.
CONCLUSION: We cannot expect the presence of God with us in our
enterprises unless we seek it by humblin... 
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                        Judges 20:11. _All the men of Israel were knit together._ Why had they
not assembled against Micah and his chapel of gods? Then this and
other evils might have been prevented. This was a just and nece... 
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                        _The men of Israel turned again upon the children of BenJamin._
FROM JUSTICE TO WILD REVENGE
It may be asked how, while polygamy was practised among the
Israelites, the sin of Gibeah could rouse such... 
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                        THE CRY FOR VENGEANCE
(Judges 20:1.)
_HOMILETICS_
1. _This cry was universal_ (Judges 20:1).
“From Dan to Beershebah, with Gilead.” There was not a dissentient
voice.
2. _They were in earnest_ (Ju... 
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                        EXPOSITION
JUDGES 20:1
WENT OUT, _i.e._ from their several homes to the place of meeting. THE
CONGREGATION. The technical term (not, however, found in Samuel and
Kings, except in 1 Kings 12:20) for t... 
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                        Now it had what he hoped it would have. It had a shock effect upon the
tribes. They were horrified to get part of a torso, a leg, an arm, a
head and they gathered together and this man told them the e... 
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                        Deuteronomy 13:14; Deuteronomy 20:10; Joshua 22:13; Matthew 18:15;... 
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                        All the tribe — They take a wise and a just course, in sending to
all the parts of the tribe, to separate the innocent from the guilty,
and to give them a fair opportunity of preventing their ruin, by...