Judges 20:34

Judges 20:34 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
• New International Version (NIV)Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them.

Context of Judges 20:34

32And the Benjamites said, “They are defeated before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and lure them away from the city to the highways.” 33Then all the men of Israel got up from their places and placed themselves in battle formation at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel [who were] in ambush rushed from their place in the plain of Maareh-geba. When the ten thousand choice [fighting] men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle was hard and fierce; but the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was about to strike them. 35And the Lord struck down [the tribe of] Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of whom were swordsmen. 36So the Benjamites realized that they were defeated. Then men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had placed against Gibeah.

Judges 20:34 word by word

וַיָּבֹאוּ֩ מִנֶּ֨גֶד לַגִּבְעָ֜ה עֲשֶׂרֶת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֤ישׁ בָּחוּר֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה כָּבֵ֑דָה וְהֵם֙ לֹ֣א יָדְע֔וּ כִּֽי־נֹגַ֥עַת עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם הָרָעָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And there cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• againstנֶ֫גֶדneged · beforeH5048
• Gibeahגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · GibeahH1390
• tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• chosenבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• out of all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and the battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• was soreכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: heavyH3513
• but they knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• not that evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
• nearנָגַעnâga‛ · to touchH5060

Cross-references for Judges 20:34

• Judges 20:29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
• Joshua 8:14Now when the king [and the people] of Ai saw it, the men of the city hurried and got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, the king and all his people at the appointed [time and] place before the desert plain (the Arabah). But he did not know that there was an ambush against him [waiting] behind the city [on the west side].
• Job 21:13They fully enjoy their days in prosperity, And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.
• Proverbs 4:19The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.
• Proverbs 29:6By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped, But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].
• Ecclesiastes 8:11Because the sentence against an evil act is not executed quickly, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.
• Ecclesiastes 9:12For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.
• Isaiah 3:10Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their [righteous] actions.
• Isaiah 47:11Therefore disaster will come on you; You will not know how to make it disappear [with your magic]. And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone [with all your offerings to your gods]; And destruction about which you do not know Will come on you suddenly.
• Matthew 24:44Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
• Luke 21:34“But be on guard, so that your hearts are not weighed down and depressed with the giddiness of debauchery and the nausea of self-indulgence and the worldly worries of life, and then that day [when the Messiah returns] will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
• 1 Thessalonians 5:3While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].

Commentaries on Judges 20:34

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 29-44On the third day, they used similar tricks and surprise attacks as when they took over Ai (Joshua 8:1–29).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 29-4829-48. 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].Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 20:34

• Ambush
• Armies
• Strategy

In the dictionaries

• Gibeah
• Israel
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Glean
• Trust
• Wickedness
• Wolf
• Archery
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on Judges 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary