Judges 20:1

Judges 20:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.
• New International Version (NIV)Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah.

Context of Judges 20:1

All the people of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from Gilead came to Mizpah. The congregation stood united in the presence of the Lord. 2The leaders of all Israel’s tribes took their places in the congregation of God’s people. There were 400,000 foot soldiers with swords. 3The people of Benjamin heard that Israel had come to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, “Tell us how such an evil thing could happen.”

Judges 20:1 word by word

וַיֵּצְאוּ֮ כָּל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַתִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעֵדָ֜ה כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֗ד לְמִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וְאֶ֖רֶץ הַגִּלְעָ֑ד אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then all the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• and the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
• was gathered togetherקָהַלqâhal · to gatherH6950
• as oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• from Danדָּןdân · DanH1835
• even to Beer–shebaבְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַעbe'êr sheba‛ · BeershebaH884
• with the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Gileadגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · GileadH1568
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in Mizpehמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709

Cross-references for Judges 20:1

• Judges 20:2The leaders of all Israel’s tribes took their places in the congregation of God’s people. There were 400,000 foot soldiers with swords.
• Judges 21:5The people asked, “Is there any family from Israel that did not take part in the assembly in the presence of the Lord?” They had taken a solemn oath that whoever had not come into the presence of the Lord at Mizpah must be put to death.
• Deuteronomy 13:12You may hear that the residents in one of the cities which the Lord your God is giving you to live in
• Joshua 22:12When the people of Israel heard about it, the whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh. They intended to wage war against them.
• 1 Samuel 11:7Saul took a pair of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the territory of Israel with the following message: “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who doesn’t follow Saul and Samuel ⌞into battle⌟.” So the people became terrified by the Lord, and they came out united ⌞behind Saul⌟.
• 2 Samuel 19:14All the people of Judah were in total agreement. So they sent the king this message: “Come back with all your servants.”
• Ezra 3:1When the seventh month came, the people gathered together in Jerusalem. (The Israelites had already settled in their cities.)
• Nehemiah 8:1⌞When the seventh month came,⌟ all the people gathered together in the courtyard in front of Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord had commanded Israel ⌞to follow⌟.
• Judges 18:29They named the city Dan in honor of their ancestor Dan, Israel’s son. Originally, the city was called Laish.
• 1 Samuel 3:20All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew Samuel was the Lord’s appointed prophet.
• 2 Samuel 3:10‘I, the Lord, will transfer the kingship from Saul’s family and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’ ”
• 2 Samuel 24:2King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.”
• 1 Chronicles 21:2David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Bring me ⌞the results⌟ so that I may know how many ⌞people⌟ there are.”
• 2 Chronicles 30:5So they decided to send an announcement throughout Israel from Beersheba to Dan. They summoned everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord God of Israel. These people had not celebrated it in large numbers as the written instructions said they should.
• Numbers 32:1The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead were a good place for livestock.
• Joshua 17:1The lot was drawn for the tribe of Manasseh, because Manasseh was Joseph’s firstborn. Machir, Manasseh’s firstborn, the ancestor of the people living in Gilead, had received Gilead and Bashan because he was a soldier.

Commentaries on Judges 20:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Unto the Lord in Mizpeh - This city was situated on the confines of Judah and Benjamin, and is sometimes attributed to the one, sometimes to the other. It seems that there was a place here in which the Lord was consulted, as well as at Shiloh; in 1 Maccabees 3:46, we read, In Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. These two passages cast light on each other. Some think that Shiloh is meant, because the ark was there; but the phrase…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The “congregation” is the technical term for the whole community of the Israelite people. Its occurrence here is an indication of the early date of these transactions. From Dan to Beer-sheba - We cannot safely infer from this expression that the settlement of Dan, recorded in Judges 21:8, Judges 21:10. Unto the Lord in Mizpeh - The phrase “unto the Lord”, implies the presence of the tabernacle (Judges 11:11 note). Mizpeh in Benjamin Joshua 18:26, from its…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The tribe of Benjamin nearly extirpated. --The Israelites' abhorrence of the crime committed at Gibeah, and their resolution to punish the criminals, were right; but they formed their resolves with too much haste and self-confidence. The eternal ruin of souls will be worse, and more fearful, than these desolations of a tribe.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1This Mizpah was not the one east of the Jordan linked to Jephthah (Judges 10:17; 11:11, 29, 34). It was a place in central Israel. The name means “watchtower.”Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-71-2. all ... the congregation was gathered as one man--In consequence of the immense sensation the horrid tragedy of Gibeah had produced, a national assembly was convened, at which "the chief of all the people" from all parts of the land, including the eastern tribes, appeared as delegates. Mizpeh--the place of convention (for there were other Mizpehs), was in a town situated on the confines of Judah and Benjamin (Jos 15:38; 18:26). Assemblies were…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 20:1

• Beer-Sheba
• Dan
• Mizpah

In the dictionaries

• Dan
• Gilead
• Israel
• Sheba
• Children of Israel
• Beersheba
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Gibeah
• Glean

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