Judges 20:16

Judges 20:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
• New International Version (NIV)Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.

Context of Judges 20:16

14So the men of Benjamin went from their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go to war with the men of Israel. 15That day 26,000 men armed with swords came from Benjamin’s cities and organized for battle along with 700 of Gibeah’s best men. Out of all these troops, the best 700 were left-handed. Each could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17The men of Israel (Benjamin not included) totaled 400,000 soldiers armed with swords. 18The men of Israel went to Bethel. They asked God, “Who will go first to fight Benjamin?” The Lord answered, “Judah will go first.”

Judges 20:16 word by word

מִכֹּ֣ל׀ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֗ה שְׁבַ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ אִ֣ישׁ בָּח֔וּר אִטֵּ֖ר יַד־יְמִינ֑וֹ כָּל־זֶ֗ה קֹלֵ֧עַ בָּאֶ֛בֶן אֶל־הַֽשַּׂעֲרָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יַחֲטִֽא׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Among all this peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
• sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
• hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
• chosenבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• lefthandedיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
• lefthandedיָדyâd · handH3027
• lefthandedאִטֵּר'iţţêr · lefthandedH334
• every one could slingקָלַעqâla‛ · to slingH7049
• stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• at an hairשַׂעֲרָהώa‛ărâh · hairH8185
• and not missחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398

Cross-references for Judges 20:16

• Judges 3:15Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord sent a savior to rescue them. It was Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. (Ehud was the son of Gera.) The people sent him with their tax payment to King Eglon of Moab.
• 1 Chronicles 12:2They were armed with bows and could sling stones or shoot arrows with either their right or their left hands. They were Saul’s relatives, ⌞from the tribe of⌟ Benjamin.
• 1 Samuel 17:40He took his stick with him, picked out five smooth stones from the riverbed, and put them in his shepherd’s bag. With a sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
• 1 Samuel 25:29Even though someone pursued you and sought your life, your life is wrapped in the bundle of life which comes from the Lord your God. But he will dispose of the lives of your enemies like stones thrown from a sling.
• 2 Chronicles 26:14For the entire army Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for slings.

Commentaries on Judges 20:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Left-handed - They were ambidexters - could use the right hand and the left with equal ease and effect. See the note on Judges 3:15. Could sling stones at a hair - and not miss - יחטא ולא velo yachati, and not sin: ; Sept. Here we have the true import of the term sin; it signifies simply to miss the mark, and is well translated in the New Testament by ̔, from , negative, and , to hit the mark. Men miss the mark of true happiness in aiming at sensual…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 Comparing the numbers here with those in Judges 20:16 See Judges 3:15, and note. In the Septuagint and Vulgate the 700 chosen men of Gibeah are represented as the seven hundred left-handed slingers.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16left-handeders: See study note on Judges 3:15. The sling was like the one David used to kill Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40–51). The slinger placed a stone in a small pouch attached to a leather strap. He swung it around his head to build speed, then released one end to launch the stone. A slinger could attack from a distance, unlike a swordsman.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1714-17. the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah--Allowing their valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion and unbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the field against their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 20:16

• Benjamin
• Left-Handed
• Sling
• Stones

In the dictionaries

• Chosen
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Games
• Gibeah
• Glean
• Lefthanded
• Sling
• Trust
• Wickedness

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