Judges 20:17

Judges 20:17 in other versions

• New International Version (NIV)Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Israel had 400,000 experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.

Context of Judges 20:17

15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war. 18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first. 19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

Judges 20:17 word by word

וְאִ֨ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל הִתְפָּֽקְד֗וּ לְבַד֙ מִבִּנְיָמִ֔ן אַרְבַּ֨ע מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֛לֶף אִ֖ישׁ שֹׁ֣לֵֽף חָ֑רֶב כָּל־זֶ֖ה אִ֥ישׁ מִלְחָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• And the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• beside Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
• were numberedפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: listH6485
• fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
• hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• that drewשָׁלַףshâlaph · to drawH8025
• swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421

People and places in Judges 20:17

• Benjamin
• Israel

Cross-references for Judges 20:17

• Judges 20:2And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
• Numbers 1:46Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
• Numbers 26:51These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
• 1 Samuel 11:8And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
• 1 Samuel 15:4And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
• 1 Chronicles 21:5And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
• 2 Chronicles 17:14And these are the numbers of them according to the house of their fathers: Of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand.

Commentaries on Judges 20:17

• 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. 13-17Benjamin's response matched its independent and warlike nature (compare Genesis 49:27). The tribe had strong confidence in its famous warriors (Judges 3:12–30; 1 Chronicles 12:2). Although outnumbered nearly three to one, they defeated the rest of Israel twice and caused many casualties (Judges 20:18–24).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

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• Israel
• Four Hundred
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Gibeah
• Glean
• Trust
• Wickedness
• Wolf

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