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

32Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town. 33When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Israelites hiding in ambush to the west of Gibeah jumped up to fight. There were 10,000 elite Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster. 35So the Lord helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen. 36Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver 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 the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.
• Joshua 8:14When the king of Ai saw the Israelites across the valley, he and all his army hurried out early in the morning and attacked the Israelites at a place overlooking the Jordan Valley. But he didn’t realize there was an ambush behind the town.
• Job 21:13They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace.
• Proverbs 4:19But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
• Proverbs 29:6Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.
• Ecclesiastes 8:11When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.
• Ecclesiastes 9:12People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.
• Isaiah 3:10Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!
• Isaiah 47:11So disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared.
• Matthew 24:44You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
• Luke 21:34“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
• 1 Thessalonians 5:3When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

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