Keraia
Judges 20

Judges 20:1

The Decree of the Assembly · Judges 20:1–17
Read Judges 20

Translations

Modern
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
Traditional
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.
Literal
And all the sons of Israel came out, and the congregation gathered together as one man from Dan and to Beersheba, and from the land of Gilead, before YHWH at Mizpah.
Latin
Egressi itaque sunt omnes filii Israël, et pariter congregati, quasi vir unus, de Dan usque Bersabee, et terra Galaad, ad Dominum in Maspha.

Original

Hebrew
English
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

Notes

Judges 20:1

This 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.”

Judges 19:1–21:25

  • This second epilogue (see study note on Judges 17:1–21:25) shifts the focus from individuals to entire tribes. It begins with the outrage in the Benjamite town of Gibeah (Judges 19), which led to a civil war (Judges 20) and the near destruction of Benjamin. It then moves to the attempt to save the tribe from disappearing (Judges 21). The book ends with the familiar refrain: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. This was what they did in the days of Gibea, perhaps the lowest point in Israel's history that Hosea, 400 years later, would compare to the depths Ephraim had reached (Hosea 9:9; 10:9).

  • The path was cleared for a shift from charismatic leadership to "covenant-charismatic kingship." This kingship combined living under the Lord’s covenant with the anointing of the spirit for ruling, as seen with Saul and David.

Judges 17:1–21:25

These two epilogues (Judges 17–18 and 19–21) show that inspired but unstructured leadership cannot last. As society moved toward chaos and civil war, the phrase, In those days there was no king in Israel appears four times. The phrase, everyone did what was right in his own eyes is added twice (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The era of inspired leadership declined and ended in disorder. Something important was missing.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality Social Chaos in Judges

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Places

Beersheba: Important city in southern Israel, associated with the patriarchs Dan: Israelite tribe; city in northern Israel; originally called Laish/Leshem Gilead: Mountainous region east of Jordan; tribal territory and personal name Mizpah: A city in Benjamin; a place of gathering and judgment

Glossary

Benjamin, Tribe of Concubinage, Concubines Dan (Place) Gibeah Gilead (Place) Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead (Place) Judea, Judeans Judges, Book of Mizpah Tribe of Dan

Topics

Armies: Refusal to Obey the Summons, Instance of Beer-Sheba: The Most Southern City of Palestine Dan: A City of the Tribe of Dan: Also Called Laish, and Leshem Gibeah: of Saul: Destroyed by the Israelites Israel: Scandal of the Bethlehemite's Concubine Mizpah: A City Allotted to the Tribe of Benjamin: The Israelites Assemble At Religious Zeal in Punishing Evil People: Israelites The Armies of Israel: Collected by Extraordinary Means The Jews: Obliged to Unite Against Enemies Tribe of Benjamin: Census of did not avenge the crime of the Gibeonites against the Levite's concubine War: Civil