Judges 20:2

Jdg 20:2 And 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.

Ver. 2. And the chief of all the people.] Heb., The corners of all the people: for the chieftains and rulers bear up the people, and hold them together, as the corner stones do the whole building, which else would soon shatter and fall to ruin. {a} See the like in Zep 3:6. Diodat rendereth it, the cantons.

{a} Ut anguli in domo, sunt primates in populo. - Vat.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 20:2. Four hundred thousand — The number is here set down, to show their zeal and forwardness in punishing such a villany; the strange blindness of the Benjamites, that durst oppose so great and united a body; and that the success of battles depends not upon great numbers, seeing this great host was twice defeated by the Benjamites.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, corners.

Meaning, men able to handle their weapons.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 2. The chief of all the people] The corners פנות pinnoth; for as the corner-stones are the strength of the walls, so are the chiefs the strength of the people. Hence Christ is called the chief corner-stone.

In the assembly of the people of God] The Septuagint translate, And all the tribes of Israel stood up before the face of the Lord, εν εκκλησιᾳ του λαου του Θεου, in the Church of the people of God. Here was a Church, though there was no priest; for, as Tertullian says, Ubi tres, ecclesia est, licet laici; "Wheresoever three are gathered together in the name of the Lord, there is a Church, although there be none but the laity."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) The chief.—The Hebrew word is pinnoth, “corner-stones,” as in 1Sa_14:38; Isa_19:13.

Four hundred thousand.—Hence we learn the interesting fact that in their struggles against the Canaanites the number of the people had been diminished one-third—i.e., to a far greater extent than they had been diminished by the wanderings in the wilderness. For at the census in the first year of the wanderings their numbers were (including 35,400 of Benjamin) 603,550 (Num_1:46); and in the census in the last year they were 601,730, excluding the Benjamites, who, unlike the other tribes, had increased in numbers, for they were then 45,600 in number.

Footmen.—The Israelites were forbidden to use either chariots or cavalry. (See Notes on Jdg_1:19; Jdg_4:3.)

That drew sword.—Jdg_8:10.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. chiefs] Lit. the word = corner, of a house Job_1:19, or of a city Neh_3:24; Neh_3:31 f.; also a corner-stone Isa_28:16, cf. Jer_51:26. As suggestive of support or prominence, the corner could be used in a metaphorical sense; cf. 1Sa_14:38, Isa_19:13.

even of all the tribes] even of is not in the Hebr.; read and all the tribes with LXX. cod. A.

presented themselves] took their stand, ready for what might happen; cf. Exo_19:17, Deu_31:14, 1Sa_17:16.

the assembly of the people of God] Only here; usually the assembly of Jehovah or of God, Deu_23:1-3, Neh_13:1. The number 400,000 is obviously exaggerated; contrast the Song of Deborah, which reckons the warriors of all Israel at 40,000, Jdg_5:8. The treatment of history in the narrative of B reflects the ideas of the church-nation of a later day; cf. the impossible figures of P, Exo_12:37. Moore notes that the Roman army which destroyed Jerusalem in a.d. 70 numbered about 60,000; and the German army which captured Paris in 1870, about 240,000.

that drew sword] Cf. Jdg_20:15; Jdg_20:17; Jdg_20:25; Jdg_20:35; Jdg_20:46, Jdg_8:10, 2Sa_24:9.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the chief of all the people,.... The princes of the tribes and heads of families, rulers of thousands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens; or the "corners" (c), who were like the corner stones in a building, which are not only the most valuable and ornamental, but the strength of the building, which cement it, and support it, and hold it together; though Abarbinel thinks this intends the division and separation of each tribe, which encamped in a separate corner and side by itself: but the former sense seems best, and the meaning is, that the principal men of them:

even of all the tribes of Israel; excepting the tribe of Benjamin:

presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God; now gathered together: which assembly consisted, besides the heads of them, of

four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword; or were armed men; there were 600,000 or more in Israel able to bear arms; but as now the wars in Canaan were pretty much at an end, the militia of the nation was not so regularly kept up, and many were employed in tilling the ground, and dressing the vines, and the like; and besides, as there were none of the tribe of Benjamin present, it need not be wondered at there should be no more, but rather that so many should be gathered together on such an occasion.

(c) "anguli", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Drusius, Tigurine version.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The chief - literally, “the corner stones.” (Compare 1Sa 14:38.)

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Chiefs. Literally, "angles and corner-stones," whose business it was to keep the people in order; or, all the different ranks of men might be designated. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "the climate," or country. (Haydock) --- Syriac and Arabic, "the families of all the people." (1 Kings xiv. 38.) (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The chief, Heb. the corners, i.e. the nobles and rulers, which are oft so called, because, like corner-stones, they both unite, and support, and adorn the whole building.

Four hundred thousand, or, and four hundred thousand. It is an ellipsis of the particle and, of which examples have been given before: for the chief of the people were not so many; but the common soldiers, and these were all footmen; whereas many of the rulers rode upon horses, or asses, Jdg 5:10; 10:4; 12:14. The number is here set down, to show both their zeal and forwardness in punishing such a villany; and the strange blindness of the Benjamites that durst oppose so great and united body; and that the success of battles depends not upon great numbers, seeing this great host was twice defeated by the Benjamites, but wholly upon God’s blessing.

Footmen; for horsemen they had few or none in their armies.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. Four hundred thousand — On the possibility of collecting so vast a number in a short time, see note on 1Sa_11:9.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The chief. The word here used means the corner-stones of a building. Hence it is applied to the chief men, who, as it were, bind and keep together the whole people. Their presence at this great meeting is mentioned to show that it was a regularly constituted assembly of all Israel. The same phrase occurs 1Sa_14:38, and Isa_19:13 (the stay of the tribes, A.V). The numbers (400, 000) are of course those of the whole congregation. The assembly of the people of God. So, Num_16:3 Num_20:4, Israel is called the congregation of the Lord; and Neh_13:1, the congregation of God. Not dissimilar was the first great council of the Church, consisting of the Church (h ekelhsia ) i.e. the assembly of disciples) and the apostles and elders (who were the cornerstones, the lapides angulares, thereof). See Act_15:4, Act_15:6, Act_15:12. Four hundred thousand. See ver. 17. The enumeration in the wilderness gave 603, 550, (Num_2:32 Num_11:21) and at the second numbering 601, 730. (Num_26:51) In 1Sa_11:8 a general assembly of the whole people, summoned by sending a piece of the flesh of a yoke of oxen "throughout all the coasts of Israel," amounted to 330, 000. David"s numbering gave of Israel 800, 000, and of Judah 500, 000, in all 1, 300, 000; but these were not assembled together, but numbered at their own homes. Jehoshaphat"s men of war amounted to 1, 160, 000 according to 2Ch_17:14-18. In the time of Amaziah there were of Judah alone 300, 000 men able to go forth to war. (2Ch_24:6)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Four hundred thousand - The number is here set down, to shew their zeal and forwardness in punishing such a villainy; the strange blindness of the Benjamites that durst oppose so great and united a Body; and that the success of battles depends not upon great numbers, seeing this great host was twice defeated by the Benjamites.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The leaders of the entire people. The heads of the entire people.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.