Judges 20:48

Jdg 20:48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of [every] city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

Ver. 48. And smote them with the edge.] If this were done out of the heat and fury of war only, and not by the command of God, they were to blame. That once flourishing commonwealth of the Lacedemonians was likewise utterly overturned at the battle of Leuctra, by reason of a rape there committed by two noble Spartans upon the two daughters of Scedasus, who complained thereof to the Ephori, but could get no remedy.

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 20:48. The men of Israel turned again, &c. — Left their pursuit of the Benjamites in the wilderness, and turned toward the country of Benjamin. Those that came to Gibeah and into the field, whom the Israelites had already destroyed, were men that drew the sword, that is, soldiers. But there were a great many husbandmen, shepherds, and others, whom, in their fury, they now slew. And all that came to hand — Even women and children. For they had devoted to destruction all that came not up to Mizpeh, when they were summoned, (Jdg 21:5,) which none of the Benjamites did; for which reason they slew also the men, women, and children of Jabesh-gilead, Jdg 21:10. But this was certainly a most inhuman barbarity, expressly contrary to the laws of God, which had forbidden the innocent to be punished with the guilty, Deu 24:16.

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

If they belonged to the Benjamites.

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

the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword--This frightful vengeance, extending from Gibeah to the whole territory of Benjamin, was executed under the impetuous impulse of highly excited passions. But doubtless the Israelites were only the agents of inflicting the righteous retributions of God; and the memory of this terrible crisis, which led almost to the extermination of a whole tribe, was conducive to the future good of the whole nation.

Next: Judges Chapter 21

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(48) As well the men of every city, as the beast.—The phrase is literally, from the city, men down to beast, reading methim, “men,” for methom, “entire.” The dreadful meaning which lies beyond these short and simple words is the absolute extermination of a whole tribe of Israel, MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, CITIES AND CATTLE, with the exception of 600 fugitives. There is something almost inconceivably horrible and appalling in the thought of thousands of poor women and innocent children ruthlessly butchered in cold blood in this internecine war between brother Israelites. The whole tribe were placed under the ban of extirpation, as though they had been Canaanites, just as mercilessly as Sihon and his people had been extirpated (Deu_2:34; Deu_13:15-16), or Jericho (Jos_6:17; Jos_6:21), or Ai (Jos_8:25-26). Their feelings were doubtless exasperated by the fearful destruction which Benjamin had inflicted upon them, as well as by religious horror at the conduct of the tribe; and for the rest, we can only say that “the times of this ignorance God winked at.” The good side of the deed lies in its motive: it expressed an intense horror against moral pollution. The evil side lay in its ruthless savagery. In both aspects it agrees both with the recorded and the traditional character of Phinehas (Num_25:8; Num_31:6). (See Note on Jdg_11:39.)

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

48. This v. (from B) records the destruction of the Benjamites who had not taken part in the conflict.

the entire city] The marg. is to be preferred, lit. the city of men, a phrase only found again in Deu_2:34; Deu_3:6, and there, as here, in connexion with devoting a city or people to destruction. The Israelites were determined to make the tribe of Benjamin a ḥérem: cf. Jdg_21:10-11, Jdg_1:17 n.

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.

They treated Benjamin as devoted to utter destruction, as Jericho had been Jos 6:17, Jos 6:21, and the whole tribe was all but actually extirpated. We see in the punishment inflicted the same ferocity which marked both the crime and the Levite’s mode of requiring vengeance.

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

And villages, is not expressed in Hebrew, &c. But as both cities, and all the inhabitants were destroyed, the villages would share the same fate, (Haydock) as being under a curse. The Israelites concluded, from the exemplary vengeance which had been taken of Sodom and Gomorra, that they were authorized to treat their brethren in guilt with the utmost severity. (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).

Having destroyed those that came to Gibeah, and into the field, now they follow them home to their several habitations.

The men of every city; comprehensively taken, so as to include women and children. If this seem harsh and bloody, either it may be ascribed to military fury; or rather, it may be justified; partly, from that high guilt brought upon the whole tribe, in which it is no wonder if their infants suffered, which was not unusual in such cases, as Num 31:17; 1Sa 15:3; Jos 7:15; partly, from that command of God in a parallel case, Deu 13:15; and partly, from that solemn oath by which they had anathematized or devoted to death all that came not up to Mizpeh, Jdg 21:5, which none of the Benjamites did; for which cause also they destroyed all the men, women, and children of Jabesh-gilead, Jdg 21:10.

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

48. Israel turned again upon… Benjamin — Turned upon the old men, women, and children that remained unarmed and helpless in the cities; and smote men and cattle together, and burned the cities, just as they had done when warring with the idolatrous or Canaanites.

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

Turned again, not the same word as the turned of vers. 45, 47, but turned back, came again by the way by which they had gone in pursuit of the Benjamites, and on their return towards Bethel (Jud_1:21:2) entered into all the Benjamlte cities, which lay thick together east and north of Gibeah, and ruthlessly put all the remaining population to the sword; burning all the cities, and treating the whole tribe of Benjamin, with all that belonged to them, as a herem, a thing devoted to utter destruction, like Jericho.

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

Turned again - Having destroyed those that came to Gibeah, and into the field, now they follow them home to their several habitations. Men - Comprehensively taken, so as to include women and children. If this seem harsh and bloody, either it may be ascribed to military fury; or perhaps it may be partly justified, from that command of God in a parallel case, Deut. xiii, 15, and from that solemn oath by which they had devoted to death all that came not up to Mizpeh, chap. xxi, 5, which none of the Benjamites did.

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

Turned to the sons of Binyomin in all the cities.

Completely annihilating the cities. They annihilated all the inhabitants of the cities,

Including the cattle—the people are included in "completely annihilating," since מְּתֹם denotes absolute annihilation. There is a problem with the location of one thousand, as twenty-six thousand were counted in the cities, and seven hundred at Givoh; here, those who fell totaled twenty-five thousand, one hundred troops, and six hundred escaped to Rimon cliff. Evidently, one thousand fled to the cities, and fell the following day when the Bnei Yisroel turned to the cities of Binyomin to annihilate the women and children.

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.