Judges 20:34
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
There were 10,000 elite Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them.

NASB 1995
When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them.

NASB 1977
When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle became heavy; but Benjamin did not know that calamity was about to reach them.

Amplified Bible
When the ten thousand choice [fighting] men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle was hard and fierce; but the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was about to strike them.

Christian Standard Bible
Then ten thousand fit young men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.

American Standard Version
And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was close upon them.

English Revised Version
And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was close upon them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then 10,000 of Israel's best men attacked Gibeah. The battle was fierce. But Benjamin's men didn't realize their own evil was about to overtake them.

Good News Translation
Ten thousand men, specially chosen out of all Israel, attacked Gibeah, and the fighting was hard. The Benjaminites had not realized that they were about to be destroyed.

International Standard Version
As 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers came to fight Gibeah, the battle became fierce, but the army of Benjamin didn't know that disaster was close at hand.

Majority Standard Bible
Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.

NET Bible
Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah--the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep.

New Heart English Bible
There came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but they didn't know that disaster was close upon them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe: but they knew not that evil was near them.

World English Bible
Ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came over against Gibeah, and the battle was severe; but they didn’t know that disaster was close to them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they come in from the front against Gibeah—ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel—and the battle [is] grievous, and they have not known that the calamity is reaching toward them.

Young's Literal Translation
And they come in over against Gibeah -- ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel -- and the battle is grievous, and they have not known that the evil is striking against them.

Smith's Literal Translation
And there will come forth from before against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men from all Israel, and the battle was heavy: and they knew not that evil touched upon them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And to march from the west side of the city. And other ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel attacked the inhabitants of the city. And the battle grew hot against the children of Benjamin: and they understood not that present death threatened them on every side.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and to advance upon the western part of the city. Moreover, another ten thousand men from all of Israel were provoking a conflict with the inhabitants of the city. And the war grew heavy against the sons of Benjamin. And they did not realize that, on all sides of them, death was imminent.

New American Bible
and advanced against Gibeah with ten thousand picked men from all Israel. The fighting was severe, but no one knew that a disaster was closing in.

New Revised Standard Version
There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was close upon them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And there came toward Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard fought; but they did not know that disaster was near them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And ten thousand men came from next to Gebah, chosen men of all Israel, and the battle was severe, and they did not know that evil had fallen upon them
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was close upon them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And there came over against Gabaa ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel; and the fight was severe; and they knew not that evil was coming upon them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Civil War Against Benjamin
33So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah. 34Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. 35The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.…

Cross References
Joshua 8:14-22
When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city. / Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. / Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city. ...

Judges 8:10-12
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. / And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. / When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.

1 Samuel 14:20-23
Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor. / And the Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps to join the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. / When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit. ...

2 Samuel 2:25-31
The Benjamites rallied to Abner, formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill. / Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?” / “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.” ...

2 Chronicles 13:13-17
Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. / When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets, / and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ...

Joshua 10:9-11
After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. / And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. / As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.

1 Samuel 30:1-8
On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down. / They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way. / When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ...

2 Kings 3:24-27
But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites. / They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well. / When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail. ...

2 Chronicles 20:22-24
The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. / The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. / When the men of Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

Isaiah 28:21
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task.

Matthew 24:15-22
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), / then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. / Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. ...

Luke 21:20-24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. / Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. / For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ...

Acts 2:19-21
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. / The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. / And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Romans 11:25-27
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. / And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. / And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. / While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. / But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

ten thousand

Judges 20:29
And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

knew not

Joshua 8:14
And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.

Job 21:13
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

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Attack Battle Benjamin Benjaminites Benjamites Children Choice Chosen Close Conscious Disaster Evil Hard Heavy Israel Israel's Picked Severe Sore Ten Thousand Violent
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Attack Battle Benjamin Benjaminites Benjamites Children Choice Chosen Close Conscious Disaster Evil Hard Heavy Israel Israel's Picked Severe Sore Ten Thousand Violent
Judges 20
1. The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8. The decree of the assembly
12. The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18. The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26. They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred.














Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel
The phrase "10,000 choice men" indicates a select group of warriors, chosen for their skill and valor. In the Hebrew context, the word for "choice" (בָּחוּר, bachur) often refers to young men in their prime, suggesting that these were elite soldiers. This reflects the seriousness with which Israel approached the battle, emphasizing the gravity of the conflict against Gibeah. Historically, the selection of such men underscores the unity and determination of the tribes of Israel to address the moral and social crisis posed by the events in Gibeah.

came against Gibeah
The city of Gibeah, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, is central to this narrative. Archaeological evidence places Gibeah in the region of modern-day Tell el-Ful, near Jerusalem. The phrase "came against" indicates a strategic military approach, suggesting that the Israelites were not merely reacting in anger but had planned a calculated assault. This reflects the broader biblical theme of justice and the need to confront sin within the community.

and the battle was fierce
The word "fierce" (קָשֶׁה, qasheh) in Hebrew conveys intensity and severity. This battle was not just a skirmish but a significant and brutal confrontation. The fierceness of the battle highlights the deep divisions and the high stakes involved, as the tribes of Israel sought to purge evil from among them. It serves as a reminder of the cost of sin and the lengths to which God's people must sometimes go to restore righteousness.

But the Benjamites did not realize
This phrase suggests a lack of awareness or understanding on the part of the Benjamites. The Hebrew root (יָדַע, yada) for "realize" implies knowledge or perception. The Benjamites' failure to perceive the impending disaster reflects a spiritual blindness or arrogance, often seen in biblical narratives where individuals or groups are resistant to God's will. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and the importance of spiritual discernment.

that disaster was upon them
The term "disaster" (רָעָה, ra'ah) in Hebrew can mean evil, calamity, or misfortune. This word choice underscores the severity of the consequences facing the Benjamites due to their actions and the actions of the men of Gibeah. Theologically, it reflects the principle of divine justice, where sin leads to inevitable judgment. The phrase "was upon them" indicates the immediacy and certainty of this judgment, serving as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

(34) Ten thousand chosen men.--Though the verse is obscurely expressed, the meaning probably is that this was the number of the ambuscade of picked warriors. If it means that this was the Israelite force left after the slaughter of 40,000, we are not told the number of the ambush.

The battle was sore.--It would be a battle in which the Benjamites were now attacked both in front and rear.

But.--Rather, and.

They knew not that evil was near them--i.e., as we should say, "that the hour of their ruin had come," or, as the Vulg. has it, quod ex omni parte illis instaret interitus, "that destruction was threatening them on every side." (Comp. Isaiah 47:10.)

Verse 34. - Against Gibeah, i.e. against the army of Gibeah. The sense seems to be that the 10,000 Israelites who had been fleeing before Benjamin, and drawing them away from the city, now faced them, and commenced a resolute attack upon them, which at first the Benjamites, not knowing of the ambushment in their rear met with equal resolution, so that "the battle was sore." But the result, the details of which are given at length in vers. 36-46, was that 25,100 Benjamites fell that day (see ver. 46).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then 10,000
עֲשֶׂרֶת֩ (‘ă·śe·reṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6235: Ten

select
בָּחוּר֙ (bā·ḥūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 970: Selected, a youth

men
אִ֤ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

from all
מִכָּל־ (mik·kāl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

made a frontal
מִנֶּ֨גֶד (min·ne·ḡeḏ)
Preposition-m
Strong's 5048: A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before

assault
וַיָּבֹאוּ֩ (way·yā·ḇō·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

against Gibeah,
לַגִּבְעָ֜ה (lag·giḇ·‘āh)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1390: Gibeah -- 'hill', three cities in Palestine

and the battle
וְהַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה (wə·ham·mil·ḥā·māh)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

was fierce.
כָּבֵ֑דָה (kā·ḇê·ḏāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

But the Benjamites
וְהֵם֙ (wə·hêm)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

did not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

realize
יָדְע֔וּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

disaster [was]
הָרָעָֽה׃ (hā·rā·‘āh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

upon
נֹגַ֥עַת (nō·ḡa·‘aṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike

them.
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT History: Judges 20:34 There came over against Gibeah ten thousand (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 20:33
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