Judges 20

Introduction

Judges 20 records Israel's only full-scale civil war. After the events of Judges 19:22-30, in which the men of Gibeah raped and murdered a Levite's concubine, the outraged Levite dismembered her body and sent the pieces throughout Israel as a summons to action. Now, the entire nation assembles at Mizpah -- "from Dan to Beersheba" -- to hear his testimony and render judgment. The Levite's account, however, is notably self-serving: he claims the men of Gibeah intended to kill him and that they "abused" his concubine, but he omits the fact that he himself pushed her out the door to the mob. Still, his testimony is enough to unite 400,000 armed men against the tribe of Benjamin, which refuses to surrender the guilty men of Gibeah.

Israel goes to war against Benjamin, and despite their numerical advantage and their consultation of God, they suffer two defeats, losing 40,000 men in two days. Only after genuine fasting, weeping, and sacrificial offerings does God promise victory on the third day. The battle strategy on that third day closely mirrors Joshua's ambush of Ai (Joshua 8:1-29) -- a feigned retreat draws the Benjamites out, while hidden forces storm and burn the city. The result is the near-annihilation of an entire Israelite tribe: 25,000 Benjamite soldiers fall, their cities are burned, and only 600 men survive by fleeing to the rock of Rimmon. The chapter raises hard questions: Why did God allow Israel to lose twice before granting victory? Was Israel's cause righteous or self-righteous? And what does it mean when the covenant people turn their military power against their own brothers?

The Assembly at Mizpah (vv. 1-7)

¹ 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. ² The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. ³ (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?" ⁴ So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. ⁵ And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. ⁶ Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. ⁷ Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now."

¹ Then all the people of Israel went out, and the community gathered together as one man before the LORD at Mizpah -- from Dan to Beersheba, and from the land of Gilead. ² The leaders of all the people, from every tribe of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God: four hundred thousand foot soldiers armed with swords. ³ (Now the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites said, "Tell us -- how did this terrible thing happen?" ⁴ The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been killed, answered and said, "I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, along with my concubine, to spend the night. ⁵ The citizens of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house during the night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine so that she died. ⁶ So I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the whole territory of Israel's inheritance, because they had committed an outrageous and vile act in Israel. ⁷ Here you are, all you Israelites -- give your counsel and your decision right here."

Notes

The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" (לְמִדָּן וְעַד בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע) is the standard idiom for the full extent of Israelite territory, from the northernmost settlement to the southernmost. The addition of "the land of Gilead" (the Transjordan tribes) emphasizes that this assembly is truly comprehensive -- no tribe is absent except Benjamin. The phrase כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד ("as one man") appears repeatedly in this chapter (vv. 1, 8, 11) and underscores the rare national unity, though here the unity is for civil war rather than for worship or defense against enemies.

The assembly gathers at Mizpah, a site long associated with covenant assembly and judgment (see 1 Samuel 7:5-6 and 1 Samuel 10:17). The text says they gathered "before the LORD" (אֶל יְהוָה), suggesting a sacred assembly, though the ark appears to be at Bethel (v. 27), not Mizpah. The number 400,000 swordsmen is enormous and may reflect the rhetorical convention of describing the full mustering capacity of a tribal confederation.

The Levite's testimony in verses 4-7 is a carefully edited version of events. He says the men of Gibeah "intended to kill me" and that "they abused my concubine," but he conspicuously omits what Judges 19:25 records -- that he himself seized his concubine and thrust her outside to the mob. His account casts him entirely as a victim. He uses two loaded terms to describe Gibeah's crime: זִמָּה ("lewdness" or "depravity," a term associated with sexual crimes in Levitical law, see Leviticus 18:17) and נְבָלָה ("outrageous folly" or "disgraceful act"), the same word used for Shechem's rape of Dinah in Genesis 34:7. The combination of these two terms marks the crime as a grave offense in Israel's moral vocabulary.

His closing words in verse 7 -- "give your counsel and your decision" -- use the Hebrew דְּבַר וְעֵצָה ("word and counsel"), essentially demanding a judicial verdict. The Levite functions as plaintiff, prosecutor, and key witness all at once, and the assembly never cross-examines him or seeks other testimony.

Israel's Demand and Benjamin's Refusal (vv. 8-17)

⁸ Then all the people stood as one man and said, "Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. ⁹ Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates. ¹⁰ We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel." ¹¹ So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city. ¹² And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? ¹³ Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil." But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. ¹⁴ And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. ¹⁵ On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah. ¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing. ¹⁷ The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

⁸ Then all the people rose as one man and said, "None of us will go back to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. ⁹ Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot. ¹⁰ We will take ten men from every hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, a hundred from every thousand, and a thousand from every ten thousand, to gather provisions for the army, so that when they arrive at Gibeah of Benjamin, they may repay them for all the outrage they committed in Israel." ¹¹ So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, bound together as one man. ¹² Then the tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the whole tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this evil that has been done among you? ¹³ Now hand over the worthless men who are in Gibeah so that we may put them to death and burn out the evil from Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. ¹⁴ Instead, the Benjamites gathered from their cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the Israelites. ¹⁵ The Benjamites mustered from their cities on that day twenty-six thousand swordsmen, besides the seven hundred chosen men from Gibeah. ¹⁶ Out of all these troops were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed; every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. ¹⁷ And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, every one of them a man of war.

Notes

Israel's initial response in verse 8 is admirable in its unity but troubling in its haste. They commit to military action before consulting God and before offering Benjamin a chance to resolve the matter peacefully. The demand in verse 13 -- "hand over the worthless men" -- is actually the legally correct procedure. The Hebrew בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל ("sons of Belial" or "worthless men") is the same phrase used to describe the men of Gibeah in Judges 19:22. The demand to "hand over" the criminals and "purge the evil" (וּנְבַעֲרָה רָעָה) echoes Deuteronomic law (Deuteronomy 13:5, Deuteronomy 17:7), which required the community to root out evil from its midst. Israel is invoking proper legal process.

Benjamin's refusal to surrender the guilty men transforms a local crime into a tribal rebellion. By shielding the criminals, the entire tribe assumes corporate responsibility for the sin. This refusal costs Benjamin nearly everything.

The Hebrew description of the 700 left-handed slingers in verse 16 is notable. The Hebrew אִטֵּר יַד יְמִינוֹ literally means "bound/restricted in his right hand," which some interpret as meaning truly left-handed and others as ambidextrous. The irony is that the name "Benjamin" (בִּנְיָמִין) means "son of the right hand" -- yet the tribe is distinguished by its left-handed warriors. This same trait characterizes Ehud the Benjamite judge in Judges 3:15. The claim that they could "sling a stone at a hair and not miss" (אֶל הַשַּׂעֲרָה וְלֹא יַחֲטִא) involves a wordplay: the verb חָטָא means both "to miss" (a target) and "to sin." Slingers who never "miss" belong to a tribe that has grievously "sinned."

The numerical odds are lopsided: 26,700 Benjamites against 400,000 Israelites -- roughly 15 to 1. Yet Benjamin will inflict devastating casualties in the first two battles, which only heightens the theological puzzle of the narrative.

The First Two Defeats (vv. 18-25)

¹⁸ The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, "Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" "Judah will be first," the LORD replied. ¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. ²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah. ²¹ And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day. ²² But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. ²³ They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, "Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?" And the LORD answered, "Go up against them." ²⁴ On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites. ²⁵ That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

¹⁸ The Israelites set out and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, "Who among us should go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" And the LORD said, "Judah first." ¹⁹ So the Israelites rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin and arrayed themselves for war against them at Gibeah. ²¹ But the Benjamites came out from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground that day. ²² Yet the army, the men of Israel, strengthened their resolve and arrayed themselves for battle again in the same place where they had drawn up on the first day. ²³ The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD, saying, "Should we go out again to engage in battle with the Benjamites, our brothers?" And the LORD said, "Go up against them." ²⁴ So the Israelites drew near against the Benjamites on the second day. ²⁵ And Benjamin came out against them from Gibeah on the second day and struck down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them swordsmen.

Notes

Israel's inquiry at Bethel in verse 18 closely echoes Judges 1:1-2, where Israel asked, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites?" and the LORD answered, "Judah shall go up." The parallel is deliberate: at the beginning of the book, Israel fought Canaanites; now they fight their own brothers, using the same ritual question. The Hebrew וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ בֵאלֹהִים ("they inquired of God") uses the general term for God rather than the covenant name. Some scholars note that Israel's question is only about battle order ("Who goes first?"), not about whether they should fight at all -- they have already presumed the answer and merely seek tactical guidance.

The loss of 22,000 men on the first day is severe, and the text offers no explicit explanation. God told them to go up, yet they were routed. On the second day, the Israelites weep before the LORD and ask more humbly: "Should we again draw near?" -- using the word אָחִי ("my brothers") for the first time when referring to Benjamin. God again says "Go up." Yet they lose 18,000 more. The cumulative toll of 40,000 dead across two days approaches the number of Benjamite soldiers they were fighting.

Why does God allow these defeats? The text does not say directly, but the progression from day one to day three is revealing. On day one, they merely ask for tactical advice. On day two, they weep and ask if they should continue. On day three (vv. 26-28), they fast, weep, offer burnt offerings and peace offerings, and consult through the priestly line of Phinehas. The pattern suggests that Israel needed purification of its own motives. They marched out with self-righteous fury and military confidence, treating divine consultation as a rubber stamp. Their own moral condition -- the Levite's dishonesty, their failure to mourn, their presumption -- may have needed correction before God would grant them victory. The defeats function as a divine sifting, stripping away Israel's arrogance before allowing them to execute judgment on Benjamin.

Interpretations

The question of why God directed Israel to attack and then allowed them to lose has generated significant discussion. Some interpreters argue that God's command "Go up" was a test of Israel's faith and obedience rather than a guarantee of victory -- God sometimes permits righteous suffering to accomplish deeper purposes. Others suggest that Israel bore its own guilt for the broader moral collapse described in Judges 17-19, and the defeats served as partial judgment on Israel as well as Benjamin. A third view holds that the defeats were meant to ensure that Israel approached the final battle with humility and genuine dependence on God rather than with triumphalist self-assurance. This reading finds support in the escalating devotion from day one (mere inquiry) to day three (fasting, sacrifice, and priestly intercession).

The Third Inquiry and God's Promise (vv. 26-28)

²⁶ Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. ²⁷ And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, "Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?" The LORD answered, "Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

²⁶ Then all the Israelites -- the entire army -- went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and sat there before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ²⁷ The Israelites inquired of the LORD -- for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it to minister in those days -- saying, "Should we go out once more to battle against the Benjamites our brothers, or should we stop?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand."

Notes

On day three Israel's approach changes. Rather than merely inquiring, they וַיִּבְכּוּ ("wept"), וַיָּצוּמוּ ("fasted"), and offered עֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים ("burnt offerings and peace offerings"). Burnt offerings represent total consecration to God; peace offerings (or "fellowship offerings") represent restored communion. For the first time, Israel approaches God not as a military headquarters to receive orders but as a place of genuine repentance and dependence.

The parenthetical note about the ark of the covenant being at Bethel and Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron serving before it (vv. 27-28) provides a chronological marker. Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron who served as priest during the wilderness wanderings and the early conquest period (see Numbers 25:7-13, Joshua 22:13). His presence here means these events occurred within a generation or two of the conquest -- far earlier than the end of the judges period. This suggests that the events of Judges 17-21, though placed at the end of the book, are chronologically among the earliest. The narrator placed them here not for chronological reasons but for thematic ones: they illustrate what "no king in Israel" looks like.

God's response this time is qualitatively different. Instead of the bare command "Go up," he adds an explicit promise: כִּי מָחָר אֶתְּנֶנּוּ בְיָדֶךָ ("for tomorrow I will give them into your hand"). The verb נָתַן ("to give") with the phrase "into your hand" is the standard formula for divinely guaranteed military victory throughout Joshua and Judges (compare Joshua 6:2, Judges 7:9). Only now, after Israel has been humbled and has turned to God with fasting and sacrifice, does the LORD pledge the outcome.

The Ambush and Destruction of Gibeah (vv. 29-41)

²⁹ So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. ³⁰ On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before. ³¹ The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. ³² "We are defeating them as before," said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads." ³³ So 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. ³⁴ 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. ³⁵ The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. ³⁶ Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷ The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword. ³⁸ The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, ³⁹ the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, "They are defeated before us as in the first battle." ⁴⁰ But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke. ⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.

²⁹ Israel set ambush forces all around Gibeah. ³⁰ The Israelites went up against the Benjamites on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah, just as they had the previous times. ³¹ The Benjamites came out to engage the army and were drawn away from the city. They began striking down some of the troops, as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the open fields and on the roads -- one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. ³² The Benjamites said, "They are falling before us just as before!" But the Israelites said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways." ³³ Then all the men of Israel rose from their positions and formed up at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites lying in ambush burst out from their place west of Gibeah. ³⁴ Ten thousand chosen men from all Israel came straight at Gibeah, and the fighting was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was closing in on them. ³⁵ The LORD struck down Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them swordsmen. ³⁶ So the Benjamites saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush they had set against Gibeah. ³⁷ Then the men in ambush rushed in upon Gibeah, and the ambush force spread out and struck the entire city with the edge of the sword. ³⁸ Now the arranged signal between the men of Israel and the ambush force was this: they would send up a great column of smoke from the city. ³⁹ When the men of Israel turned back in the battle and Benjamin had begun to strike down about thirty men of Israel, they thought, "Surely they are being routed before us as in the first battle." ⁴⁰ But then the signal began to rise from the city -- a pillar of smoke -- and the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in flames toward the sky. ⁴¹ Then the men of Israel wheeled around, and the men of Benjamin were seized with terror, for they saw that disaster had overtaken them.

Notes

The battle strategy on the third day is a nearly exact replica of Joshua's ambush at Ai in Joshua 8:1-29. Both accounts feature: (1) an ambush force hidden behind or beside the city; (2) a main force that engages and then feigns retreat; (3) the defenders pursuing the retreating force and being drawn away from the city; (4) the ambush force rushing in to capture and burn the city; (5) a smoke signal marking the moment to turn and attack; (6) the fleeing enemy caught between two forces. The verbal and structural parallels indicate the narrator intends readers to connect the two events. At Ai, Israel destroyed a Canaanite city; now the same tactic destroys an Israelite city. The weapon God used against pagan enemies is now turned on his own people.

Verse 35 carries the theological weight of the battle account. The text says וַיִּגֹּף יְהוָה אֶת בִּנְיָמִן -- "The LORD struck down Benjamin." The verb נָגַף ("to strike, to inflict a blow") is the same verb used for divine plagues and military defeats throughout the Old Testament (see Exodus 12:23, Numbers 14:42). The narrator makes clear that the victory belongs to God, not to Israel's superior numbers or clever strategy. This is divine judgment executed through human agency.

The detail of about thirty Israelite casualties in the initial engagement (v. 31, 39) is significant -- it is the "bait" that convinces Benjamin the third day is going like the first two. The overconfidence of the Benjamites ("They are falling before us just as before!") mirrors the pattern of military hubris throughout the book. The moment of reversal -- when the Benjamites look back and see their city consumed -- is narrated with spare simplicity. The Hebrew word נִבְהֲלוּ ("were terrified" or "were dismayed") in verse 41 conveys sudden, paralyzing horror as the reality of their situation crashes in on them.

The Rout of Benjamin (vv. 42-48)

⁴² So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. ⁴³ They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. ⁴⁴ And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor. ⁴⁵ Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more. ⁴⁶ That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor. ⁴⁷ But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.

⁴² They turned away from the men of Israel toward the road to the wilderness, but the battle caught up with them, and those coming out of the cities were destroying them in their midst. ⁴³ They encircled Benjamin, pursued them relentlessly, and trampled them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. ⁴⁴ Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell -- all of them warriors of valor. ⁴⁵ They turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, but Israel picked off five thousand of them on the highways. They pressed hard after them as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more. ⁴⁶ The total number of Benjamites who fell that day was twenty-five thousand swordsmen -- all of them warriors of valor. ⁴⁷ But six hundred men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. ⁴⁸ Then the men of Israel turned back against the remaining Benjamites and struck them with the edge of the sword -- every city, from people to livestock to everything that was found. They also set fire to every city they came upon.

Notes

The rout of Benjamin is described with methodical precision. The fleeing Benjamites are caught between the main Israelite force and the troops emerging from the burning cities -- the same pincer movement that destroyed the army of Ai. The casualty figures are carefully tallied: 18,000 in the main battle (v. 44), 5,000 on the roads (v. 45), and 2,000 more at Gidom (v. 45), totaling 25,000 (v. 46). When compared with the 26,700 Benjamite soldiers in verse 15, only approximately 1,700 are unaccounted for, of whom 600 survived by fleeing to the rock of Rimmon.

The rock of Rimmon was a limestone formation in the wilderness northeast of Gibeah, offering natural caves for refuge. The 600 survivors become central to Judges 21, where Israel will face the crisis of having nearly exterminated an entire tribe and must find ways to provide wives for the remnant. The four months at Rimmon represent a period of desperate hiding while Israel completed its destruction of Benjamite territory.

Verse 48 describes the most extreme application of חֵרֶם-like warfare -- the total destruction of cities, people, and animals. The phrase מֵעִיר מְתֹם עַד בְּהֵמָה ("from every city, people to livestock") uses the rare word מְתֹם, which may mean "men" or "entirety." This level of destruction was normally reserved for Canaanite cities under divine ban (see Deuteronomy 20:16-18, Joshua 6:21). That Israel applies it to its own kinsmen demonstrates how thoroughly the civil war has spiraled beyond proportional justice. What began as a righteous demand for the criminals of Gibeah has become the wholesale annihilation of a brother tribe. The Hebrew שִׁלְּחוּ בָאֵשׁ ("they sent fire") echoes the burning of Canaanite cities and completes the parallel: Israel has become to Benjamin what the conquest was to Canaan.

The chapter ends without resolution, without celebration, and without any indication that God approved the scope of the destruction. The narrator offers no comment. The reader is left to carry this devastation into Judges 21, where Israel will weep again -- this time over what they themselves have done.