What is the meaning of Judges 20:46? That day “ That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.” (Judges 20:46) • “That day” ties the statement to the third and decisive engagement in Israel’s civil war (Judges 20:35). • God had twice allowed Israel to be repulsed, but “that day” He granted victory after they sought Him with fasting and offerings (Judges 20:26-28). • The phrase underscores a specific, historical moment—one day in which judgment descended swiftly, echoing earlier warnings that sin’s consequences can arrive suddenly (Deuteronomy 32:35). 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen • Earlier, Benjamin fielded 26,000 warriors plus 700 select left-handed slingers (Judges 20:15-16). Losing 25,000 means almost the entire army was wiped out. • The precision shows Scripture’s reliability in recounting actual numbers, just as census figures in Numbers 1 do. • It also reveals the severity of Israel’s response to Benjamin’s refusal to purge the evil committed at Gibeah (Judges 19). The tribe chose solidarity with sin over repentance, and the cost was nearly total annihilation (cf. Joshua 7:25 for how collective sin can invite collective judgment). Fell • “Fell” is the common biblical way to describe warriors slain in combat (1 Samuel 31:1, 8). • Judges 20:35 makes clear who orchestrated the fall: “the LORD struck down 25,100 Benjamites before Israel.” Human swords did the striking, but divine justice directed the outcome. • Their fall serves as a sober reminder that no military skill or tribal loyalty can shield against God’s righteous judgment (Psalm 33:16-17). All men of valor • Benjamin’s soldiers were renowned fighters—left-handed, accurate, courageous (Judges 20:16). Valor, however, without righteousness, cannot save (Proverbs 21:31). • Scripture often pairs valor with faithfulness (2 Samuel 23:8-17), but here valor is emptied of its honor because it is enlisted in defense of wickedness (Judges 19:22-23). • The phrase accentuates the tragedy: brave men destroyed not for cowardice but for standing on the wrong side of holiness. Their bravery magnifies the cost of sin. summary Judges 20:46 records a literal, historic slaughter: on that single day, almost the entire Benjamite force—25,000 seasoned warriors—was cut down. The verse spotlights four truths: God’s justice arrives at a definitive moment; numbers matter because real people suffer real consequences; divine judgment is the true cause behind every enemy’s “fall”; and even great valor is futile when aligned against God’s righteousness. The verse warns and exhorts: stand with holiness, or even the strongest will fall. |
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