Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XX.

Vers. 1. THen all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was ga∣thered together, &c.] All the children of Israel, that is, the chief of all the people, as it follows in the next verse, all the elders and officers, captains, and men of warre, except onely they of the tribe of Benjamin went out from their own habitations severally, and were gathered together as one man, that is, unani∣mously, as readily, as if one man onely had been appointed to come to any place: and thus was there an assembly of all the land, to wit, those within Jordan from Dan to Beersheba, and together with them also of the land of Gilead, that is, those without Jordan, and that in Mizpeh; Mizpeh was a place where the Israelites did usually hold their publick assemblies, 1. Sam 7.5. And Samuel said, Gather all the children of Israel to Mizpeh; and so also, chap. 10.17. and Jer. 40.7, 8. It is very probable, that it stood in the confines of Judah and Benjamin, and is therefore reckoned amongst the cities of both tribes, see Josh. 15.38. & 18.26. neither could there be therefore, for the businesse they met about, a fitter place chosen: now here they are said to be gathered together unto the Lord, not because the Tabernacle was there, as we shall after see, vers. 27. but either because they were assembled in Gods name, and to heare what God would give them in charge; or because in all judiciall assemblies, the Lord is in a speciall manner present; Psal. 82.1. God stand∣eth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods; or else, because they met in a synagogue, a house set apart for publick prayer, and teaching the peo∣ple, which seems the more likely, even because of that which we reade in one of our

Apocryphal books, 1. Macc. 3.46. Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem: for Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. Some conceive I know, that the Ark was at present removed to Mizpeh; but of that see vers. 27.

Vers. 2. Foure hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.] The number of these men of warre is expressed, both to shew their zeal in seeking to punish this abo∣minable fact of the men of Gibeah and also to shew how evidently the hand of God was against these Israelites, when they were twice beaten by the Benjamites; and yet were so many more in number then they.

Vers. 3. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone to Mizpeh)] This is added to implie, how resolved the Benjamites were to stand out in defence against the rest of the Israelites, who hearing of the Israelites assembling themselves about this businesse, neither went to the assembly themselves, nor sent any messenger to them.

Vers. 5. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me.] To wit, by their unnaturall lust, as they had slain his wife; or at least he means, that they thought to have done that to him, which rather then he would have endured, he would have lost his life.

Vers. 7. Behold, ye are all children of Israel, &c.] And therefore ought to take to heart, that so foul an abomination should be committed in Israel; it concerns you all, and therefore look to it.

Vers. 8. We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn in to his house.] This is added, to shew how zealous they were in seeking to punish this horrible sinne, they vowed that they would not so much as go home to their houses, till they had executed judgement upon those that were guiltie of it; yea not onely so, but also at the same place and time; at least when the report was brought them, that the Benjamites would not deliver the malefactours into their hands, but were resol∣ved rather to defend them; they vowed also, that having slain the Benjamites, they would not give any of their daughters in marriage to any that were left alive, chap. 21. vers. 1. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife: and that they would likewise de∣stroy every town throughout the whole land of Israel, that had not sent some of their people to this assemblie, to help them in this warre, chap. 21.5. They had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord, to Mizpeh, say∣ing, He shall surely be put to death.

Vers. 9. We will go up by lot against it.] That is, we will by lot determine it, who shall go up to fight against Gibeah, and who shall go forth to fetch in victuals, and other provisions for the people: one in ten had need to be set apart for this ser∣vice, and who they shall be, the lot shall decide.

Vers. 12. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, &c.] Though the Benjamites absenting themselves from the assembly of all Israel at Mizpeh, was a just ground of suspition, that they meant not to yield up the male∣factours to be punished; yet would not the Israelites thereupon make warre pre∣sently against them, but first they sent messengers to all the families of the tribe of Benjamin, to desire the deliverie of those sonnes of Belial to deserved

punishment, that so if it were possible, bloud-shed and civill war might be prevented.

Vers. 13. Deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.] That is, make others affraid to commit such horrible sinnes, and do what we can to divert the evil of punishment, which God may else justly lay upon us, even by cutting them off which have committed this crying villany.

But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel, &c.] That is, though the Israelites were their brethren, whose advice therefore they might well think, tended equally to the good of them all, and against whom to fight in the defence of such wretches, must needs be counted a most unnaturall and ungodly course; yet because they thought it a dishonour to them, that the other tribes should intermeddle with punishing any within their territories, and were so proud of their strength, and highly conceited of their abilities for martiall af∣fairs, that they thought themselves able enough to make good their part against all the tribes of Israel beside, they would not hearken to their brethren but prepared to fight it out.

Vers. 15. And the children of Benjamin were numbred at that time out of the cities, twenty and six thousand, &c.] This is added, to imply what it was that made them despise the counsell of their brethren, to wit, their confidence in their own strength; of this six and twenty thousand and seven hundred, there were slain by the Israelites twenty five thousand and an hundred, vers. 35. and there were onely six hundred of them that saved themselves in the rock Rimmon, vers. 47. It seems there∣fore, that the other thousand were slain in the two first battels wherein the Benja∣mites overcame the Israelites; for it is not likely they should vanquish the Israelites in two set battells, and kill so many thousand of them without any losse in their own army.

Vers. 18. And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God. &c.] The house of God was at this time in Shiloh, see vers. 27. & thither therefore they went to ask counsell of God, saying Which of us shall go up first to the battell, &c. It may seem strange that the people of God, undertaking so just a warre as this was against the Benjamites, out of a zeal to punish those that had committed so foul a sinne & be∣cause the Benjamites did undertake the defence of them that they might not be puni∣shed, should notwithstanding be twice beaten and vanquished by those Benjamites, as we see afterwards they were, not without the losse of fourty thousand of their men, especially if we consider this which is here said, that before they went to fight with them, they were so carefull to go to the house of the Lord, that there they might ask counsell of God; but to remove this scruple, we must know that God is wont in great wisdome, and without any stain either to his justice or mercy towards his people, to suffer a while, those that have a just cause to go by the worst: as first, to prevent the ascribing of their victory to their own prowesse or strength, by letting them see how little good their great armies could do, if the Lord should withhold his help from them: secondly, to beat them off from that confidence in their great strength and in the justnesse of their cause, which beforehand he perceives in them: till men have learnt to go out of themselves, and to rely onely upon God, they are not fit for his aid: thirdly, to punish them for some sinnes, wherein he perceives them to runne

on without fear; that so by their losse, they may be brought to see, bewail, and for∣sake those sinnes. And for these reasons doubtlesse God did suffer these Israelites to be so shamefully beaten by the Benjamites; for both idolatry and many other sinnes were rife amongst them, as we see, chap. 17.6. and particularly in the idolatry of Micah and the Danites: 2. trusting in the justnesse of their cause, and the multitude of their men, in regard of whom the Benjamites were but a handfull: their spirits were too much puffed up with assurance of victory, and hence it was that they never asked God whether they should go against the Benjamites, or whether they should prevail; they never prayed to God for his help, they never sought by fasting & humi∣liation, by repenting of their own sinnes, and by offering up sacrifices of atonement, to make their peace with God; but onely as men assured of victory, to prevent vari∣ance amongst themselves, they desired to know which of the tribes should go up first against Benjamin; they concluded, that having eleven tribes against one, four hundred thousand against six and twenty thousand, they must needs prevail.

Vers. 21. And destroyed down to the ground, of the Israelites that day, twenty and two thousand men.] See the note before on vers. 18.

Vers. 23. (And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord untill e∣ven, &c.] But they did not fast and afflict their souls, and offer up sacrifices to make an atonement with God, as afterwards they did, vers. 26. It seems their weeping now was more for their losse in the former battell, then for their sinnes, or at least that they were not so throughly humbled, and so truly penitent as was fitting; and there∣fore again after this their enemies prevailed. Indeed now they began to see that their multitude and strength was vain without Gods help, and therefore enquired whe∣ther they should go forth to battell against the Benjamites or no; but withall they pitched upon a wrong cause of their ill successe, supposing it was onely because God was not pleased with their making warre against their brethren, never thinking of their sinnes; and therefore God answers them accordingly, Go up against him: which was no more in effect then this, though he be your brother you may fight against him.

Vers. 26. All the people came up, and came unto the house of God and wept, and sat there before the Lord and fasted, &c.] Now they not onely wept as they did before, vers. 23. (which might onely be for the losse they sustained) but also fasted and offered burnt-offerings, and peace-offerings before the Lord: which shews that now they perceived that though God liked the cause they had undertaken, yet he was displeased with their persons, and that therefore they fasted and afflisted their souls in a most solemne manner, repenting them of their sinnes, and turning to the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, to make an atonement for their sinnes, and to obtain Gods favour, that he would now prosper them in this their warre against Benjamin.

Vers. 27. (For the ark of the covenant of God was there in those dayes.] That is, in those parts about Gibeah, to wit, in Shiloh, which was not farre from Gibeah, chap. 21.12. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, four hun∣dred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh; or rather the ark was there, that is, in the house of God, whether in the former verse it is said they went up; though in after times the

Ark was a long while out of the Tabernacle, yet in those dayes it was there, in the house of God in Shiloh.

Vers. 28. And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron, stood before it in those dayes.] That is, ministred before the Lord in the priests office: Deut. 10.8. The Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, and to minister unto him, and enquired of the Lord by U∣rim and Thummim, before the Ark in the behalf of the people. And hereby it ap∣pears, that this story of Israels warre with Benjamin, did not fall out after Samsons death, according as it is here set down in order of the Historie, but long before: for had Phinehas lived after Samson, he had been well nigh foure hundred years old, whereas in this time, it was a rare thing to live till fourescore years; Psal. 90.10. The dayes of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourescore years; yet is their strength labour and sorrow: for it is soon cut off, and we flie away.

Vers. 29. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah, &c.] Though the last time the Israelites enquired of the Lord what they should do, God had assured them that they should prevail against the Benjamites: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into thy hand; yet were they never a whit lesse carefull, to trie if by policie they could get any advantage against them: and as may be gathered by seve∣rall passages in the following part of the chapter, though the relation be somewhat intricate, the course which they took seems to be this; they divided their army into three parts; one part was laid in ambush in the meadows of Gibeah, vers. 33. the other part was sent against Gibeah, who were presently to flie before the Benja∣mites, that they might draw them farre off from the citie, vers. 30, 31. and the third was to stay in Baaltamar, and to renew the battel, when the Benjamites came thi∣ther, pursuing the Israelites that fled before them.

Vers. 30. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin, &c.] That is, that part of their army that was to make an assault upon the Benja∣mites, and then presently to give back and flie. See the foregoing note.

Vers. 31. In the high wayes, in which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other in Gibeah, in the field.] This surely was another Gibeah, called Gibeah in the field, to distinguish it from that Gibeah against which the Israelites now war∣red, which stood on a hill; happely it is the same which is called Gaba, Josh. 18.24.

Vers. 33. And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put them∣selves in array at Baal-tamar.] That is, the main body of the army which stayed in that place to receive the Benjamites, when they should follow on in the pursuit of the flying Israelites. See the note, vers. 19.

Vers. 34. And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, &c.] These ten thousand were I conceive, the liers in wait mentioned, vers. 33. but yet that which follows, and the battel was sore, but they knew not that evil was near them, must be meant of the battel betwixt the Israelites, that set themselves in array in Baal-tamar, vers. 33. and the Benjamites that were fallen upon them, as they came pursuing the Israelites, who did purposely flie before them; for these Ben∣jamites they were that knew not that evil was near them, but fought courageously till afterward they saw the smoke of the citie arise; and then they fled before the Is∣raelites, as it is afterward more particularly described, vers. 38, &c.

Vers. 35. And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel.] Though they used now a stratagem which they used not before, yet it was not thence that they prevailed, but because the Lord was at peace with them, and gave them the victorie.

And the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand, and an hundred men.] To wit, eighteen thousand in the fight, vers. 44. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; and five thousand which they gleaned in the high-wayes, as they found them in the pursuit, scattered here and there, vers. 45. and two thousand which they slew at Gidom, vers. 45. and the odde hundred, which is not expressed in the particulars, was slain it seems, some in one place, and some in another.

Vers. 41. And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed.] This is added to clear that which was said, vers. 40. to wit, how the Benjamites came to look back, and see the flame of the citie; the reason was, that they were amazed to see the flying Israelites on a sudden turn head, and renew the battel with such courage and violence, and thereupon looking behind them, saw their citie was taken, and set on fire.

Vers. 46. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin, were twenty and five thou∣sand, &c.] There fell that day twenty five thousand one hundred. See vers. 35. And the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day, twenty and five thou∣sand, and an hundred men; but here the great number is onely expressed.

Vers. 48. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, &c.] That is, having slain all the Benjamites that were in arms for the defence of Gibeah, together with all the inhabitants of the citie; they then addressed themselves to take vengeance on the rest of the tribe of Benjamin, because they also had a hand in the sending out men for the defence of Gibeah; and herein proceeded with such fury and rage, that they utterly destroyed both in town and citie where ever they came, all that came to hand, both man and beast; that is, they spared neither women nor children, nor any living thing that came in their way; and this they did, either as judging that they were bound to deal with them, as with those that were anathe∣matized, or devoted to destruction; according to the direction which was given by the Lord, concerning any citie that should set up idolatrie amongst them; Deut. 13.15, 16. Then thou shalt enquire and make search, and ask diligently; and behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you, thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, de∣stroy it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattel thereof with the edge of the sword; or rather onely out of the fury and rage wherewith they were transported; partly, because it was such a horribe villanie which the Benjamites had undertaken to defend; and partly, because so many thousands of their own tribes had perished in this warre against the Benjamites: concerning which see what is further noted in the following chapter, vers. 1.