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Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.
Judges 20:14 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
  • KJV But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
  • BSB And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
  • NKJV Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel.
  • NLT Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The Benjamites gather to Gibeah to fight against the rest of Israel. They choose loyalty to their guilty kinsmen over justice.

Overview

Rather than surrender the offenders, Benjamin rallies its forces to defend Gibeah. Misplaced tribal loyalty leads them to take up arms against their own people. The decision plunges the nation into a devastating internal conflict.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Num 20:20He said, “You shall not pass through.” Edom came out against him with many people, and with a strong hand.
  • Num 21:23Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against Israel.
  • 2 Chr 13:13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
  • Job 15:25–26Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty;

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Judges videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Judges 20:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JudgesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.

How Judges 20:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.