(46) Twenty and five thousand men.--Eighteen thousand killed in battle, ? 5,000 on the paved roads (mesilloth), ? 2,000 near Rimmon, ? 600 survivors, makes 25,600. But as the Benjamites were 26,700 (see Judges 20:15), either the total in Judges 20:15 is wrong, or we must make the much more natural supposition that 1,000 Benjamites, as against 40,000 Israelites (which would only be 1 to 36), had fallen in the two first battles.
17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.
So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and thousand men,.... It is before said 25,100 Judges 20:35 here the one hundred are omitted, and the round number of thousands given, which is no unusual way of speaking and writing; the whole army of Benjamin consisted of 26,700 of which 18,000 were slain in the field of battle, 5000 in the highways, and 2000 at Gidom, in all 25,000; and we may suppose one hundred as they were straggling in the road, or found in by places, or are not mentioned with either of the thousands for the sake of a round number, and six hundred fled to the rock Rimmon; as for the other 1000, it is highly probable, they fell in the two first battles, as Ben Gersom and Abarbinel rightly suppose; for it is not credible, that though they got such amazing victories, it was without the loss of men, and these are as few as well can be imagined. Jarchi thinks these thousand fled to the cities of Benjamin, and were slain when the Israelites entered them, as after related, Judges 20:48 which is much more probable than a tradition they have, that they went into the land of Romania, and dwelt there. Now all those that were slain were men
that drew the sword; soldiers, not husbandmen, artificers, &c. but armed men:
all these were men of valour; even those that fled, who chose rather to lose their lives than ask for quarter.
that drew the sword; soldiers, not husbandmen, artificers, &c. but armed men:
all these were men of valour; even those that fled, who chose rather to lose their lives than ask for quarter.