h Or, according to her bonesy according to the joynts of her Body; for there 2e made tie diviſion. This might ſeem tobe a barbarous and inhuman Act in it ſelf; but may ſeem excuſable, if it be conſi- dercd, thar rhe ſadneſs of che SpeCtacle did highly contribure to ſtir up rhe Zeal of all the 1ſrael:tes ro avenge his Concubines death, aad to execute Juſtice upon \uch profligate Offenders; and was nes ceſlary, etpecially in this time of Anarchy and genera! Corruption, Judges 17; 6. to awaken them our of that Lethargy,' in which ail the T1ibes lay. # That one ptec: might be ſerit to every Tribe; where- of none to Levi, becauſe they would meet with it in every Tribe, being diſperted among them; but one ro Benjamin ; for he might well pretume, that rhey would :s much abhor fo villanous an Affi- on, though done by ſome of their own Tribe, as any of the reſt. k By ſeveral meſſengers, by whom allo he ſent a particular Relati-
: on of the Fatt. 2 | | 30 And it wasfſo, that all that faw it, ſaid, There was no ſuch deed / done nor ſeen from the day that 'the children of Ifrael came up out of che land of E-
gypt, unto this day x connder of it, take advice, and
{peak your minds m. SEES | 1 So wicked and abominable. mz Let us meer together, and feri-
ouſly confiver,and every one freely ſpeak what is to be done in this
Ccale-
CHAP. XX.
The Iſraslites aſſemble at Mizpeh : The Levite declares his wrong, f—8. Their azcree, 9 - --— I2. They require the Delinquents of the Benja= mites ts ao juſtice on them: They are denied 1 3mu——_s. Waereupor having conſulted God, they march to fight againſt them : Are twice foiled ; And loſe fourty thouſand men, 19 —— 26. Being humbledy
2K 4 and
- = —_— — ———— Om gen yn—nn—n—— - OO — =
Þ
| [| [
hap. X
nad
near Lebanon ; and Bee!ſbcba
:
4 Heb: the
Corners.
+ Heb: the man the Levitee
+ Heb: humbled.
on” | 7 U D
by a ftratagem, deftroy ) and burnt their
d.6 ceins! # Revelation from GOD, they, _— = Aag-tel —_ foT: ( who fled away, Ges 97 ales chi tb, andthe Hen all the childrenof Iſrael - went out 5, the congregation was gathered _— —_ man e, from Dan even to Beerſheba 4, wich the 1an
of Giicad e, unto the LORD f, in Mizpeh g. 7 gs 4 i. e. A great number,and peciaty rs a 677 ob od on = 5, « 1amin, Vi 3, 12+ b From their ileveral 214 JNS- C le &e Wah Oy A Dan was the Northern border of the "pa the Southern border, Gen: 21: 33+ om 4 25. « Beyond Jordan, where Reuben, Gad, and ha | Manaſſeh were. f Asro the LORD'S Tribunal : for GOD prabpry only preſent in the place where the Ark and Tabernacle gw we” ſo in the Aſſemblies of the gods, or 24 gg By ior 5: Koquii places where God's name 15 recorded, FE >: $1 girl 6 t rogether in his name, Mat. 18: 20, for his : fck for Counſel and Mercy from him : compare Juages 11: fy bs £ A place in the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and therefore a on c to both of them, Joſhi x5: 38+ and 18: a6 Eh they = va th Pn | d proper in many reſpects - Firity, as 2 place wag EN "> lt wr-s 096 «xt Judges Jos 17. m ey a . 6 and 10: 17- Secondly, For its convenie for all lhe Tribes - Foc py pramange' Iorolay. gage FH OY he -here the Fa& was done, that it mig ———— and not far from Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was, whither they might go or ſer, if need were,
the chief b of all the people, ever of all the aries FTE-ael, preſented themfelves in the aſſembly of the people of God, four hundred thouſand z foot-men
t drew ſword. |
” ok the corners, i. e. The Nobles and Rulers, which are ofc ſo called, becauſe like corner-ſtones they beth unite, and ſupport, and adorn the whole Building. # Or, and four hundred thouſand; It is an Eilipfis of the Particle [ and } of which Examples have been given beforetfor the chief of the People were not ſo many;burt the common Soldiers, and theſe were all Foot-men; whereas many of the _ rode pon Horſes,or Aſſes, Judges 5: 19. and 1074. and 12:14. The number is here ſet down, to ſhew both their Zeal and forwardneſs in puniſhing ſuch a Villany ; and the ſtrange blindneſs of the Ben- Tamites that durſt oppoſe 1o great and united Body ; and that the ſucceſs of Battels depends not upon great numbers, ſeing this great Hoſt was twice defeated by the Benjamites, but wholly upon GOD'S blefling. & For Horſe-men they had few or none in their Armies.
2 (Now the children of Benjamin heard 7 that the Children of Iſrael were gone up to Mizpeh. ) Then {aid the children of Ifrael], Tell ws mm, how was this wickedneſs ?
1 Like Perfops unconcerned and reſolved, they neither went nor ſent thither : partly from their own pride, and ſtubbornneſs, and ſelf-confidence: partly becauſe as they were loth to give up any of their Brethren to Juſtice, ſo they preſumed the other Tribes would never proceed to a War againſt them ; and partly from a Divine infatuation hardening that wicked Tribe to their own DeſtruQtion. » The Verb is of the Plural Number, becauſe they ſpeak ro the Levite and his Servant, and his Hoſt, who doubrieſs were preſent upon this occaſion.
= And + the Levite n, the husband of the woman that was ſlain, anſwered and faid, I came into Gibzah
that belongeth ro Benjamin, I and my concubine, to
lodge. |
» To whoſe Relation the other two gave their conſent.
5 And Ws of Gibeah roſe up againſt me, and beſet the houſe round about upon me by night, and thought to have ſlain me 0: and my concubine have they Þ forced that ſhe is dead. |
o Except I would either ſubmir to their unnatural Luſt, which 1 was reſolved to withſtand even unro death; or deliver up my con- cubine ro them, which I was forced to do. © 0
6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and ſent her throughout all the countrey of the inheri- tance of Ifrael : for they have committed lewdneſs and folly p in lWrael. |
? L ce. A lewd folly; moſt ignominious and impudent Wicked-
pare 1 K'ngs
_ Behold, ye are all children of Iſrael q, give here
-our advice and counfkel. | ? " The Sons of that Holy Man, who for one filthy Afton left an eternal brand npon one of his own Sons: a Pegplein Covenant with the Holy GOD, whoſe Honour you are obliged to vindicate, and who hath expreſly commanded you to puniſh all ſuch notorious
Enormities.
8 © And all the people aroſe as one man, ſaying, We will not any of «s go to his tent 7, neither will we
any of us turn into his houſe: | | 7 i. e. His habitation, to wit, until we have revenged this In-