士师记 20:18

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

兩次進攻失敗以色列人就起來，上伯特利去求問　神，說：“我們之中誰應首先上去，與便雅憫人交戰呢？”耶和華說：“猶大應首先上去。”

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
以 色 列 人 就 起 来 ， 到 伯 特 利 去 求 问 　 神 说 ： 我 们 中 间 谁 当 首 先 上 去 与 便 雅 悯 人 争 战 呢 ？ 耶 和 华 说 ： 犹 大 当 先 上 去 。

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, "Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?" The Lord answered, "Judah shall go first." ¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah. ²¹ Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day. ²²The Israelites went before the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord , "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?" The Lord answered, "Go up and fight them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day. ²⁴ The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day. ²⁵ The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

house of: Judges 18:31, Judges 19:18, Joshua 18:1, Joel 1:14

asked: Judges 20:7, Judges 20:23, Judges 20:26, Judges 20:27, Judges 1:1, Numbers 27:5, Numbers 27:21, Joshua 9:14

Judah: Judges 1:1, Judges 1:2, Genesis 49:8-10

Reciprocal: Exodus 28:30 - General Judges 20:1 - unto the Judges 21:2 - the house Judges 21:12 - virgins 1 Samuel 10:22 - inquired 1 Samuel 14:18 - Bring hither 1 Samuel 14:37 - Shall I go 1 Samuel 30:8 - inquired 1 Kings 22:5 - Inquire 2 Kings 3:11 - that we may Proverbs 20:18 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 12:17
But the Lord sent terrible diseases on the king and all the people in his house because of Abram's wife Sarai.

Genesis 16:2
Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the Lord has not allowed me to have children, so have sexual relations with my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can have my own family through her." Abram did what Sarai said.

Genesis 20:7
Give Abraham his wife back. He is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will not die. But if you do not give Sarah back, you and all your family will surely die."

Genesis 30:2
Jacob became angry with her and said, "Can I do what only God can do? He is the one who has kept you from having children."

1 Samuel 1:6
Peninnah would tease Hannah and upset her, because the Lord had made her unable to have children.

1 Samuel 5:10
Then the Philistines sent the Ark of God to Ekron. But when it came into Ekron, the people of Ekron yelled, "Why are you bringing the Ark of the God of Israel to our city? Do you want to kill us and our people?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Israel arose,.... From Mizpeh, where they were assembled, having heard that the Benjaminites were gathered together to defend the men of Gibeah:

and went up to the house of God; to the tabernacle which was in Shiloh,

Judges 18:31, see Joshua 18:1 though the Targum takes Bethel for the name of a place so called; and so do Ben Gersom and Josephus p, which was near Shiloh, for Shiloh is said to be on the north side of Bethel,

Judges 21:19 but as there is no reason to believe the tabernacle was now removed from Shiloh thither, so it is not likely they would go to any other place but where the tabernacle ark, and high priest were:

and asked counsel of God; before Phinehas the high priest, according to the judgment of Urim and Thummim, Judges 20:28

and said which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? there being no supreme magistrate, judge, or general, to lead them; they did not ask whether they should go to war or no with their brethren; they made no doubt of that, taking it for granted they had sufficient reason for so doing, and that it was according to the will of God; nor did they inquire whether they should be victorious or not, they made no doubt of being victorious, both from their superior numbers, and the justness of their cause; they only inquire who should lead them on, having no general; and this they might do, to prevent any contentions among them about being precedence:

and the Lord said, Judah shall go up first: which tribe pitched their standard first about the tabernacle, and marched first in their journeys in the wilderness, and was ordered to go up first and fight the Canaanites, being a powerful and warlike tribe.

p Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 10.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Went up to the house of God - It should be “to Bethel.” At this time the ark was at Bethel (compare 1 Samuel 10:3), and not at Shiloh. It is not unlikely that though Shiloh was the chief residence of the ark Jeremiah 7:12, yet the tabernacle, being moveable, was, either at stated times, or as occasion required, moved to where the Judge resided, or the congregation assembled (compare 1 Samuel 7:16). On the present occasion the ark may have been moved to Bethel for the convenience of proximity to the great national council at Mizpeh.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 20:18. Went up to the house of God — Some think that a deputation was sent from Shiloh, where Phinehas the high priest was, to inquire, not concerning the expediency of the war, nor of its success, but which of the tribes should begin the attack. Having so much right on their side, they had no doubt of the justice of their cause. Having such a superiority of numbers, they had no doubt of success. See Clarke on Jud 20:1.

And the Lord said, Judah — But he did not say that they should conquer.