Judges 20:27

THE MESSAGE

And they again inquired of God . The Chest of God's Covenant was there at that time with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, as the ministering priest. They asked, "Shall we again march into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers? Or should we call it quits?" And God said, "Attack. Tomorrow I'll give you victory."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Israelites inquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,

Hebrew Names Version
The children of Yisra'el asked of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

King James Version
And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord , (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Lexham English Bible
And the Israelites inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

English Standard Version
And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

New Century Version
The Israelites asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.

New English Translation
The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God's covenant was there in those days;

Amplified Bible
And the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there [at Bethel] in those days,

New American Standard Bible
And the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the children of Israel asked the Lorde (for there was the Arke of the couenat of God in those dayes,

Legacy Standard Bible
En die kinders van Israel het die HERE geraadpleeg--want die verbondsark van God was in dié dae daar,

Complete Jewish Bible
and asked Adonai what to do. The ark for the covenant of God was there at that time;

Darby Translation
And the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Easy-to-Read Version
The men of Israel asked the Lord a question. (In those days God's Box of the Agreement was there at Bethel.

George Lamsa Translation
And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of the LORD was there in those days;

Good News Translation
God's Covenant Box was there at Bethel in those days, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was in charge of it. The people asked the Lord , "Should we go out to fight our brothers the Benjaminites again, or should we give up?" The Lord answered, "Fight. Tomorrow I will give you victory over them."

Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the children of Israel axed at the LORDE (the Arke of the couenaunt of God was there at that tyme,

American Standard Version
And the children of Israel asked of Jehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Bible in Basic English
And the children of Israel made request to the Lord, (for the ark of the agreement of the Lord was there in those days,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the children of Israel asked the Lord: (for there was the arke of the appoyntment of God, in those dayes:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the children of Israel asked of the LORD--for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

King James Version (1611)
And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the Arke of ye couenant of God was there in those daies,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
for the ark of the Lord God was there in those days,

English Revised Version
And the children of Israel asked of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Berean Standard Bible
Then the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and axiden of her staat. In that tyme the arke of boond of pees of God was there in Silo;

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Israel ask of Jehovah, -- and there [is] the ark of the covenant of God in those days,

Update Bible Version
And the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,

World English Bible
The children of Israel asked of Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

New King James Version
So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

New Living Translation
The Israelites went up seeking direction from the Lord . (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel,

New Life Bible
The people of Israel asked the Lord what to do. (For the special box with the Law of God was there in those days.

New Revised Standard
And the Israelites inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, - there, being the ark of the covenant of God, in those days;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there,

Revised Standard Version
And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Contextual Overview

²⁶ All the People of Israel, the whole army, were back at Bethel, weeping, sitting there in the presence of God . That day they fasted until evening. They sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings before God . ²⁷And they again inquired of God . The Chest of God's Covenant was there at that time with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, as the ministering priest. They asked, "Shall we again march into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers? Or should we call it quits?" And God said, "Attack. Tomorrow I'll give you victory." ²⁹This time Israel placed men in ambush all around Gibeah. On the third day when Israel set out, they took up the same positions before the Benjaminites as before. When the Benjaminites came out to meet the army, they moved out from the city. Benjaminites began to cut down some of the troops just as they had before. About thirty men fell in the field and on the roads to Bethel and Gibeah. ³² The Benjaminites started bragging, "We're dropping them like flies, just as before!" ³³ But the Israelites strategized: "Now let's retreat and pull them out of the city onto the main roads." So every Israelite moved farther out to Baal Tamar; at the same time the Israelite ambush rushed from its place west of Gibeah. ³⁴Ten crack divisions from all over Israel now arrived at Gibeah—intense, bloody fighting! The Benjaminites had no idea that they were about to go down in defeat— God routed them before Israel. The Israelites decimated twenty-five divisions of Benjamin that day—25,100 killed. They were all swordsmen. The Benjaminites saw that they were beaten. The men of Israel acted like they were retreating before Benjamin, knowing that they could depend on the ambush they had prepared for Gibeah. ³⁷The ambush erupted and made quick work of Gibeah. The ambush spread out and massacred the city. The strategy for the main body of the ambush was that they send up a smoke signal from the city. Then the men of Israel would turn in battle. When that happened, Benjamin had killed about thirty Israelites and thought they were on their way to victory, yelling out, "They're on the run, just as in the first battle!" But then the signal went up from the city—a huge column of smoke. When the Benjaminites looked back, there it was, the whole city going up in smoke. ⁴¹By the time the men of Israel had turned back on them, the men of Benjamin fell apart—they could see that they were trapped. Confronted by the Israelites, they tried to get away down the wilderness road, but by now the battle was everywhere. The men of Israel poured out of the towns, killing them right and left, hot on their trail, picking them off east of Gibeah. ⁴⁴ Eighteen divisions of Benjaminites were wiped out, all their best fighters. ⁴⁵ Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

inquired: Judges 20:18, Judges 20:23, Numbers 27:21

the ark: Joshua 18:1, 1 Samuel 4:3, 1 Samuel 4:4, Psalms 78:60, Psalms 78:61, Jeremiah 7:12, The loss of two battles at length brought this stiff-necked people to enquire of the Lord; for all the company at this time met at Shiloh, and kept a day of fasting and prayer with great earnestness and solemnity. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Isaiah 59:1

Reciprocal: Exodus 25:22 - and I will Exodus 28:30 - General Numbers 10:33 - the ark Deuteronomy 20:2 - General 1 Samuel 14:18 - Bring hither 1 Chronicles 15:29 - as the ark Jeremiah 21:2 - Inquire John 11:51 - being

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord,.... By the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, and which has the same expression in

Judges 20:18 for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days; in Shiloh, where the tabernacle was.