What Does Judges 20:16 Mean?

(16) **Seven hundred chosen men.**—These words are omitted in the LXX. and Vulg. **Left handed.**—The same phrase as that employed in Judges 3:15. **Could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.**—The expression is perfectly simple, and merely implies extreme accuracy of aim. Bochart’s attempt (*Hieroz. *Ii. 162) to explain it by a passage in *Quintus Smyrnœus, *which says that archers used to contend which should be able to shoot off the horsehair crest of a helmet, is a mere specimen of learning fantastically misapplied. Skill with the sling was not confined to the Benjamites, as we see from the case of David (1Samuel 17:49). The sling is the natural weapon of a people which is poor and imperfectly armed. Cyrus valued his force of 400 slingers (Xen. *Anab. iii.* 3-6). The inhabitants of the Balearic Isles were as skilful as the Benjamites, and children were trained to sling their breakfasts down from the top of high poles. They once prevented the Carthaginian fleet from coming to anchor by showers of stones (liv. xxviii. 37, *solo eo telo utebantur*)*. *Practice made them so expert that the stones they slung came with as much force as though hurled by a catapult, and pierced shields and helmets (Diod. Sic. *Bibl. *v. 18). Exactly similar tales are told of the trained skill of our English archers. The advantage of slinging with the *left *hand was very obvious, for it enabled the slinger to strike his enemy on the *right, i.e., *the undefended side.