King James Version
Judges 20:34 in the King James Version says “And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that...” — study this verse from Judges chapter 20 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.”
Judges 20:34 · KJV
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.
And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
KJV Study — Public Domain
“against”
H5048a front, i.e., part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate; usually (adverbial, especially with preposition) over against or before
“thousand”
H505hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand
“men”
H376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
“out of all Israel”
H3478he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
“and the battle”
H4421a battle (i.e., the engagement); generally, war (i.e., war-fare)
“was sore”
H3513to be heavy, i.e., in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable); causatively, to make weighty (in the same
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
“but they knew”
H3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
“was near”
H5060properly, to touch, i.e., lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); by implication, to reach (figuratively, to arrive
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
This verse is found in the book of Judges. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Judges 20:34 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Verses related to Judges 20:34 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge