What Does Judges 20:47 Mean?

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon (סֶלַע רִמּוֹן, sela rimmon, 'rock of Rimmon')—600 Benjamites escape to a wilderness stronghold. And abode in the rock Rimmon four months (אַרְבָּעָה חֳדָשִׁים, arba'ah chodashim)—they hide four months while Israel destroys Benjamin's cities (v. 48). These 600 represent Benjamin's sole survivors; their tribe teeters on extinction.

The rock of Rimmon becomes refuge for Benjamin's remnant, from which the tribe will eventually be rebuilt (chapter 21). This demonstrates God's covenant faithfulness: despite Benjamin's guilt defending criminals, and despite righteous judgment destroying their army and cities, God preserves a remnant. The 600 survivors parallel other remnant themes throughout Scripture—God never completely destroys His covenant people, always preserving a seed from which restoration comes. Yet the four months at Rimmon represent liminal space between judgment and restoration, where the guilty remnant must dwell in their desolation before grace provides reconciliation. This pattern recurs throughout biblical history: judgment → remnant preservation → period of desolation → gracious restoration.