Judges 20 · Verse 2

Judges 20:2

And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Judges 20:2, King James Version

Judges 20:2 in other translations

BSBThe leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.
WEBThe chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.
ASVAnd the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
YLTAnd the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.
DARBYAnd the heads of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
BBEAnd the chiefs of the people, out of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the meeting of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen armed with swords.
WebsterAnd the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

What does Judges 20:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 20:1-2

Jud 20:1-7. The Levite, in a General Assembly, Declares His Wrong. 1-2. all ... the congregation was gathered as one man--In consequence of the immense sensation the horrid tragedy of Gibeah had produced, a national assembly was convened, at which "the chief of all the people" from all parts of the land, including the eastern tribes, appeared as delegates. Mizpeh--the place of convention (for there were other…

Read the full comment on Judges 20:1-2 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 The chief of all the people - The corners פנות pinnoth; for as the corner-stones are the strength of the walls, so are the chiefs the strength of the people. Hence Christ is called the chief corner-stone. In the assembly of the people of God - The Septuagint translate, And all the tribes of Israel stood up before the face of the Lord, εν εκκλησιᾳ του λαου του Θεου, in the Church of the people of God. Here was a Church, though there was no priest; for, as Tertullian says, Ubi tres, ecclesia est, licet laici; "Wheresoever three are gathered together in the name of the Lord, there is a Church, although there be none but the laity."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Judges 20:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּֽתְיַצְּב֞וּvai.yit.ya.tze.Vuand they presented themselvesH3320
פִּנּ֣וֹתpi.Not[the] corners ofH6438
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הָעָ֗םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
כֹּ֚לkolallH3605
שִׁבְטֵ֣יshiv.Tei[the] tribes ofH7626
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
בִּקְהַ֖לbik.Halin [the] assembly ofH6951
עַ֣ם'am[the] people ofH5971
הָאֱלֹהִ֑יםha.'E.lo.Him<the> GodH430
אַרְבַּ֨ע'ar.Ba'fourH702
מֵא֥וֹתme.'othundred<s>H3967
אֶ֛לֶף'E.lefthousandH505
אִ֥ישׁ'ishmanH376
רַגְלִ֖יrag.Lion footH7273
שֹׁ֥לֵֽףSho.lef[who] drewH8025
חָֽרֶב\׃\ \פCha.reva swordH2719

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 20:2

  • Judges 8:10

    Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

  • 2 Kings 3:26

    And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

  • Judges 20:17

    And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

  • Judges 20:15

    And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

  • 2 Samuel 24:9

    And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
drew sword.
15,17; 8:10; 2Sa 24:9; 2Ki 3:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 20:1

    Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer–sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.

  • Judges 20:2

    And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

  • Judges 20:3

    (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

Read all of Judges 20

Judges 20:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y los principales de todo el pueblo, de todas las tribus de Israel, se hallaron presentes en la reunión del pueblo de Dios, cuatrocientos mil hombres de á pie que sacaban espada.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les principaux de tout le peuple, toutes les tribus d’Israël, se présentèrent dans la congrégation du peuple de Dieu, 400 000 hommes de pied, tirant l’épée.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Häupter des ganzen Volkes, aller Stämme Israels, stellten sich in der Versammlung des Volkes Gottes: 400000 Mann Fußvolk, die das Schwert zogen. -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Omnesque anguli populorum, et cunctæ tribus Israël in ecclesiam populi Dei convenerunt, quadringenta millia peditum pugnatorum.