Judges 20 · Verse 23

Judges 20:23

(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)
Judges 20:23, King James Version

Judges 20:23 in other translations

BSBThey went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”
WEBThe children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”
ASVAnd the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; and they asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.
YLTAnd the sons of Israel go up and weep before Jehovah till the evening, and ask of Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?' And Jehovah saith, ‘Go up against him.'
DARBYAnd the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even, and inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.
BBENow the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.
Webster(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

What does Judges 20:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 20:18-28

Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand. 18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to the precedency of the…

Read the full comment on Judges 20:18-28 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Go up against him - It appears most evident that the Israelites did not seek the protection of God. They trusted in the goodness of their cause and in the multitude of their army. God humbled them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and showed them that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Judges 20:23 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.

וַיַּעֲל֣וּvai.ya.'a.Luand they went upH5927
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וַיִּבְכּ֣וּvai.yiv.Kuand they weptH1058
לִפְנֵֽי\־lif.nei-<to> beforeH6440
יְהוָה֮Yah.wehYahwehH3068
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
הָעֶרֶב֒ha.'e.Revthe eveningH6153
וַיִּשְׁאֲל֤וּvai.yish.'a.Luand they enquiredH7592
בַֽיהוָה֙ba.Yah.wehby YahwehH3068
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הַאוֹסִ֗יףha.'o.Sif¿ will I repeatH3254
לָגֶ֙שֶׁת֙la.Ge.shetto draw nearH5066
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔הla.mil.cha.Mahfor <the> battleH4421
עִם\־'im-withH5973
בְּנֵ֥יbe.Nei[the] descendants ofH1121
בִנְיָמִ֖ןvin.ya.MinBenjaminH1144
אָחִ֑י'a.Chibrother myH251
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
עֲל֥וּ'a.Lugo upH5927
אֵלָֽיו\׃\ \פ'e.Lavagainst himH413

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

Cross references for Judges 20:23

  • Judges 20:26-27

    Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

  • Hosea 5:15

    I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

  • Psalms 78:34-36

    When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

  • Joshua 7:6

    And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

  • Judges 20:18

    And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
wept.
26,27; Ps 78:34-36; Ho 5:15
And the.It seems most evident that the Israelites did not seek the protection of God. When they "went to the house of God," (ver. 18,) it was not to enquire concerning the expediency of the war, nor of its success, but which of the tribes should begin the attack: and here the question is, "Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?" Having so much right on their side, they had no doubt of the justice of their cause, and the propriety of their conduct; and having such a superiority of numbers, they had no doubt of success. But God humbled them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies; and shewed them that the race was not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.

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

Context

  • Judges 20:22

    And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

  • Judges 20:23

    (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)

  • Judges 20:24

    And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

Read all of Judges 20

Judges 20:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque los hijos de Israel subieron, y lloraron delante de Jehová hasta la tarde, y consultaron con Jehová, diciendo: ¿Tornaré á pelear con los hijos de Benjamín mi hermano? Y Jehová les respondió: Subid contra él.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les fils d’Israël montèrent, et ils pleurèrent devant l’ Éternel jusqu’au soir, et ils interrogèrent l’ Éternel, disant: M’approcherai-je de nouveau pour livrer bataille aux fils de Benjamin, mon frère? Et l’ Éternel dit: Montez contre lui.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Kinder Israel zogen hinauf und weinten vor Jehova bis an den Abend; und sie befragten Jehova und sprachen: Soll ich wiederum ausrücken zum Streit mit den Kindern meines Bruders Benjamin? Und Jehova sprach: Ziehet wider ihn hinauf.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		ita tamen ut prius ascenderent et flerent coram Domino usque ad noctem, consulerentque eum, et dicerent: Debeo ultra procedere ad dimicandum contra filios Benjamin fratres meos, an non? Quibus ille respondit: Ascendite ad eos, et inite certamen.