Judges 20:15The children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
The setting
Military census at Gibeah, ~1100 BC. Benjamin musters 27,700 warriors total - elite troops but vastly outnumbered by Israel's 400,000. The odds are 15 to 1 against them. Modern location is near Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: chronicling with growing dread the military might about to clash
The original word
paqad (פָּקַד) — mustered, counted for military service, officially enrolled
Why it matters
27,700 was actually a massive army for a single tribe - Benjamin was small but militarily elite
Read with care
What most readers miss in Judges 20:15
The 700 'chosen men' of Gibeah were the elite guard who likely participated in the original crime
Common misconceptionPeople admire Benjamin's courage against odds, but miss that courage in a wrong cause becomes stubbornness - they're fighting to protect criminals.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Judges 20:15
Bible Genome reading
Judges 20:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Judges 20:15 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 2% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include military strength, numbers. Notable phrases: twenty-six thousand men.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Judges 20:15 mean to you, today?
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