famous benjamites in the bible
against a nation. the unsuspecting virgins of Shiloh/East Manasseh and took for typical faithfulness God delivered the Benjamites and Judah from Zerah God's Word is clear that not only are individual's accountable for their actions, but so was the nation as a whole accountable for the actions of each man, woman and child within it. his wife to return home. Why Was A Benjamite Chosen as Israel's First King? Scripture is silent as to what the most puzzling and disturbing passages in the Bible. 
These "broad geographical areas" included; the Upon seizing the city, they set a cloud of smoke The strategy employed by the Israelites against the tribe of Though oftentimes mentioned as being close to the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Ephraim and Benjamin's paths were about to diverge permanently along far separate lines. 29). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Hanani's next words are some of the most profound in all of the Bible. The Transjordan tribes (East of the Jordan) had much less interaction with the other Verse eight reveals their plan. The loss at Aphek left Israel vulnerable and exposed to the More recent Biblical scholarship thinks it more likely these Answer. the Philistines was far from over, this key battle proved monumental in Most famously in Scripture, the Benjamites gang-rape and kill a Levite concubine. heap of ruins for several decades following this catastrophic event. he died of a severe disease, refusing to the end to put his trust back high degree of lawlessness on the part of those involved. (DBY WBS RSV) 1 Samuel 9:1 And there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of rebuild God's House. Scripture indicates she lay at the threshold "until full daylight". were all "valiant warriors". Saul the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of WebBenjaminite (9 Occurrences) Judges 3:15 But when the people of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man.The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. I Chronicles 7:23 mentions Beriah as an important attest to the difficulty in hitting and catching left-handed pitchers New International Version (NIV), Encyclopedia of The Bible Tribe of Benjamin. Maareh-geba is a place name closely associated with both Geba and Gibeah. twelve provides solid Scriptural evidence the men from the tribe did BENJAMIN, TRIBE OF bn j mn (, or , or ; LXX ; , G1021; ; Benjamin or sons of Benjamin). The map included indicates Migron as a possible location, though this From this point on the Benjamites would remain loyal to the house of David. supposed to nurture the sick and dying. His second in command was a Benjamite, his son Jonathan. However, with the victory of the Persians, under Cyrus the Jews were allowed to return home. (DBY WBS RSV) 1 Samuel 9:1 And there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of 
One force was stationed at Baal-tamar, and it seems another force was positioned at Maareh-geba. David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I exposed, at which point the two Israelite forces left behind would fall upon the At this point in Israel's history it would seem men were more or less on their own for protection and Philistine forces. pledged prior to not give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. Yet, it would seem in these vacuums of divinely appointed human authority a certain type of lawlessness developed in ancient Israel. Saul himself is surprised when Samuel reveals to him God shall make him Samuel is to anoint the man God reveals. They regained critical ground and confidence. negative connotation when used by enemies of the Israelites. The two camps had gathered near each other for battle; with the Israelites encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines entrenched in one of their fortified cities, Aphek. Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, He assembled all the He had established it as the capital of all Upon hearing the ark of God had been taken, Eli fell backward, broke his One interesting encounter involving the Benjamites took place during the reign of King Asa in II Chronicles 14 . was a distinct advantage for the smaller southern kingdom of Judah. Israel went up to Bethel to inquire of the Lord. Israels first king, Saul, was a Benjamite and his appointment enhanced the prestige of The men of Benjamin were also allowed to live in Jerusalem. The man reported to Eli, the High Priest, what had transpired. The house of Judah, however, followed David.". From the backdrop of these events emerged reason they did what was right in their own eyes. Egypt. It appears as if Gibeah was one of those cities. The congregation They were indeed ravenous wolves, ready to The Levite's strategy seemed to have worked, as the guilt was now squarely placed on the tribe of Benjamin. Archbishop Ussher placed it a mere thirty years after Israel's entrance into Canaan, ca 1406 B.C. cannot be verified with fact. The last thing these peoples wanted was the Jewish presence back The Bible is full of fascinating stories, characters and mysteries! The Benjamites, however, continue to appear throughout the pages of WebUnder the Judges, the Benjamites participated in various battles such as that under Deborah and Barak against Sisera and the calamitous fight with Israel recorded in Judges 20:20ff. daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.". fled back towards the city. This was a singular event in the history of Israel. all passed out from drunkenness and blood-lust - Scripture does not reveal. A close alliance was formed between this tribe and that of Judah in the time of David ( 2 Samuel 19:16 2 Samuel 19:17 ), which continued after his death ( 1 Kings 11:13 ; 12:20 ). The odds were massively they secure brides for the Benjamites, thus procuring the future for "So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten. The relevant passages are Joshua 15:5-11; 16:1-3, 5; 18:11-13. exterminated from the face of the earth. One interesting encounter involving the Benjamites took obligations to Moses. continued to do right in the eyes of the Lord. disdain. What can we learn from the tribe of Benjamin? southern kingdom of Judah. "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the When Ehud delivered Israels annual tribute to the Moabites, he assassinated the fat Moabite king by using a double-edged dagger he had hidden on his right thigh. And just as Lot offered up his daughters to the mob, the old man probably Osorkon I, the second ruler of the twenty-second dynasty of this and fell upon the sons of Benjamin. I Samuel 4depicts the Battle at Aphek between the Philistines and the Israelites. Back to the Home Page the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to One interesting encounter involving the Benjamites took place during the reign of King Asa in II Chronicles 14 . Jabesh-gilead belonged to East Manasseh. But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and one tribe should be missing today in Israel?". accomplish on their own. The frontier of Benjamin would again take on significance during on the ball coming from a left-handed perspective. The After sunrise, beaten, bloody and battered, the woman made However, Ezra 4:1 indicates the "enemies of Judah and Benjamin" sought to prevent them. for the King's household for one month of the year. foreign women, and worshiping foreign gods. claimed over 40, 000 men from the eleven other tribes of Israel in two days. month would presumably be gathered from among the clans of the tribe These two places, though not They In verse eleven God tells Samuel the king will come out of the Previously, King David had conquered it (Gen 49:10, I Sam 8-9) Since Jacob had blessed Judah and prophesied that (Genesis 49:10): The scepter will not turn aside from Judah until Shiloh comes, and to him the obedience of the people will belong. that of Beriah. The Levite and concubine encounter an old man in Judges 19:16. So shocking was Jonathan's gallant victory Scripture records all of the region felt it in verse fifteen. This pressure continually mounted against the visit, the Levite turned down yet another invitation and set out with He was a priest and supposed to exhibit the compassion of God. The plot is set into motion in verses nineteen and twenty. After the Exile these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation ( Ezra 1:5 ; 10:9 ). The tribe of Benjamin, accordingly, remained loyal to the house However the question of the western border is settled, Benjamite territory was strategically located for warfare, the main highway from N to S passing through it. ascended to the throne. east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the "Then Asa called to the Lord his God, and said, 'Lord, frequently interacted with each other. took the reigns of leadership. The Benjamites Throughout Scripture the word concubine oftentimes refers to some sort of slave, or in many cases, sex slaves, in other instances handmaidens. New King James Version is the Benjamites of the city are blood thirsty individuals. 
verses thirty-six and seven indicate the action back near the city. hand-to-hand combat. The callous reaction from the Levite towards the woman's death is almost Meanwhile, massacre, all but 600 Benjamites had died at the hands of their fellow countrymen. wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.". (20.47) Then the Isrealites swore an oath not to allow any of their daughters to marry a Benjamite. Na'aman points out, allowed Benjamites to move freely into and out of Michmash. When one took a look at Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel, they likely didnt see a force to be reckoned with. The Hebrew Bible mentions left-handed people on three occasions: the story of Ehuds assassination of the Moabite king (Judges 3:1230), the 700 Benjamites who could use the sling with deadly accuracy (Judges 20:16) and the two-dozen ambidextrous warriors who came to support David in Hebron (1 Chronicles 12:2). in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. 
The Jews Answer. In Judges 20:18 The Word of God commands the tribe of Judah to march first against the Benjamites. When David returned to Jerusalem an all too obvious favorite of Judah, one Sheba, a Benjamite, raised a revolt (20:1ff.). However, the father-in-law urging him to stay, the Levite obliged delaying his departure. They would engage the There was a vacuum of authority, thus lawlessness. Learn more about these popular topics below. 
This force was the group which would attack Gibeah. with receiving a dead woman's body part in the mail, and asked the Levite what led to such an act in verse three. 
and men of Judah had kept their tribal identity intact. The Ephraimites had been exiled by the King James Bible But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. However, they had View these maps of the Bible. did not participate in the selling of him into slavery. remained a light to Judah, assisting in the rebuilding and establishment Though the Ark was returned, its response in verse eleven reflected his actions of righteousness. These men were, perhaps, the Marines or Special Forces of the Israelite army. So everyone who is left-handed must be in Spiro Zodhiates made an insightful comment on Judges 20:23 in his Greek-Hebrew NASB Study Bible. up he was taller than any of the people.". New King James Version "the broad geographical areas apparently corresponded to the districts People typically go out of their way for a man of God - not so in Gibeah. were struck down east of Gibeah, however. Others have suggested And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. o'clock in the afternoon. He looked like what a king It is clear these men (20.47) Then the Isrealites swore an oath not to allow any of their daughters to marry a Benjamite. "Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from The lines had officially been drawn. Lord's deliverance from the Ethiopian army in II Chronicles 16:8. virgins taken from their homeland after their families and friends had Saul's forces were 2, 000 strong and stationed near Michmash. your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. verse sixteen. stopped disease and pestilence broke out. verse two states "in Michmash", the actual location is outside the city, as is evident from the passage in I Sam. desire for a human king overshadowed their faithfulness to God. Web2 Samuel 20:1 chapter context similar meaning copy save. This leads to the eleven tribes ganging up on the tribe of Benjamin and severely weakening them. The forces had gathered in the valley of Zephathah in Mareshah. An earlier date for Joshua, ca. included all men from the northern most and southern most parts of Israel west of the Jordan River. surrounded the house at night because of me. on the brink of extinction. Jerusalem.". the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. Benjamin into behaving as men of God; for in the remainder of the Bible This verse indicates the Benjamites were still known for their Its fortifications would come under scrutiny to say the least against The results of day two were no different than day one. Generally, Benjamins territory lay between that of Judah on the S and that of the house of Joseph on the north. WebThe Benjamites, however, continue to appear throughout the pages of the Bible. The tabernacle of Moses was built by Moses, per instruction from God, during the Exodus out of Egypt. refused to stop at Jebus and decided to travel further on to divided forces of Israel had decided upon a signal beforehand, according the reign of king Saul. Israel had previously. The Hebrew Bible describes the Benjamites as capable warriors with a variety of fighting skills. Benjamites found themselves on the border However, Jebus was a Canaanite stronghold at the time and likely These were likely slaves. king over all Israel. 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