Bible Strands
Judges 20:10
We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The collective voice of the Israelite assembly addresses itself as a unified body, outlining a logistical plan for the assault on Gibeah in Benjamin. This declaration follows the decision to proceed by lot and precedes the full mobilization of the tribes.
The words — The Hebrew verb לָקַחְנוּ (laqachnu) means "we will take," establishing the mandatory gathering of supplies. It is immediately quantified by עֲשָׁרָה (asarah, "ten") and מֵאָה (me'ah, "hundred") to specify a systematic levy drawn from every tribe.
The thread — This proportional collection for military logistics parallels the later tithe system for Levitical support in Numbers 18:21-24 and the provision mandates in 1 Chronicles 27:25-28. The same structural principle appears in the grain and oil allocations ordered for Solomon's court in 1 Kings 4:7.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that communal action requires organized resource management before any confrontation. It asks the reader to observe how collective responsibility is operationalized through strict, proportional contribution rather than voluntary giving.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.