Judges 20:17

The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The verse records a military census taken during the Israelite tribal coalition’s mobilization against Benjamin, positioned between the description of elite slingers and the first inquiry at Bethel.

The words — The term הִתְפָּֽקְד֗וּ (hit.pa.ke.Du) literally means “they were mustered,” denoting an official military enrollment. The numeral phrase אַרְבַּ֨ע מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֛לֶף (ar.Ba me.'ot 'E.lef) translates directly to “four hundred thousand.”

The thread — This figure echoes the census totals recorded in Numbers 1:46 and Numbers 26:51, while Judges 20:2 explicitly identifies the same 400,000 as men on foot armed with swords rather than tribal representatives.

Why it lands — The text quantifies the coalition’s strength to establish the scale of the impending conflict before the narrative shifts to divine consultation and tactical deployment.

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

וְאִ֨ישׁve./'Ishand/ [the] man of יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לYis.ra.'ElIsrael הִתְפָּֽקְד֗וּhit.pa.ke.Duthey were mustered לְבַד֙le./Vad<to>/ apart מִבִּנְיָמִ֔ןmi./bin.ya.Minfrom/ Benjamin אַרְבַּ֨ע'ar.Ba'four מֵא֥וֹתme.'othundred<s>אֶ֛לֶף'E.lefthousand אִ֖ישׁ'ishman שֹׁ֣לֵֽףSho.lef[who] drew חָ֑רֶבCha.reva sword כָּל־kol-all זֶ֖הzehthis אִ֥ישׁ'ish[was] man of מִלְחָמָֽה׃mil.cha.Mahwar

King James Version

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

Cross-references

Numbers 1:46 And all those counted totaled 603,550.
Numbers 26:51 These men of Israel numbered 601,730 in all.
Judges 20:2 The 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.
1 Samuel 11:8 And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men of Judah.
1 Samuel 15:4 So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
1 Chronicles 21:5 And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
2 Chronicles 17:14 These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;