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.)
Original Language Analysis
עֲל֥וּ
Go up
H5927
עֲל֥וּ
Go up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
1 of 22
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
בְּנֵ֥י
And the children
H1121
בְּנֵ֥י
And the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
2 of 22
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
3 of 22
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
לִפְנֵֽי
before
H6440
לִפְנֵֽי
before
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
5 of 22
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
6 of 22
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
עַד
H5704
עַד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
7 of 22
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
וַיִּשְׁאֲל֤וּ
and asked
H7592
וַיִּשְׁאֲל֤וּ
and asked
Strong's:
H7592
Word #:
9 of 22
to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
10 of 22
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
הַֽאוֹסִ֗יף
again
H3254
הַֽאוֹסִ֗יף
again
Strong's:
H3254
Word #:
12 of 22
to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)
לָגֶ֙שֶׁת֙
Shall I go up
H5066
לָגֶ֙שֶׁת֙
Shall I go up
Strong's:
H5066
Word #:
13 of 22
to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causati
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה
to battle
H4421
לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה
to battle
Strong's:
H4421
Word #:
14 of 22
a battle (i.e., the engagement); generally, war (i.e., war-fare)
עִם
H5973
עִם
Strong's:
H5973
Word #:
15 of 22
adverb or preposition, with (i.e., in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then
בְּנֵ֥י
And the children
H1121
בְּנֵ֥י
And the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
16 of 22
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
בִנְיָמִ֖ן
of Benjamin
H1144
בִנְיָמִ֖ן
of Benjamin
Strong's:
H1144
Word #:
17 of 22
binjamin, youngest son of jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory
אָחִ֑י
my brother
H251
אָחִ֑י
my brother
Strong's:
H251
Word #:
18 of 22
a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance [like h0001])
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֖ה
And the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
20 of 22
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
Cross References
Joshua 7:6And 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.Hosea 5:15I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
Historical Context
Weeping 'before the LORD' at Bethel where the ark was stationed (v. 27) represents increased spiritual engagement compared to verse 18's briefer consultation. The phrase 'until evening' suggests extended prayer and mourning. Ancient Israelite warfare typically involved morning battles followed by afternoon/evening assessment and religious observance.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you progress from shallow consultation to deeper seeking of God after experiencing defeat?
- When do you question continuation of your plans without questioning the plans themselves?
- What does God's terse permission teach about the difference between allowance and full blessing?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even (וַיַּעֲלוּ...וַיִּבְכּוּ לִפְנֵי־יְהוָה עַד־הָעֶרֶב)—this time they weep before Yahweh until evening, showing deeper emotion. And asked the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? (הַאוֹסִיף לָגֶשֶׁת לַמִּלְחָמָה עִם־בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן אָחִי)—note 'my brother,' acknowledging relationship. And the LORD said, Go up against him (עֲלוּ אֵלָיו).
Israel's second inquiry shows progress—they add weeping and explicitly acknowledge Benjamin as 'brother,' questioning whether fraternal warfare should continue. Yet they still frame it as 'go up again' (הַאוֹסִיף, continuing their plan) rather than asking 'What should we do?' God's terse response 'go up' permits their approach but doesn't elaborate. This demonstrates that God may allow us to continue flawed plans to teach through consequences. The question remains whether (v. 18) focused on procedure ('which tribe first?'), this one questions continuation but not method. Not until verse 28 will they receive explicit promise of victory. Partial seeking yields partial answers.