About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: Since the Lord had it on my heart to write this blog, I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

By 2/20/26 All Chapters of the Bible [in Smaller Chunks] Will Be Posted

By 2/20/26 All Chapters of the Bible [in Smaller Chunks] Will Be Posted. If you want to read any chapters, just Click the desired Book of the Bible on the Right, and Click on the chapters of that Book of the Bible you want to read. My personal recommendation for those who are just beginning reading the Bible, is to start in the New Testament first.

7/04/2023

Judges 20:1-48 The Israelites React to the Actions of the Tribe of Benjamin

 

The Israelites React to the Actions of the Tribe of Benjamin 

Judges 20:1-48    The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks]

[Judges 19:27-29 And her lord, [a.k.a. husband,] rose up in the morning & opened the doors of the house & went out to go [on] his way & [saw] the woman, [who was] his [mistress had] fallen down [dead] at  the door of the house & her hands were on threshold. And he said to her, [Get] up & let’s be going. 

But there [was no answer.] Then, the man took & [put] her upon [a donkey] & the man rose up & [went] to his place.  When. He [came] into his house, he took a knife & divided his [mistress who was raped to death] with her bones into 12 pieces & sent her into all the coasts of Israel.]

Then, all the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel went out, & the congregation was gathered together to the Lord in Mizpeh, [unified] [like] one man, from Dan even to Beer Sheba, with the land of Gilead.

The [leaders] of all the people & even all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of [God’s] people, 400,000 [foot soldiers,] [armed] [with swords.] (Now the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Benjamin heard [that] the [people] of Israel [had] gone up to Mizpeh.)

Then, the [people] of Israel said, Tell us, how [did] this [wicked deed] [happen?] And the Levite, the husband of the [deceased] woman answered & said, I came into Gibeah that [belongs] to Benjamin, [with] my [mistress, to spend the night.]

And the men of Gibeah rose against me, & [surrounded] the house [all around] me [at] night & thought to [kill] me, & they forced, [a.k.a. raped,] my [mistress] & she is dead. And I took [the body of] my [mistress] & cut [it] into [12] pieces & sent her throughout all the [land] of [Israel’s] inheritance. 

For they have committed an [immoral & outrageous act] in Israel. [Look,] you are all children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel. Give your advice & counsel [about this.] And all the people arose [unified] [like] one man, saying, [None] of us will go to his tent, or turn into his house. But this [is] the thing [that] we will now do to Gibeah. We will go up against [Gibeah,] by lot.

We will take 10 men of [every] 100 & 100 men of [every] 1,000 & 1,000 men [out] of [every] 10,000, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to [go after & bring food,] for the people, [so] when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may do according to all the [wickedness] that they have [done] in Israel. 

So, all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, [united] together [like] one man. The tribes of Israel sent men [throughout] all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What is this wickedness that [you have committed] among you? 

Now [hand over to] us the children of Belieal, [a.k.a, wicked men, who] are in Gibeah, [so] we may put them to death, & put away [the] evil from Israel. But the [people] of Benjamin wouldn’t [listen to] the voice of their brethren, the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel.

But the [people] of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities, [all the way] to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the [people] of Israel. At that time, the [people] of Benjamin [counted from] the cities [were:] 26,000 men [who] drew the sword, [besides: a.k.a. in addition to,] 700 chosen men, [who] were inhabitants of Gibeah. 

Among all [these] people, there were 700 chosen, left handed men. Everyone could sling stones at a [hair’s] breadth & not miss. And the men of Israel, [not counting] the [people] of Benjamin, were [counted:] 400,000 men of war [of Israel, who] drew the sword. 

The [people] of Israel arose & went up to the house of God, & asked counsel [from] [the Lord] God & said, Which of us shall go up 1st to battle against the [people] of Benjamin? 

And the Lord said, Judah shall go up 1st. The [people] of Israel rose up in the morning & [set up camp] against Gibeah. The men of Israel [put] themselves in [battle order] to fight against [Benjamin in] Gibeah. 

The [men] of Benjamin came [forward] out of Gibeah, & destroyed, [a.k.a. struck,] down to the ground: 22,000 [Israelite] men [on the battlefield] that day. The men of Israel encouraged themselves, & [put themselves in battle order] again, in the [same] place where they put themselves the 1st day. 

(And the [people] of Israel went up & wept before the Lord until [evening,] & asked counsel [from] the Lord saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the [people] of Benjamin, my brother? The Lord said, Go up against him.) 

The [people] of Israel came near, against the [people] of Benjamin the 2nd day & Benjamin went out of Gibeah the 2nd day & [struck] down to the ground 18,000 [Israelite] men, [on the battlefield,] all [who] drew the sword.

Then, all the [people] of Israel, & all the people went to the house of God [in Bethel,] & wept, & sat there before the Lord, & fasted that day until [evening,] & offered [both] burnt offerings & Peace Offerings before the Lord. 

The [people] of Israel [inquired from] the Lord, saying, Shall I [still] go out again to battle against the [people] of Benjamin, my brother, or should I [stop?] (For the Ark of the Covenant of God was there in those days, & Phinehas, [Eleazar’s] son, [who was] the son of Aaron, stood [as high priest]. before it in those days.) 

And the Lord said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand. Israel [put men to lie] in wait, [a.k.a. to ambush, all around] Gibeah. The [people] of Israel went up against the [people] of Benjamin on the 3rd day & put themselves in [battle order] against Gibeah, [like the] other times.

And the [people] of Benjamin [came] out against the people [of Israel,] & were drawn away from the city & began to [attack,] & kill the people [of Israel, like the previous] times.

[They] killed about 30 men [from] Israel [like] at other times in the highways, [that lead] up to the house of God & to Gibeah & in the field. And the [people] of Benjamin said, They are [struck] down before us [like] the 1st [time.] 

But the [people] of Israel said, Let us flee & draw them [out] from the city & [into] the highways. And all the men of Israel rose up, out of their [places,]  & put themselves [in battle order] at Baal Tamar, & [those who] lie in wait of Israel,  [to ambush,] came out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah. 

And 10,000 chosen men of all Israel came out against Gibeah, but [those from Gibeah] [didn’t know] that [disaster] was near them. And the Lord [struck down] Benjamin, [in front of] Israel, & the [people] of Israel destroyed 25,100 [Benjamite] men, [who] all drew the sword.

So, the [people] of Benjamin saw that they were [defeated,] for the men of Israel [had retreated from] the Benjamites, because they trusted [those who lie in wait, that] they had [put] beside Gibeah, [to ambush the army of Benjamin.]

And [those who lie] in wait, [who retreated,] & [then,] [hurried] & rushed upon Gibeah; & [struck down] all the city with the edge of the sword. Now, there was an [pre-appointed signa]l between the men of Israel & [those who] lie in wait, [so] that they [would] make a [large] flame with smoke [rising] up, out of the city. 

And, when the men of Israel [retreated from] the battle, [the Benjamites] began to [strike,] & kill about 30 men of Israel. For they said, Surely, they are [struck] down before us, [like] in the 1st battle.

But when the flame, & pillar, [a.k.a. column,] of smoke began to [rise] up out of the city, the Benjamites looked behind them, & [saw,] the flame of the city [go up] to heaven. 

And when the men of Israel turned [back] again, [to ambush them,] the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that [disaster had] come upon them. Therefore, they turned their backs & [fled] before the men of Israel [all the way] to the [road] of the wilderness.

But the battle overtook them; & [those who] came out of the cities [were] destroyed in the midst of them. [Like this,] they [closed in] the Benjamites [all around,] & chased & [trampled] them down with ease, [East of] Gibeah.

And 18,000 men of [valor from] Benjamin [died] there. And they turned & fled toward the wilderness, [all the way] to the Rock of Rimmon & they [cut down] 5,000 men in the highways & [chased] hard after them, [all the way] to Gidom, & [killed] 2,000 of [their] men.

So all [who] fell that day [from] Benjamin were 25,000 men of [valor, who] drew the sword. But 600 men turned & fled [into] the wilderness [all the way] to the Rock of Rimmon & [stayed] 4 months. 

And the men of Israel turned [back against] the [people] of Benjamin, & [struck] them [down, by] the edge of the sword & the men, [animals] & all [they found] of every city. They [also] set the cities on fire that they came to.