And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
The men of Israel, not counting the tribe of Benjamin, numbered 400,000 soldiers who could fight with swords. All of these were experienced warriors.
This verse shows that Israel gathered a massive army of 400,000 trained soldiers (excluding Benjamin) to deal with a serious crisis.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Judges, the tribes of Israel united in response to a grave sin committed in the territory of Benjamin, specifically the rape and murder in Gibeah as detailed in the preceding chapter. When the tribe of Benjamin refused to hand over the guilty parties for judgment, the other tribes mobilized for war by counting their warriors. This verse highlights the scale of the Israelite forces, excluding Benjamin, as they prepared for this internal conflict during a time of loose tribal governance before the monarchy.
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