Battle of Gibeah
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| Battle at Gibeah | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Tribes of Israel | Tribe of Benjamin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 400,000 | 26,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~40,060 | ~25,100 | ||||||
Battle of Gibeah was a biblical battle that involved the Tribe of Benjamin of Israel against other tribes. According to the Book of Judges, an incident of gross inhospitality by part of the tribe resulted in hostility, in which the other tribes of Israel sought vengeance, and after which the surviving members of Benjamin were systematically slaughtered, including women and children; when Benjamin was nearly extinguished, it was decided that the tribe should be allowed to survive, and all the men from another town were slaughtered, so that their wives could be re-wed to the surviving men of Benjamin[1].
[edit] Biblical account
According to textual scholars, the biblical text describing the battle and the events surrounding it is considerably late in date, originating close to the time of the deuteronomist's compilation of Judges from its source material, and clearly has several exaggerations of both numbers and of modes of warfare[2], and additionally, the inhospitality which triggered the Battle is reminiscent of the Torah's account of Sodom and Gomorrah.[2] Many Biblical scholars concluded that the account was a piece of political spin, which had been intended to disguise atrocities carried out by the tribe of Judah against Benjamin, probably in the time of King David as an act of revenge or spite by David against the associates of King Saul, by casting them further back in time, and adding a more justifiable motive[2]; more recently, scholars have suggested that it is more likely for the narrative to be based on a kernel of truth, particularly since it accounts for the stark contrast in the biblical narrative between the character of the tribe before the incident, and its character afterwards.[2]
According to the Book of Judges 20, 15-18, the strength of the armies numbered 26,000 men on the Benjamin side (of whom only 700 from Gibeah), and 400,000 men on the other side.
