Section 5:8–15

The LORD will judge the people by war

In 5:8–11, the LORD warned Israel and Judah that he would soon destroy them by means of the enemy that had come to wage war against them. He also accused them of various kinds of sin. In 5:12–15, the LORD compared his judgment to destructive things like a moth, wood rot, and a lion. He assured the people that they would be destroyed in spite of their attempt to get help from Assyria. We do not know with certainty the date and the details of the war. However, some scholars believe that this is the war that is mentioned in 2 Kings 16:5–9 and 2 Chronicles 28:5–23.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

War between Judah and Israel (Good News Translation)
-or-
The Lord warns Israel and Judah (Contemporary English Version)

Paragraph 5:8–11

5:8a–c

The English Standard Version has been used as the source line in 5:8a–c, because it follows the interpretation that is recommended for 5:8c.

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

8a
Blow the horn in Gibeah, (English Standard Version)

8b
the trumpet in Ramah. (English Standard Version)

8c
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven (English Standard Version)

These actions signaled that an enemy army was approaching. When an enemy army was near a city, the watchmen or soldiers who guarded the city blew a horn or a trumpet or in some way sounded an alarm. These three parallel lines emphasize that it was a time of war.

(English Standard Version) Blow the horn…the trumpet…Sound the alarm: In this verse, the purpose of all three actions is the same. There are two main ways to interpret this purpose:

(1) Their purpose was to warn the people. They gave a signal to the people that they should move to the safety of their city along with their flocks and cattle. For example:

“Blow the horn in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah. Give the warning at Beth Aven (New Century Version)

(2) Their purpose was to summon their soldiers to fight against the enemy. For example:

“Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven. (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries. However, it is possible that the purpose was both to warn the people and also to summon their troops into battle.

horn: The horn or “shophar” was an instrument made from a ram’s horn.

trumpet: The trumpet was a long, slender instrument made of metal.

Sound the alarm: This command may refer to blowing into one of the instruments. It may also refer to shouting an alarm. In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate what the warning or alarm was about. If that is true in your language, try to use an expression that will allow for both interpretations (1) and (2). For example:

Warn ⌊the people ⌋…⌊that their enemies are coming ⌋.
-or-
Give a signal ⌊to the people ⌋…⌊that they need to prepare for war ⌋.

(English Standard Version) Gibeah…Ramah…Beth-aven: These three cities were located in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. This territory was located between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

Beth-aven: Here Beth-aven probably refers to Bethel. The name Beth-aven means “house of wickedness.” Some alternate ways that versions spell this name are Beth Aven and Bethaven. See also the note on Beth-aven in 4:15b.

General Comment on 5:8a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these parallel statements. For example:

Blow the horns and trumpets to warn your fellow residents that war is about to begin. Give/Shout the alarm in Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven.
-or-
Signal everyone in Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven to prepare for the arrival of their enemies.

5:8d

Lead on, O Benjamin: There is a textual issue here as well as an interpretation issue. First the Notes will discuss the textual issue:

(1) The Masoretic Text has a phrase that means “after/behind you, Benjamin!” For example:

We are behind you, Benjamin! (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) The LXX has a phrase that means “Tremble, O Benjamin!” For example:

Tremble in fear, O Benjamin! (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow textual option (1) along with most English versions.

There are three ways to interpret the Hebrew phrase that is literally “after/behind you, Benjamin:”

(1) The Hebrew phrase “after/behind you, Benjamin!” is a promise. The people shouting this phrase are promising to follow the soldiers of Benjamin into battle. They will be allies with the tribe of Benjamin against a common enemy. For example:

we follow you, O Benjamin! (English Standard Version)

(2) The Hebrew phrase “after/behind you, Benjamin!” is a rallying cry. The people shouting this phrase are giving a signal to the army of Benjamin to begin fighting. For example:

Into battle, men of Benjamin! (Good News Translation)

(3) The Hebrew phrase “after/behind you, Benjamin!” is a warning. The people shouting this phrase are warning the people of Benjamin that the enemy army is located behind them. The enemy is at their border and is about to attack. For example:

look behind you, Benjamin! (New Revised Standard Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, interpretation (2) is also acceptable. Both interpretations indicate that it was time to fight the enemy.

General Comment on 5:8a–d

In 5:8a–c the LORD is the speaker. He told the sentries to warn the people. In 5:8d there is a change of speaker. We do not know who promised to follow Benjamin, but clearly they were friends or allies. In some languages, it may be necessary to make the change of speaker explicit. For example:

8d
⌊ The friends/allies of the people of Benjamin said,⌋“Men of Benjamin, we will follow you.”

© 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.