And the people of Israel went up …: The events in this verse seem to occur before those in the previous one, so some scholars propose reversing the order of the two verses, as in New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version combine them to avoid the problem. Another possibility is to cast this verse as occurring prior to the events of the previous verse. For example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses the anterior past tense, saying “For the Israelites had gone up….” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh treats this verse as a background comment, which we recommend. It may also be possible to omit the Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And (so New International Version). Once again the people of Israel is literally “the sons [or, children] of Israel.” The Hebrew verb rendered went up (ʿalah) is the same one used to describe the people going to Bethel in verse 20.18. Some versions add “to Bethel” (New Living Translation, Revised English Bible) here, which would make sense in this context. This is explicit in the Hebrew text at verse 20.26.
And wept before the LORD until the evening is a powerful expression, showing the people’s deep sadness. They certainly mourned for all those who were killed, and they may also have cried because of the unthinkable situation, with Israelites fighting and killing other Israelites. The Hebrew verb for wept is the same one used in verse 2.4, so it forms an inclusio around this book. In some cultures there are not many overt signs of mourning, but rather quiet weeping. However, here it was probably a dramatic scene, with cries and other striking signs of mourning. Contemporary English Version says “cried,” and Good News Translation has “mourned.” Wept before the LORD means they cried in the LORD’s presence. They mourned while they prayed and sought God’s guidance and help. Yahweh was thought to be present at sacred places where he had revealed himself previously. The text does not say if their weeping took place at Bethel as mentioned in verse 20.18, but this seems likely. Until the evening refers to the end of the day. It was a traditional time for worship in Israel. We may say “until sundown,” “for the rest of the day,” or “until the end of the day.” Good News Translation provides a helpful model for this clause and the previous one, saying “Then the Israelites went to the place of worship and mourned in the presence of the LORD until evening.”
And they inquired of the LORD: See verse 1.1 and verse 20.18. In Hebrew this quote frame is followed by a verb that is literally “to say,” which some versions render “and said” (similarly New International Version) or “saying” (King James Version).
Shall we again draw near to battle against our brethren the Benjaminites?: This time the Israelites do not ask who should lead into battle (verse 20.18), but rather if they should attempt to go to battle again. This request makes sense because they had by now lost thousands of men. This question is literally “Shall I add to draw near for the battle with the sons [or, children] of Benjamin my brother?” The Hebrew text uses the singular pronouns “I” and “my,” but Revised Standard Version and most other versions change these pronouns to we and our. The Hebrew verb for “add” has the sense of again in this context. It may be translated “a second time.” Draw near renders a Hebrew verb normally meaning “approach” or “come near,” but here it refers to movements pertaining to battle. So we might say “go to battle” or even “attack” (Contemporary English Version). Once again the mention of brethren brings a note of sadness and irony to the narration (see verse 20.13). In most languages the word “brothers” will send a powerful message. Translators should try to capture some of the emotion of this question, for example, “Shall we again draw near to battle our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?” (New Revised Standard Version) or “Should we attack the people of Benjamin again, even though they are our relatives?” (Contemporary English Version). Some languages may prefer indirect speech (see first model below), but this seems to rob the text of some of its impact.
And the LORD said, “Go up against them”: See the comments on verse 20.18. Them is literally “him,” referring to the Benjaminite soldiers. We might say “And the LORD replied, ‘Attack them.’ ” In some languages it will be more natural to say “The LORD answered, ‘Yes, go to battle against them.’ ”
Translation models for this verse are:
• Indeed, the people of Israel had sought the LORD and mourned before him until evening. They asked the LORD to show them whether or not they should again attack their brothers, the Benjaminites. And the LORD said yes.
• For the Israelites had gone to the place of worship and cried [bitter tears] in the presence of the LORD until the sun went down. They asked the LORD, “Should we go to battle against our brothers, the Benjaminites, once again?”
The LORD replied, “Yes, attack them.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .