Once again, following a terrible defeat, the people of Israel turn to the LORD. This is a pitiful scene: though the Benjaminites committed evil acts, they are winning and even massacring their brothers. This verse provides more detail on how the Israelites interacted with Yahweh previously (see verse 20.23).

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept: Then is a good rendering of the Hebrew waw conjunction here. All the people of Israel, the whole army is literally “all the sons [or, children] of Israel and all the people.” In Hebrew there is no mention of an army. However, these two phrases certainly refer to the same group of people, that is, the Israelites, and through the repetition of “all” show how determined this group is. For the Hebrew verb rendered went up (ʿalah), see verse 20.18. Once again this verb, which is often used to refer to going to war, is used ironically to speak of the people consulting the LORD. This time, the narrator makes it clear that the people came to Bethel, a place of worship. For wept see verse 20.23.

They sat there before the LORD: In the Old Testament a sitting position is sometimes associated with total discouragement and mourning, and this seems to be the case here as the people sat in the LORD’s presence. The adverb there refers to the sacred place in Bethel, described as before the LORD in verse 20.23. Revised Standard Version omits the Hebrew waw conjunction at the beginning of this clause. By expressing this conjunction and switching the word order, New International Version better expresses the consternation of the people: “and there they sat weeping before the LORD.”

And fasted that day until the evening: Fasted means they deliberately chose not to eat. In the Scriptures fasting is often practiced in times of great sorrow, mourning, or repentance. Here the Israelites were certainly fasting to show their sorrow over the death of the thousands of their men. They may have also fasted as they waited on the LORD for guidance. Most cultures practice fasting, though not necessarily with the same motivation. If an idiomatic expression exists in the target language, it can be used here, for example, “tied their mouths.” In some languages it might be made explicit that they “fasted in mourning” or even “fasted in prayer.” For until evening, see verse 20.23. Contemporary English Version says they were “not eating for the rest of the day,” but this does seem to communicate the function of fasting here.

And offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD: This clause gives more details about how the Israelites worshiped the LORD. Offered renders a causative form of the Hebrew verb translated went up. Burnt offerings were animal sacrifices in which everything was burnt to symbolize complete service to God (see verse 6.26). The Hebrew verb for offered and the noun for burnt offerings come from the same root meaning “go up,” so this is an emphatic expression. The peace offering was a sacrifice in which the best parts of the animal (blood, fat, and vital organs) were offered to God and the rest were eaten by the worshipers (see Lev 3). This shared meal expressed the fellowship between the LORD and those who worshiped him. Translators should try to use the same terms for burnt offerings and peace offerings as are used in other parts of the Old Testament. The Hebrew words for offered, burnt offerings, and peace offerings all have an l sound in the middle of the word, creating a string of similar sounds. It is hard to know whether this repetition is trying to convey mockery and irony or simply sadness and defeat. For before the LORD, see verse 20.23.

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 .