(Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah): This sentence seems to interrupt the flow of the narrative, so Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version place it within parentheses. It is clear that it provides some kind of background information. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses a long dash on each side of the sentence to show it is off the story line. Contemporary English Version puts it within in its own paragraph, saying “News about the meeting at Mizpah reached the tribe of Benjamin.” Parentheses are often misunderstood, so if possible, translators should find another way to show this clause is off the story line.

Now renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which here might be translated “Meanwhile” (Good News Translation) or “In the meantime” to introduce the background statement. The Benjaminites is literally “the sons [or, children] of Benjamin,” which contrasts with the people of Israel, literally “the sons [or, children] of Israel,” occurring twice in this verse. The latter expression refers to all the tribes except Benjamin. Normally the Benjaminites were part of the Israelites, but here, because of their behavior and the ensuing war, they are seen as separate. Later the Benjaminites of the town of Gibeah are mentioned, but it seems unlikely that the reference here is only to them. Certainly the Benjaminites refers to both their leaders and the tribe as a whole. They heard about the meeting of the other Israelites certainly by word of mouth, as is typical in oral cultures. The verb tense of had gone up shows that this was a prior action. Once again, the Hebrew verb here (ʿalah) is associated with conflict or military action (see verse 1.1). Translators may say “had prepared for war” or “had gathered for battle.” Good News Translation says simply “had gathered,” which is probably not specific enough here. News of the meeting at Mizpah reached the Benjaminites, no doubt because this town was inside their own territory.

And the people of Israel said: This sentence returns to the story line and there is a shift in subject as well from the Benjaminites to the people of Israel. It may be helpful to begin a new paragraph here, as in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And might be omitted (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible) or translated “Then” (New International Version). The generic verb said may be rendered “asked” (Good News Translation), since a question follows it. This verb has no object or indirect object in Hebrew. In verse 20.4 it is the Levite who responds to the question, but here the audience seems broader, so the addressee is best left unspecified.

Tell us, how was this wickedness brought to pass? is literally “Speak, how did this evil happen?” Though it is the Levite who will answer in verse 20.4, the Hebrew verb for “Speak” is a plural imperative, so this question is probably addressed to a group surrounding and including the Levite. The Hebrew interrogative word rendered how clearly expresses their horror at what has happened. In colloquial English we might say “how in the world…?” This wickedness can refer to the entire series of events concerning the Levite, with some scholars thinking it extends back in time to when the people of Gibeah did not show hospitality to their fellow Israelites. But it is more likely that this wickedness refers to acts of the men of the town who threatened to rape the Levite and then gang-raped his concubine. Since the text does not make clear what is in focus, it will be good to use a general expression for wickedness. The term in Hebrew (raʿah) can refer to something morally wrong or to something that is dreadful or painful (see verse 2.15, where it is rendered “evil”), and clearly either sense fits here. Good News Translation follows the first meaning, using the word “crime,” while Contemporary English Version follows the second meaning with “horrible thing.” Here the reference to moral evil seems more in focus, so we might say “How [in the world] did this evil thing come about?”

Translation models for this verse are:

• Meanwhile the Benjaminites learned that the rest of the Israelites had gathered together at Mizpah.
Then the Israelites asked, “How in the world did this evil thing occur?”

• In the meantime the Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone to Mizpah with war on their minds.
And the people of Israel said, “Tell us how this evil thing came about.”

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 .