The Meaning of Judges 20:1 Explained

Judges 20:1

KJV: Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

YLT: And all the sons of Israel go out, and the company is assembled as one man, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah, at Mizpeh.

Darby: Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beer-sheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah.

ASV: Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then all the children  of Israel  went out,  and the congregation  was gathered together  as one  man,  from Dan  even to Beersheba,  with the land  of Gilead,  unto the LORD  in Mizpeh. 

What does Judges 20:1 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Judges 20

1  The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8  The decree of the assembly
12  The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18  The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26  They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred

What do the individual words in Judges 20:1 mean?

So came out all the sons of Israel and gathered together the congregation as man one from Dan and to in Beersheba and as well as from the land of Gilead before Yahweh at Mizpah
וַיֵּצְאוּ֮ כָּל־ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַתִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעֵדָ֜ה כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֗ד לְמִדָּן֙ וְעַד־ בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וְאֶ֖רֶץ הַגִּלְעָ֑ד אֶל־ יְהוָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּֽה

וַיֵּצְאוּ֮  So  came  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
בְּנֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֒  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וַתִּקָּהֵ֨ל  and  gathered  together 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קָהַל  
Sense: to assemble, gather.
הָעֵדָ֜ה  the  congregation 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵדָה  
Sense: congregation, gathering.
כְּאִ֣ישׁ  as  man 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֶחָ֗ד  one 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
לְמִדָּן֙  from  Dan 
Parse: Preposition-l, Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּן 
Sense: the 5th son of Jacob, the st of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.
וְעַד־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
שֶׁ֔בַע  Beersheba 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּאֵר 
Sense: a city at the south edge of Israel.
וְאֶ֖רֶץ  and  as  well  as  from  the  land 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַגִּלְעָ֑ד  of  Gilead 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
אֶל־  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הַמִּצְפָּֽה  at  Mizpah 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְפָּה  
Sense: a place in Gilead north of Jabbok and location of Laban’s cairn.