The Meaning of Judges 20:16 Explained

Judges 20:16

KJV: Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

YLT: among all this people are seven hundred chosen men, bound of their right hand, each of these slinging with a stone at the hair, and he doth not err.

Darby: Among all these were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss.

ASV: Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Among all this people  [there were] seven  hundred  chosen  men  lefthanded;  every one could sling  stones  at an hair  [breadth], and not miss. 

What does Judges 20:16 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 20:16 mean?

Among [were] all people this seven hundred men select restricted of hand right every [one of] this [army] could sling a stone at a hair's [breadth] and not miss -
מִכֹּ֣ל ׀ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֗ה שְׁבַ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ אִ֣ישׁ בָּח֔וּר אִטֵּ֖ר יַד־ יְמִינ֑וֹ כָּל־ זֶ֗ה קֹלֵ֧עַ בָּאֶ֛בֶן אֶל־ הַֽשַּׂעֲרָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יַחֲטִֽא פ

מִכֹּ֣ל ׀  Among  [were]  all 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָ֣ם  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַזֶּ֗ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
שְׁבַ֤ע  seven 
Parse: Number, feminine singular construct
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
מֵאוֹת֙  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
אִ֣ישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בָּח֔וּר  select 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: youth, young man.
אִטֵּ֖ר  restricted 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אִטֵּר  
Sense: bound, impeded (on the right, ie, left-handed), shut, shut up.
יַד־  of  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְמִינ֑וֹ  right 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָמִין  
Sense: right, right hand, right side.
כָּל־  every  [one  of] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
זֶ֗ה  this  [army] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
קֹלֵ֧עַ  could  sling 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קָלַע 
Sense: to sling, hurl forth.
בָּאֶ֛בֶן  a  stone 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
אֶל־  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַֽשַּׂעֲרָ֖ה  a  hair's  [breadth] 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שַׂעֲרָה  
Sense: a single hair.
וְלֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַחֲטִֽא  miss 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation