Judges 20:47 Meaning and Explanation

Amid the devastation, a remnant survives. Six hundred men flee to the rock of Rimmon and shelter there four months. After the near-total destruction of the tribe, these few become the seed from which Benjamin will be preserved. The word 'but' marks the turn from judgment toward a sliver of hope; the tribe is not utterly extinguished.

This small surviving band matters greatly for what follows. The next chapter will tell how Israel, grieving that a tribe is nearly lost, takes steps to preserve Benjamin through these six hundred. The verse quietly testifies that even in the severest judgment, God preserves a remnant. He does not finally abandon his people, even when they have brought ruin upon themselves. From the rock of Rimmon, a future is spared, a reminder that mercy lingers even where judgment has fallen hard.