A common misinterpretation views this verse as endorsing unchecked vigilantism or glorifying militarism, ignoring the context of repeated divine consultations (Judges 20:18,23,27-28) that guided the response and the underlying outrage over Benjamin's refusal to punish the perpetrators of sexual violence and murder; others fixate on the literal number to debate historical accuracy without grasping its symbolic portrayal of national solidarity against moral decay, or wrongly apply it to justify modern wars without covenantal or judicial frameworks.
Judges 20:17
King James Version (1769)
17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
Judges 20:17 reveals the formidable unity and determination of the Israelite tribes, excluding Benjamin, as they assembled 400,000 sword-bearing men to confront the grave sin of Gibeah, emphasizing communal responsibility to uphold justice and moral order within God's covenant people, setting the stage for divine judgment on internal corruption through collective action sanctioned by prior inquiries to the Lord.