Judges 20:16

Seven hundred. These expert marksmen with the sling were probably the same as the 700 men in their prime who, according to the previous verse, represented Gibeah in the army of Benjamin. It would not be likely that 2 different groups of 700 men would be mentioned together, and yet the possibility of such a coincidence is by no means excluded.

At an hair. This expression merely implies extreme accuracy. The Benjamites were also noted in later centuries as being skilled in the use of slings (1 Chron. 12:2). In secular history men are reported to have become so expert in the art that the stones they flung came with as much force as if hurled from a catapult, and pierced shields and helmets.

Miss. Heb. chata’. This is the same word that in nearly all of its more than 200 occurrences is translated “to sin.” Its basic meaning is to miss the mark, and when it is used for the idea of “sin” it describes the act as one of missing the divine mark that God has for His people — the mark of perfection defined in the law of God.