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Judges 20:28

ESV and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?" And the Lord said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand."
NIV with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?" The Lord responded, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands."
NASB and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, 'Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I stop?' And the Lord said, 'Go up, for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.'
CSB and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?" The Lord answered: "Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow."
NLT and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the Lord, 'Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?' The Lord said, 'Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.'
KJV And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
NKJV and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

What does Judges 20:28 mean?

The previous verse revealed that the ark of the covenant of God (Exodus 25:10–22) was at Bethel during the events of this chapter (Judges 20:12–17). It may have been brought to Bethel specifically to be close to the Israelites when they went to battle. The mission of eleven of the twelve tribes is to bring justice for crimes committed in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. So far, these efforts have not gone well (Judges 20:18–27).

Here, Scripture notes that Phinehas was still serving as priest during this time. Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron, the first high priest over Israel. Phinehas was famous for his intense passion for serving the Lord, especially in deflecting God's anger toward Israel (Numbers 25). The mention of Phinehas here likely means these events happened in the early years in Israel after Joshua's death. That helps explain the unified approach taken by the Israelite tribes, something not as apparent in later stories from this era.

The people of Israel have spent the day fasting and offering sacrifices to the Lord and mourning the loss of approximately one out of eleven soldiers from their massive army. They had brought this same question to the Lord previously, but they are clearly doubting that He is still with them. So, they ask again: Should we attack Gibeah and the Benjaminites, our brothers, a third time? Or should we stop?

In His prior response, the Lord had told them to attack, but had not said they would be victorious. Here, God tells Israel to attack, and that this time they will win. This is the assurance for which the people had hoped.
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