Though the Benjamites were sorely outnumbered by the Israelite swordsmen (400,000 to 26,700—fifteen to one), not all warriors are alike. Among the Benjaminite army were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
This group of deadly accurate stone-slingers is formidable. The stones they slung were large enough to crack skulls (who can forget the slingman from Judah years later, namely, David, who toppled a giant with one shot (1 Samuel 17:49)?). This is a distinct advantage; they can strike the enemy before hand-to-hand combat began. And, they are left-handed, like the Benjamite deliverer Ehud (Judges 3:15). There is a massive advantage for left-handed slingers. Most soldiers were right-handed, and so carried their shields on their left arms. That gave a normal defence against right-handed slingers. But incoming sling-stones from a lefty slinger would be flying toward you at a different angle, toward your undefended side. If Benjamin's slingers could hit a hair, the havoc they can wreak long-range on swordsmen would be monstrous!
16 Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.