Judges 20:39

39 And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought, "They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle."

Judges 20:39 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:39

And when the men of Israel retired in the battle
Which is before expressed by their fleeing, and giving place to the Benjaminites, and was only an artifice of theirs, to draw them off from the city:

Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty
persons;
which was done in the highways leading to Shiloh and Gibeah in the field, ( Judges 20:31 )

for they said, surely they are smitten down before us as in the first
battle;
when the greater number of the Israelites were slain by them.

Judges 20:39 In-Context

37 And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it {put the whole city to the sword}.

38 Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city.

39 And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought, "They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle."

40 And the cloud of smoke began to go up from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned backward, and behold, the whole city was going up {in smoke}!

41 And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed because they saw that disaster was {closing in} on them.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "said"