Judges 20:41

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

Judges 20:41 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:41

And when the men of Israel turned again
Turned their faces to the Benjaminites, on whom they had turned their backs; and which they did on hearing the sound of the trumpet, or seeing the flame of the city, or both, and that in order to fight the Benjaminites, and smite them, as now was their opportunity:

the men of Benjamin were amazed;
at this strange and sudden change of things, at the sight of the flame of their city behind them, and at the Israelites turning back to fight them, when they thought themselves sure of victory, as at other times:

for they saw that evil was come upon them;
that they were in the utmost danger, between two fires, as we usually say, liers in wait behind them, which had seized their city and burnt it, and the army of Israel turning upon them with great spirit and resolution.

Judges 20:41 In-Context

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.

42 And they retreated from before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle caught up to them, and [those] who [came] from the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

43 They surrounded Benjamin; they pursued them without rest [and] trod them down opposite Gibeah to the east.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "touching"