Judges 20:39

39 And when the sons of Israel set in that battle saw this; for the sons of Benjamin guessed them to flee, and they followed busilier, when thirty men of their host were slain; (And so the Israelites set in the battle saw this; but the Benjaminites guessed them to flee, and they followed them more busily, for they had already killed thirty Israelites;)

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 when these ambushments had risen up suddenly from [the] hid places, and Benjamin gave (their) backs to the slayers, they entered into the city, and they smote it by sharpness of sword. (And when those set in ambush had suddenly risen up from their hiding places, and the Benjaminites had given their backs to the killers, the Israelites entered into the city, and struck down the people with their sharp swords.)

38 Soothly the sons of Israel had given a sign to them which they had set in ambushments, that after that they had taken the city, they should kindle (a) fire, and that by smoke ascending on high, they should show the city (to be) taken. (And the Israelites had arranged a sign, or a signal, from those whom they had set in ambush, which was that after they had taken the city, they would kindle a fire, and that by the smoke going up on high, they would show that the city had been taken.)

39 And when the sons of Israel set in that battle saw this; for the sons of Benjamin guessed them to flee, and they followed busilier, when thirty men of their host were slain; (And so the Israelites set in the battle saw this; but the Benjaminites guessed them to flee, and they followed them more busily, for they had already killed thirty Israelites;)

40 and they saw as a pillar of smoke go up from the city. And also Benjamin beholding behind, when he saw his city taken, and the flames be borne on high, (yea, the Israelites saw the pillar of smoke go up from the city. And then the Benjaminites looking behind, also saw that their city had been taken, and the flames of it to be borne up on high.)

41 they that feigned to flee before, turned their face to Benjamin, and more strongly withstood him. And when the sons of Benjamin had seen this thing, (And then they who had feigned to flee before, now turned their faces to the Benjaminites/now turned to face the Benjaminites, and strongly stood against them. And when the Benjaminites had seen this,)