Judges 20:31

31 And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

Judges 20:31 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:31

And the children of Benjamin went out against the people
Sallied out of Gibeah upon them, where they had put themselves in array against them:

and were drawn away from the city;
the Israelites retreating, and dissembling a flight, which drew the Benjaminites to pursue after them, by which means they were drawn off to a greater distance from the city of Gibeah:

and they began to smite the people, and kill as at other times;
at the other two battles;

in the highways;
where it seems two ways met:

of which one goeth up to the house of God;
to Bethel, as the Targum {t}; or rather to Shiloh, where the house or tabernacle of God was, and was two miles from Gibeah, as Bunting ^F21 says:

and the other to Gibeah in the field;
so called, to distinguish it from the other Gibeah situated on an hill:

about thirty men of Israel;
which were killed in this running fight; and it seems as if one part of the army of Israel took one road, and the other the other road, and so divided the army of the Benjaminites that pursued after them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 So the Septuagint, and Noldius, p. 69. No. 345.
F21 Travels p. 121.

Judges 20:31 In-Context

29 And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gabaa round about .

30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gabaa as before.

31 And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.

33 And all the men rose up out of their places, and engaged in Baal Thamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from Maraagabe.

Footnotes

• [a]. were emptied out of the city.
• [b]. which is one going up.