Shofetim 20:33

33 And Kol Ish Yisroel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; meanwhile the ones of Yisroel waiting in ambush came forth out of their places, at Ma’areh Geva.

Shofetim 20:33 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:33

And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place
The main body of the army, which fled before Benjamin, when they were come to a proper place, stopped, and rose up out of it, and stood in their own defence:

and put themselves in array at Baaltamar;
drew up in a line of battle at that place, facing their enemies, in order to engage with them: this place the Targum calls the plains of Jericho, that being the city of palm trees, which Tamar signifies; and so Jarchi interprets it; but these are too far off; it must be some place near Gibeah. Jerom F23 speaks of a little village in his time in those parts, called Bethamari, and may be thought to be this same place; perhaps in the times of the old Canaanites here was a grove of palm trees, in which Baal was worshipped, from whence it had its name:

and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even
out of the meadows of Gibeah;
or plain of Gibeah, as the Targum; for as the city was built on a hill, at the bottom of it were a plain and fine meadows of grass, and here an ambush was placed at some little distance from the city; and when the army of the Benjaminites were drawn off from it, in pursuit of Israel, these came forth and placed themselves between them and the city.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 De loc. Heb. fol. 89. I.

Shofetim 20:33 In-Context

31 And the Bnei Binyamin went out against HaAm, and were drawn away from the Ir; and they began to inflict casualties on HaAm, as at other times, in the sadeh and on the roads, of which one road goeth up to Beit-El, and the other road to Giv’ah, killing about sheloshim ish b’Yisroel.
32 And the Bnei Binyamin said, They are defeated before us, as at the first. But the Bnei Yisroel said, Let us retreat, and draw them from the Ir unto the roads.
33 And Kol Ish Yisroel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; meanwhile the ones of Yisroel waiting in ambush came forth out of their places, at Ma’areh Geva.
34 And there came a frontal assault against Giv’ah by ten thousand ish bachur out of kol Yisroel, and the milchamah was fierce; but they [the Bnei Binyamin] had no da’as that for them ra’ah (evil, disaster) was near.
35 And Hashem defeated Binyamin before Yisroel; and the Bnei Yisroel struck down from Binyamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred ish, all these armed with cherev.
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