Shofetim 20:37

37 And the ones ambushing hasted, and rushed upon Giv’ah; and the ones ambushing drew themselves along, and struck kol HaIr with the edge of the cherev.

Shofetim 20:37 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 20:37

And the liers in wait hasted
When the time was come agreed upon for them to rise out of their ambush:

and rushed upon Gibeah;
at unawares, with great force and violence entered the city, and took possession of it; or "extended" ^F24, or spread themselves unto it; before they lay close in a narrow compass, but now they put themselves in a regular order, and marched rank and file, and reached from the meadows in which they were, ( Judges 20:33 ) , to the city:

and the liers in wait drew themselves along;
along the city, in every part of it, spread themselves all over it, and made themselves masters of every corner of it; or "made a long sound" ^F25 with a trumpet, protracted that to a great length, which was done to terrify the inhabitants, or to let the Israelites know they were possessed of the city:

and smote all the city with the edge of the sword;
old men, women, and children, who were not able to bear arms.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F24 (wjvpy) "extenderunt se", Tigurine version.
F25 (Kvmy) "pertraxerunt buccinae sonitum", Paguninus; so Jarchi and Limchi.

Shofetim 20:37 In-Context

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.

36 So the Bnei Binyamin saw that they were defeated; for the Ish Yisroel gave place before Binyamin, because they relied on the ones ambushing which they had positioned against Giv’ah.

37 And the ones ambushing hasted, and rushed upon Giv’ah; and the ones ambushing drew themselves along, and struck kol HaIr with the edge of the cherev.

38 Now there was a mo’ed (appointed agreement) between the Ish Yisroel and the ones ambushing, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the Ir.

39 And when the Ish Yisroel turned in the milchamah, Binyamin began to inflict casualties on the Ish Yisroel about sheloshim ish; for they said, Surely they are defeated before us, as in the milchamah harishonah.