Judges 20:31

Jdg 20:31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, [and] were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, [and] kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

Ver. 31. And they began to smite of the people.] This flushed the Benjamites, and made them cry Victoria; but the scene was soon altered. It is not good to triumph before the victory.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By the policy of the children of Israel.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(31) To smite of the people, and kill.—Rather, to smite the wounded or beaten of the people. It means, apparently, that when some of the Israelites had been wounded with slings, the Benjamites began to rush on them, for the purpose of killing them, and they feigned flight along two highways, of which one led to Bethel, and the other to a place which, to distinguish it from Gibeah, seems to have been called “Gibeah in the field.” In this feigned flight thirty Israelites were killed. “Gibeah in the field” seems to be Jeba, and the main road from Gibeah (Tuleil el Fûl), at about a mile’s distance from the hill, branches off into two, of which one leads to Beitin (Bethel), and the other to Jeba (“Gibeah in the field”).

The highways.—(Mesilloth.) Roads like the Roman viae regiae, regularly built.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

31. The opening sentence follows the pattern of Jdg_20:21; Jdg_20:25. The remainder of the v. raises difficulties; it is partly repeated in Jdg_20:39; the pretence of flight does not come properly till Jdg_20:32. Either we may regard as additional glosses they were drawn away from the city (there is no and in the Hebr.), and the topographical note in the high ways, of which … to Gibeah, leaving the statement that the Benjamites began to smite and kill in the open country as on the former occasions (so Moore): or we may retain the words just quoted, and slightly rearrange them on the model of Jdg_20:32; Jdg_20:39 : they were drawn away from the city into the highways, of which … to Gibeah, and they began to smite and kill in the field about thirty men of Israel (so Budde, Nowack, who distinguish three, instead of two versions). The first alternative has the merit of simplicity.

to Gibeah] cannot be right, for the Israelites were retreating towards the N., away from Gibeah; the general direction of the two roads must be the same. For Gibeah, therefore, read Gibeon; at a short distance beyond Tell el-Fûl the road branches northwards to Beitîn (= Beth-el) and N.W. to el-Jib (= Gibeon), 3 m. N.W. of Tell el-Fûl.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the children of Benjamin said, they are smitten down before us, as at first,.... At the first battle, which gave them great spirit, and they concluded they should have victory, as before:

but the children of Israel said, let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways; pretending to be afraid of them, and not able to face them, and therefore made as if they fled through fear and cowardice, which inspired the Benjaminites with fresh ardour to pursue them closely, and so were drawn from the city to the highways, as expressed in the preceding verse.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To the house of God - “To Bethel,” as in the margin. On “Gibeah in the field,” see Jos 18:24 note.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

To Gabaa, from some other city. (Haydock) --- This body of men consisted of 10,000, who were designed to draw off the Benjamites from the city into the midst of the forces of Israel, at Baalthamar; while another division, in ambush, on the west of Gabaa, had to enter the city, and having set it on fire, were to prevent the inhabitants from re-entering. (Calmet) --- They use a similar stratagem to that which Josue (Josue viii.) had employed against Hai. (Salien)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Drawn away from the city, by the dissembled flight of the Israelites.

As at other times; with the same kind, though not with the same degree of success.

Gibeah in the field; so called, to difference it from this Gibeah, which was upon a hill; wherefore they are constantly said to ascend or go up against it, as Jdg 20:23,30. See Jos 18:24,28.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

31. To smite of the people, and kill — Rather, to smite of the people the wounded, or pierced. Some thirty men were hit and wounded by the slingers, and the Benjamites rushed upon them and smote them.

In the highways — The contest shows that the highways here mentioned was a spot where two roads parted, one leading up to Beth-el, (not house of God, as here again rendered,) the other to Gibeah. In the field designates not the site of Gibeah, (as Gibeah in the field,) but the place where the two roads parted.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The house of God. Here manifestly Bethel, as in the margin. Gibeah in the field. The A.V is the natural rendering of the Hebrew words, which imply a Gibeah in the field different from Gibeah, as the Septuagint seems to have understood them (Gabaa en agrw ). It is a happy conjecture, borne out by the existing roads, that this Gibeah-in-the-field is the same as Gobs, now Jeba. Indeed it is almost impossible to conceive how the pursuers, coming out of Gibeah, could be described as coming to two highways, of which one led to Bethel and the other to the very place they had come from. The latest explorers of the district fully concur in this identification of Gibeah-in-the-field with Jeba.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

fought against the people

The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "fought against the people of Israel" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

they were drawn away from the city

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the people of Israel drew them away from the city" (See: Active or Passive)

They began to kill some of the people

The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "The people of Benjamin began to kill some of the men of Israel" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Bethel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.