Judges 20:43

Jdg 20:43 [Thus] they inclosed the Benjamites round about, [and] chased them, [and] trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

Ver. 43. And chased them, and trode them.] These things are recorded, that people may see the woe of war, and take heed of sin, the cause of it.

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.

Or, drove them from their rest.

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

(43) A strong and poetic description of the total rout and massacre which ensued.

With ease.—There is no “with” in the Hebrew, but perhaps it may be understood. The LXX. and Luther make it mean “from Noria.” Others render it “in their rest,” i.e., in the places to which they fled for refuge. The Vulg. paraphrases it: “Nor was there any repose of the dying.” But the whole verse is obscure.

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

43. The unidiomatic style (and … and are not in the original), together with the obscurity of the sense, prove that the text is corrupt. Of the various attempts to emend it, the following is as plausible as any: taking the two Hebr. words for the Benjamites … chased them as a doublet of the next two at their resting place, trode them down, and omitting the latter, we may read they cut down (LXX. cod. B) Benjamin and pursued him as far as over against Geba toward the sunrising. The Gibeah of the text was not E. of the flying Benjamites; as elsewhere it is confused with Geba = Jeba‘, 3 m. N.E. of Tell el-Fûl. Jeba‘ lies on the way to Rammôn; but before the fugitives could reach their place of refuge (Rimmon Jdg_20:45), the narrow defile of the Wadi Suwçnît (1Sa_14:4 ff.), between Jeba‘ and Machmâs, would stop further pursuit: accordingly over against Geba they were cut down.

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 there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men,.... Just the number they had slain of Israel in the second battle. This is the number of them that were slain when Israel turned upon them, and by that time they got to the east of Gibeah; afterwards 5000 more were slain on the highways, and 2000 near Gidom, as after related:

all these were men of valour; as appears by three times facing and engaging with the army of Israel, so vastly superior to them, and twice beating them.

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

The language and construction of this verse is poetical; it seems to be an extract from a song, and to describe, in the language of poetry, the same event which the preceding verse described in that of prose.

With ease - Or “rest” Num 10:33; Psa 95:11. The expression is very obscure. The margin takes it as the name of a place.

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

Rest. Hebrew, "with ease, or at leisure they crushed them," &c. Others translate, (Calmet) Monvee, from Nucha, Noua, (Septuagint Roman; Haydock) Menucha," &c. We read of a place in the tribe of Juda, called Menuchta, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 52. (Calmet) --- The same word may be taken as a proper name, or may signify rest. (Menochius)

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).

With ease; without great difficulty. Now that God gave them his presence and assistance, they easily did that which before they found too hard for them. Or, unto Menuchah; or, as far as Menuchah; a place so called. See 1Ch 2:52; Jer 51:59.

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

43. With ease — The Hebrew word thus rendered is better taken as a proper name, Menuchah, as in the margin. Translate the verse thus: They enclosed Benjamin, pursued him, trod him down at Menuchah unto the place over against Gibeah eastward. The sense is, that Menuchah itself was over against Gibeah on the east, so that the battle was fought principally on the east of the city. Menuchah was probably the same as Manahath, (1Ch_8:6,) and lay somewhere to the east or northeast of Gibeah.

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

Thus they inclosed, etc. Another difficult passage, having all the appearance of being a quotation from some poetical description of the battle. The tenses of the verbs and the absence of any conjunctions in the Hebrew makes the diction like that of Jud_1:5:19. The italic words thus and the two ands ought to be omitted, to give the stately march of the original. "They inclosed, etc.; they chased them; they trod them down," etc. They inclosed seems to refer to the stratagem by which the Benjamites were surrounded by the ambush in their rear and the Israelites in front. Then came the pursuit chased them;" then the massacre trod them down." The three verbs describe the three stages of the battle. With ease. It does not seem possible that the Hebrew word menuchah can have this meaning. It means sometimes a place of rest, and sometimes a state of rest. Taking the latter meaning, the words they trod them into rest may mean they quieted them by crushing them to death under their feet, or in rest may mean unresisting. Some render it unto Menuchah, as if Menuchah was the name of a place, or from Nochah, as the Septuagint does. Others, at the place of rest, i.e. at every place where they halted to rest the enemy was upon them.

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

Nohah

This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)

trampled them down

The completed destruction of the Benjamites is spoken of as if the Israelites stomped on their bodies. AT: "they completely destroyed them" (See: Metaphor)

eighteen thousand

"18,000" (See: Numbers)

were distinguished in battle

"had fought bravely in the battle"

translationWords

Benjamin

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

They [lit. crowned] Binyomin. They encircled Binyomin the way a crown encircles the head. Similarly, "The mighty of Bashan encircled me," and, "For the villain encircles the saint." Also, the word "wreath" connotes encirclement, as in, "Shaul and his troops encircled [lit. wreathed] David and his troops in order to seize them"

Called for their pursuit. They called for pursuit behind them—they shouted to each other to pursue.

And intercepted them at rest. At the cities, where they generally rested, they intercepted them.

Intercepted them. Caught them. There is a similar term in the Talmud, "He pursued him a parsa in the sand, but did not catch him."

Up to the area facing Givoh. East of Givoh.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.