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Tuesday, August 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Judges 20:37

Then the men who had been lying in wait rushed in on Giv‘ah, drew their swords and destroyed the city.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambush;   Armies;   Strategy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Benjamin, Tribe of;   Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Weapons;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gibeah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   War;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
Hebrew Names Version
The liers-in-wait hurried, and rushed on Gevah; and the liers-in-wait drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
King James Version
And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Lexham English Bible
And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it put the whole city to the sword.
English Standard Version
Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
New Century Version
The men in hiding rushed into Gibeah, spread out, and killed everyone in the city with their swords.
New English Translation
The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city.
Amplified Bible
Then the men in ambush quickly rushed and attacked Gibeah; and the men in ambush also deployed and struck the entire city with the edge of the sword.
New American Standard Bible
the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they that lay in wait hasted, and brake forth toward Gibeah, & the ambushment drewe themselues along, and smote all the citie with the edge of the sword.
Legacy Standard Bible
Toe het die hinderlaag vinnig na Gíbea gestorm--en die hinderlaag het getrek en die hele stad met die skerpte van die swaard verslaan.
Darby Translation
And the ambush hasted, and fell upon Gibeah; and the ambush drew along, and smote the whole city with the edge of the sword.
Easy-to-Read Version
The men who were hiding rushed into the city of Gibeah. They spread out and killed everyone in the city with their swords.
George Lamsa Translation
And the men who were in ambush quietly made an attack against Gibeah; then the men in ambush moved forward and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Good News Translation
These men ran quickly toward Gibeah; they spread out in the city and killed everyone there.
Literal Translation
And the ambush hurried and came against Gibeah, and the ambush drew itself out and struck all of the city by the mouth of the sword.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the watch made haist also, & brake forth vnto Gibea, and wente vpon it, and smote all the cite with the edge of ye swerde.
American Standard Version
And the liers-in-wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in-wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Bible in Basic English
And the watchers, rushing on Gibeah and overrunning it, put all the town to the sword without mercy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the lyers in wayte hasted, & brake foorth against Gibea, & the embushment drewe them selues along, and smote all the citie with the edge of the sworde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the liers-in-wait hastened, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers-in-wait drew forth, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
King James Version (1611)
And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed vpon Gibeah, and the liers in wait drew themselues along, and smote all the citie with the edge of the sword.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And when they retreated, then the liers in wait rose up, and they moved toward Gabaa, and the whole ambush came forth, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword.
English Revised Version
And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Berean Standard Bible
The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne thei hadden rise sudenli fro hid places, and Beniamyn yaf backis to the sleeris, thei entriden in to the citee, and smytiden it by the scharpnesse of swerd.
Young's Literal Translation
and the ambush have hasted, and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draweth itself out, and smiteth the whole of the city by the mouth of the sword.
Update Bible Version
And the ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the ambushers drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew [themselves] along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
World English Bible
The liers-in-wait hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the liers-in-wait drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
New King James Version
And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.
New Living Translation
Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town.
New Life Bible
The men who had been hiding were quick to rush against Gibeah. They destroyed all of the city with the sword.
New Revised Standard
The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. Then they put the whole city to the sword.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the liers in wait, hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah, - and the liers in wait marched forward, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they that were in ambush arose on a sudden out of their coverts, and whilst Benjamin turned their backs to the slayers, went into the city, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
Revised Standard Version
And the men in ambush made haste and rushed upon Gib'e-ah; the men in ambush moved out and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
THE MESSAGE
The ambush erupted and made quick work of Gibeah. The ambush spread out and massacred the city. The strategy for the main body of the ambush was that they send up a smoke signal from the city. Then the men of Israel would turn in battle. When that happened, Benjamin had killed about thirty Israelites and thought they were on their way to victory, yelling out, "They're on the run, just as in the first battle!" But then the signal went up from the city—a huge column of smoke. When the Benjaminites looked back, there it was, the whole city going up in smoke.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

Contextual Overview

26 Then the whole army of Isra'el, all the people, went up to Beit-El and cried and sat there in the presence of Adonai . They fasted that day until evening, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to Adonai , 27 and asked Adonai what to do. The ark for the covenant of God was there at that time; 28 and Pinchas the son of El‘azar, the son of Aharon, stood before it at that time. They asked, "Should we still go out to battle again against our kinsmen the people of Binyamin, or should we stop?" Adonai answered, "Attack, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you." 29 Isra'el hid some men around Giv‘ah, 30 and on the third day Isra'el attacked the army of Binyamin and took a position against Giv‘ah as they had the other times. 31 Again the army of Binyamin went out against the people. Lured away from the city, they began attacking and killing some of the people, as they had the other times — they killed about thirty men of Isra'el in the countryside and on the roads, one of which goes up to Beit-El and the other to Giv‘ah. 32 The army of Binyamin said, "They're defeated, just as before." But the army of Isra'el said, "Let's run off and draw them away from the city onto the roads." 33 All the men of Isra'el left their places and took up a battle position at Ba‘al-Tamar, while the other Isra'el men burst out of their hiding places at Ma‘areh-Geva. 34 Ten thousand men chosen out of all Isra'el came over to attack Giv‘ah, and the combat was intense. But the army of Binyamin didn't know that they were about to be defeated. 35 For Adonai routed Binyamin in Isra'el's presence; that day the army of Isra'el destroyed 25,100 men of Binyamin, all of whom carried swords;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the liers in wait hasted: Joshua 8:19

drew themselves along: or, made a long sound with the trumpets, Exodus 19:13, Joshua 6:5

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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" x, 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" y 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.

x יפשטו "extenderunt se", Tigurine version. y ימשך "pertraxerunt buccinae sonitum", Paguninus; so Jarchi and Limchi.


 
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