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Friday, August 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Douay-Rheims Bible

Judges 20:37

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.

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.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the men who had been lying in wait rushed in on Giv‘ah, drew their swords and destroyed the city.
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.
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 Wherefore all the children of Israel came to the house of God, and sat and wept before the Lord: and they fasted that day till the evening, and offered to him holocausts, and victims of peace offerings, 27 And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there, 28 And Phinees, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was over the house. So they consulted the Lord, and said: Shall we go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin, our brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said to them: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into your hands. 29 And the children of Israel set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa: 30 And they drew up their army against Benjamin the third time, as they had done the first and second. 31 And the children of Benjamin boldly issued out of the city, and seeing their enemies flee, pursued them a long way, so as to wound and kill some of them, as they had done the first and second day, whilst they fled by two highways, whereof one goeth up to Bethel and the other to Gabaa, and they slew about thirty men: 32 For they thought to cut them off as they did before. But they artfully feigning a flight, designed to draw them away from the city, and by their seeming to flee, to bring them to the highways aforesaid. 33 Then all the children of Israel rising up out of the places where they were, set their army in battle array, in the place which is called Baalthamar. The ambushes also, which were about the city, began by little and little to come forth, 34 And to march from the west side of the city. And other ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel, attacked the inhabitants of the city. And the battle grew hot against the children of Benjamin: and they understood not that present death threatened them on every side. 35 And the Lord defeated them before the children of Israel, and they slew of them in that day five and twenty thousand, and one hundred, all fighting men, and that drew the sword.

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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