Judges 20:39

And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(39) And when the men of Israel retired.—This merely repeats with more graphic details the fact already mentioned in Judges 20:31. The “when” should be omitted, and from “Benjamin began” to the end of the next verse is parenthetic.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Baal-tamar is only mentioned here. It took its name from some palm-tree that grew there; perhaps the same as the "palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel" Judges 4:5, the exact locality here indicated, since "the highway" Judges 20:31 along which the Israelites enticed the Benjamites to pursue them, leads straight to Ramah, which lay only a mile beyond the point where the two ways branch off.

The meadows of Gibeah - The word rendered "meadow" is only found here. According to its etymology, it ought to mean a "bare open place", which is particularly unsuitable for an ambush. However, by a change in the vowel-points, without any alteration in the letters, it becomes the common word for "a cavern".

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

34. there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men—This was a third division, different both from the ambuscade and the army, who were fighting at Baal-tamar. The general account stated in Jud 20:35 is followed by a detailed narrative of the battle, which is continued to the end of the chapter.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when the men of Israel retired in the battle,.... Which is before expressed by their fleeing, and giving place to the Benjaminites, and was only an artifice of theirs, to draw them off from the city:

Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; which was done in the highways leading to Shiloh and Gibeah in the field, Judges 20:31.

for they said, surely they are smitten down before us as in the first battle; when the greater number of the Israelites were slain by them.

Geneva Study Bible

And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to {s} smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

(s) For they had grown bold because of the two former victories.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

39. And the men of Israel turned] The turn, however, does not come properly till Jdg 20:41. Read with a slight change and that the men of I. should turn, as part of the appointed sign; Jdg 20:38 will then end with in the battle. The marg. may thus be disregarded.

and Benjamin etc.] A parallel version of Jdg 20:31-32.

Judges 20:39

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"And the men of Israel turned in the battle:" that is to say, as is afterwards more fully explained in Judges 20:39, Judges 20:40, in the form of a long new circumstantial clause, whilst Benjamin had begun to smite, etc. (repeated from Judges 20:31, Judges 20:32), and the cloud (המּשׂאת equals העשׁן משׂאת, Judges 20:38) had begun to ascend out of the city as a pillar of smoke, and Benjamin turned back, and behold the whole city ascended towards heaven (in smoke), Israel turned (fighting) and Benjamin was terrified, for it saw that misfortune had come upon it (see Judges 20:34). In Judges 20:41, the thread of the narrative, which was interrupted by the long circumstantial clause, is again resumed by the repetition of "and the men of Israel turned."