Judges 20:39
New International Version
and then the Israelites would counterattack. The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.”

New Living Translation
When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Benjamin’s warriors. By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!”

English Standard Version
the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

Berean Standard Bible
the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

New American Standard Bible
Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Undoubtedly they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

NASB 1995
Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

NASB 1977
Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So the men of Israel had turned around in the battle, and Benjamin had begun to strike and slay about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

Amplified Bible
So the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Certainly they are defeated before us as in the first battle!”

Christian Standard Bible
the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They’re defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about 30 men of Israel, they said, “They’re defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle.”

American Standard Version
And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the men of Israel returned from battle and Benjamin began to cast down thirty men, slain of Israel, because they said: “Surely they are defeated from before us, as in the first battle!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the children of Israel saw that the liers in wait had seized Gabaa, and they stood in line of battle; and Benjamin began to smite down wounded ones among the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they fall again before us, as in the first battle.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the children of Israel saw this in the battle (for the children of Benjamin thought they fled and pursued them vigorously, killing thirty men of their army)

English Revised Version
And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and 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.:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the men of Israel would turn around in the battle. The men of Benjamin had already killed about 30 men of Israel. They even said, "Israel is completely defeated, just like in the first battle."

Good News Translation
the Israelites out on the battlefield were to turn around. By this time the Benjaminites had already killed the thirty Israelites. They told themselves, "Yes, we've beaten them just as before."

International Standard Version
The army of Israel turned around in the battle, and the army of Benjamin began to attack and kill about 30 soldiers, thinking, "Now we're really defeating them, just like before."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and 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.'

Literal Standard Version
And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin has begun to strike the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, “Surely they are utterly struck before us, as [at] the first battle”;

Majority Standard Bible
the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”

New American Bible
and the men of Israel would then wheel about in the battle. Benjamin, having begun by killing off some thirty of the men of Israel, thought, “Surely they are completely routed before us, as in the earlier fighting.”

NET Bible
the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said, "There's no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle."

New Revised Standard Version
the main body of Israel should turn in battle. But Benjamin had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing about thirty of them; so they thought, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

New Heart English Bible
The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle."

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, “Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin hath begun to smite the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, 'Surely they are utterly smitten before us, as at the first battle;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Civil War Against Benjamin
38The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.” 40But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.…

Cross References
Judges 20:32
"We are defeating them as before," said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads."

Psalm 78:9
The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

And when

Judges 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.

Jump to Previous
Battle Begun Benjamin Benjamites Casualties Death Defeated Defeating Inflict Israel Kill Overcome Persons Retired Smite Smitten Strike Struck Surely Thirty Turn Turned Utterly Wounded
Jump to Next
Battle Begun Benjamin Benjamites Casualties Death Defeated Defeating Inflict Israel Kill Overcome Persons Retired Smite Smitten Strike Struck Surely Thirty Turn Turned Utterly Wounded
Judges 20
1. The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8. The decree of the assembly
12. The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18. The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26. They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred.














(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.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the men
אִֽישׁ־ (’îš-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

would turn
וַיַּהֲפֹ֥ךְ (way·ya·hă·p̄ōḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

in the battle.
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה (bam·mil·ḥā·māh)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

When the Benjamites
וּבִנְיָמִ֡ן (ū·ḇin·yā·min)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1144: Benjamin -- 'son of the right hand', youngest son of Jacob, also the name of two other Israelites

had begun
הֵחֵל֩ (hê·ḥêl)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

to strike them down,
לְהַכּ֨וֹת (lə·hak·kō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5221: To strike

killing
חֲלָלִ֤ים (ḥă·lā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2491: Pierced, polluted

about thirty
כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים (kiš·lō·šîm)
Preposition-k | Number - common plural
Strong's 7970: Thirty, thirtieth

men
בְּאִֽישׁ־ (bə·’îš-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

they said,
אָמְר֔וּ (’ā·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“They are
הוּא֙ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

defeated
נִגּ֨וֹף (nig·gō·wp̄)
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 5062: To push, gore, defeat, stub, inflict

before us
לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ (lə·p̄ā·nê·nū)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 6440: The face

as in the first
הָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃ (hā·ri·šō·nāh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank

battle.”
כַּמִּלְחָמָ֖ה (kam·mil·ḥā·māh)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war


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OT History: Judges 20:39 The men of Israel turned (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 20:38
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