Judges 20:32
New International Version
While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,” the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

New Living Translation
Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.

English Standard Version
And the people of Benjamin said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Berean Standard Bible
“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.”

King James Bible
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

New King James Version
And the children of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

New American Standard Bible
And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, like the first time.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let’s flee, so that we may draw them away from the city to the roads.”

NASB 1995
The sons of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways.”

NASB 1977
And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Legacy Standard Bible
The sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Amplified Bible
And the Benjamites said, “They are defeated before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and lure them away from the city to the highways.”

Christian Standard Bible
The Benjaminites said, “We are defeating them as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Benjaminites said, “We are defeating them as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

American Standard Version
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the highways.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the sons of Benjamin said: “They are defeated from before us as at the first!” And the sons of Israel said: “Let us escape, and we will lead them out from the city to the streets!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

English Revised Version
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us rise, and draw them away from the city unto the highways.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The men of Benjamin shouted, "They're defeated as before!" But the men of Israel had said, "Let's flee in order to lead them from the city to the roads."

Good News Translation
The Benjaminites said, "We've beaten them just as before." But the Israelites had planned to retreat and lead them away from the city onto the roads.

International Standard Version
Then the descendants of Benjamin told themselves, "They're falling right in front of us, just like before!" But the army of Israel told themselves, "Let's draw them away by escaping to the highways from the city."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the children of Benjamin said: 'They are smitten down before us, as at the first.' But the children of Israel said: 'Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the highways.'

Literal Standard Version
And the sons of Benjamin say, “They are struck before us as at the beginning”; but the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, to the highways.”

Majority Standard Bible
“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.”

New American Bible
The Benjaminites thought, “They are routed before us as previously.” The Israelites, however, were thinking, “We will flee and draw them out from the city onto the highways.”

NET Bible
Then the Benjaminites said, "They are defeated just as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads."

New Revised Standard Version
The Benjaminites thought, “They are being routed before us, as previously.” But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads.”

New Heart English Bible
The people of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, as previously." But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city to the highways.

World English Bible
The children of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let’s flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Benjamin say, 'They are smitten before us as at the beginning;' but the sons of Israel said, 'Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Civil War Against Benjamin
31The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. 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.” 33So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.…

Cross References
Joshua 8:5
Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.

Judges 20:31
The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

Judges 20:33
So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.

Judges 20:39
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."


Treasury of Scripture

And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city to the highways.

Joshua 8:15,16
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness…

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Beginning Benjamin Benjaminites Benjamites Children City Defeating Draw Highways Israel Israelites Let's Retreat Routed Smitten Struck Way
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Beginning Benjamin Benjaminites Benjamites Children City Defeating Draw Highways Israel Israelites Let's Retreat Routed Smitten Struck Way
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.














(32) Said, Let us flee.--In a later historical style the plan of the feigned flight would have been mentioned earlier.

Unto the highways.--This would have the double effect of allowing the ambuscade to cut off their retreat, and of dividing their forces at the point where the roads branched off.

Verse 32. - And the children of Benjamin, etc. This verse is parenthetical, being explanatory of the conduct of both parties. The Benjamites pursued recklessly, because they thought the fight was going as on the two previous days; the Israelites fled in order to draw them to the highways, and so to enable the ambushment to get between the Benjamite army and the city.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“We are defeating
נִגָּפִ֥ים (nig·gā·p̄îm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5062: To push, gore, defeat, stub, inflict

them as before,”
הֵ֛ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

said
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the Benjamites.
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

But the Israelites
וּבְנֵ֧י (ū·ḇə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

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

“Let us retreat
נָנ֙וּסָה֙ (nā·nū·sāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural
Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away

and draw them away
וּֽנְתַקְּנֻ֔הוּ (ū·nə·ṯaq·qə·nu·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5423: To pull, draw, or tear away, apart, or off

from
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

the city
הָעִ֖יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

onto
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the roads.”
הַֽמְסִלּֽוֹת׃ (ham·sil·lō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4546: A thoroughfare, a viaduct, a staircase


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OT History: Judges 20:32 The children of Benjamin said They (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 20:31
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