Judges 20:38
New International Version
The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

New Living Translation
They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.

English Standard Version
Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city

Berean Standard Bible
The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

King James Bible
Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

New King James Version
Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,

New American Standard Bible
Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

NASB 1995
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

NASB 1977
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

Amplified Bible
Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

Christian Standard Bible
The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

American Standard Version
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And there was a signal to the men of Israel with the ambush, to send them up as smoke would go up from the city

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the children of Israel had a signal of battle with the liers in wait, that they should send up a signal of smoke from the city.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the children of Israel had given a sign to them, whom they had laid in ambushes, that after they had taken the city, they should make a fire: that by the smoke rising on high, they might shew that the city was taken.

English Revised Version
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The men of Israel had arranged with those waiting in ambush that they would make a big column of smoke rise from the city as a signal.

Good News Translation
The main Israelite army and the men in hiding had arranged a signal. When they saw a big cloud of smoke going up from the town,

International Standard Version
Meanwhile, the army of Israel had arranged to signal their soldiers who had been hiding in ambush by sending up a cloud of smoke from the city.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait, that they should make a great beacon of smoke rise up out of the city.--

Literal Standard Version
And the appointed sign of the men of Israel with the ambush was their causing a great volume of smoke to go up from the city.

Majority Standard Bible
The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

New American Bible
The arrangement the men of Israel had with the men in ambush was that they would send up a smoke signal from the city,

NET Bible
The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city,

New Revised Standard Version
Now the agreement between the main body of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out of the city

New Heart English Bible
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke to rise from the city.

World English Bible
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.

Young's Literal Translation
And there was the appointed sign to the men of Israel with the ambush -- their causing to go up a great volume of smoke from the city.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Civil War Against Benjamin
37The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword. 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.”…

Cross References
Joshua 8:13
So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.

Joshua 8:20
When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.


Treasury of Scripture

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

sign.

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Ambush Ambushers Appointed Arranged Attack Beacon Causing City Cloud Israel Liers Making Pillar Rise Sign Signal Smoke Surprise Volume Wait
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Ambush Ambushers Appointed Arranged Attack Beacon Causing City Cloud Israel Liers Making Pillar Rise Sign Signal Smoke Surprise Volume Wait
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.














(38) signal which had been agreed upon.

That they should make.--Literally, multiply to cause to ascend. The actual words of the agreed on signal are quoted. For the word hereb (which is an imperative) some MSS. read chereb, "a sword," and this is adopted by the LXX. (Cod. A). But the flash of a sword would not be seen at such a distance, and the word gives no good sense. Otherwise it would remind us of the shield, which was seen to flash in the sun as a traitorous signal from Athens to the Persians, just before the battle of Marathon.

A great flame with smoke.--The margin gives elevation for "flame." It means a column of smoke, or "beacon." (Comp. Jeremiah 6:1 : "Set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccerem.")



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The men
לְאִ֥ישׁ (lə·’îš)
Preposition-l | 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

had arranged
הָיָ֛ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a signal
וְהַמּוֹעֵ֗ד (wə·ham·mō·w·‘êḏ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4150: Appointed time, place, or meeting

with
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

the men in ambush:
הָאֹרֵ֑ב (hā·’ō·rêḇ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 693: To lie in wait

When they sent up
לְהַעֲלוֹתָ֛ם (lə·ha·‘ă·lō·w·ṯām)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

a great
הֶ֕רֶב (he·reḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

cloud
מַשְׂאַ֥ת (maś·’aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4864: A raising, rising, an utterance, a beacon, a present

of smoke
הֶעָשָׁ֖ן (he·‘ā·šān)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6227: Smoke

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

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


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OT History: Judges 20:38 Now the appointed sign between the men (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 20:37
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