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.
The people of Benjamin came out to fight against the Israelites and were lured away from their city. They started attacking and killing the people just like they had done before, fighting on the roads, one road that leads up to Bethel (the house of God) and another to Gibeah in the open country. They killed about thirty men of Israel.
The Benjamites fell into the trap set by the other Israelites, leaving their city to chase and attack their enemies on the roads, killing about thirty men.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Judges, this verse is part of the narrative of the Benjamite War, which arose after the tribe of Benjamin refused to hand over the men of Gibeah who had committed a terrible crime against a Levite's concubine. The other tribes of Israel gathered to punish Benjamin, leading to a series of intense battles as they sought to address the outrage. In this particular incident, Benjamin's forces lured the Israelites away from the city and ambushed them on the highways, resulting in the death of about thirty men.
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