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.
When the Israelite army retreated during the battle, the Benjamites started attacking and killing about thirty Israelite soldiers. The Benjamites said to themselves, 'We're definitely defeating them just like we did in the first battle.'
The Benjamites became confident they were winning again as they killed about thirty retreating Israelites, not realizing this was part of Israel's battle strategy.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Judges, this verse is part of the account of a brutal civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other Israelite tribes, triggered by the horrific rape and murder of a Levite's concubine in the Benjamite city of Gibeah. The Israelites had demanded justice, but Benjamin refused and rallied to defend the guilty, leading to multiple battles. In this specific scene, the Israelites employed a strategic retreat to deceive the Benjamites into thinking they were winning, as in their previous encounter.
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