And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
When the Israelite soldiers turned around and came back, the men of Benjamin were terrified and shocked, because they realized that disaster had fallen on them.
The writer is describing how the tribe of Benjamin suddenly realized they were facing complete defeat and destruction in battle.
📚 Historical Context
This verse occurs during the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other eleven tribes of Israel, sparked by a horrific crime in Gibeah involving the rape and murder of a Levite's concubine. The Benjamites had initially been winning battles, but this moment describes their realization that the tide had turned decisively against them in what would become their near-complete destruction as a tribe.
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