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
This verse describes part of the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other eleven tribes of Israel, which occurred after the horrific incident at Gibeah involving a Levite's concubine. The other tribes were using military strategy to draw the Benjamites away from their fortified city so they could defeat them more easily.
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