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.
The Israelite army had arranged a signal with the soldiers hiding in ambush: when they captured the city, they would send up a large column of smoke and fire as a sign.
The writer is describing how the Israelite army coordinated their battle strategy using a smoke signal to communicate between their main force and their hidden troops.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Judges, the Israelites were engaged in a civil war against the tribe of Benjamin after a brutal crime in Gibeah, where a Levite's concubine was assaulted and killed, leading to widespread outrage. The Israelites planned a strategic ambush on the city of Gibeah, using the Benjamites' forces being drawn out as an opportunity, and they agreed on a smoke signal as a way to coordinate the attack. This tactic reflected the military strategies common in ancient Near Eastern warfare, where signals played a key role in battlefield communication.
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