Judges 20:38

Judges 20:38 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,

Context of Judges 20:38

36Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. 37The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city. The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city, 39the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.” 40But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky.

Judges 20:38 word by word

וְהַמּוֹעֵ֗ד הָיָ֛ה לְאִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עִם־הָאֹרֵ֑ב הֶ֕רֶב לְהַעֲלוֹתָ֛ם מַשְׂאַ֥ת הֶעָשָׁ֖ן מִן־הָעִֽיר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now there was an appointed signמוֹעֵדmô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh · meeting: signal appointedH4150
• between the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• andעִם‛im · withH5973
• the liers in waitאָרַב'ârab · to ambushH693
• that they should make a greatרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• flameמַשְׂאֵתmaώ'êth · tributeH4864
• with smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
• rise upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• out of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892

Commentaries on Judges 20:38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Now there was an appointed sign - From this verse to the end of the chapter we have the details of the same operations which are mentioned, in a general way, in the preceding part of the chapter.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-48This section provides another description of the battle.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 29-4829-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 20:38

• Ambush
• Armies
• Strategy

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Liers-in-Wait
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Gibeah
• Glean
• Trust
• Wickedness
• Wolf
• Archery

Commentaries on Judges 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary