The Meaning of Judges 20:31 Explained

Judges 20:31

KJV: 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.

YLT: And the sons of Benjamin come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and begin to smite some of the people -- wounded as time by time, in the highways (of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field), are about thirty men of Israel.

Darby: And the Benjaminites went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and as at other times they began to smite and kill some of the people, in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gib'e-ah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.

ASV: And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Judges 20:31 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Judges 20

1  The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8  The decree of the assembly
12  The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18  The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26  They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred

What do the individual words in Judges 20:31 mean?

So went out the sons of Benjamin against the people [and] were drawn away from the city and they began to strike down of the people [and] kill some as at the other times in the highways of which one goes up to Bethel and one to Gibeah and in the field about thirty men of Israel
וַיֵּצְא֤וּ בְנֵֽי־ בִנְיָמִן֙ לִקְרַ֣את הָעָ֔ם הָנְתְּק֖וּ מִן־ הָעִ֑יר וַיָּחֵ֡לּוּ לְהַכּוֹת֩ מֵהָעָ֨ם חֲלָלִ֜ים כְּפַ֣עַם ׀ בְּפַ֗עַם בַּֽמְסִלּוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַחַ֜ת עֹלָ֣ה בֵֽית־ אֵ֗ל וְאַחַ֤ת גִּבְעָ֙תָה֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל

וַיֵּצְא֤וּ  So  went  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בִנְיָמִן֙  of  Benjamin 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּנְיָמִין 
Sense: Jacob’s and Rachel’s youngest son, Joseph’s full brother.
לִקְרַ֣את  against 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
הָעָ֔ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָנְתְּק֖וּ  [and]  were  drawn  away 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָתַק  
Sense: to pull or tear or draw off or away or apart, draw out, pluck up, break, li ft, root out.
הָעִ֑יר  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וַיָּחֵ֡לּוּ  and  they  began 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
לְהַכּוֹת֩  to  strike  down 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
מֵהָעָ֨ם  of  the  people 
Parse: Preposition-m, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
חֲלָלִ֜ים  [and]  kill  some 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.
בְּפַ֗עַם  at  the  other  times 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: פַּעַם  
Sense: stroke, beat, foot, step, anvil, occurrence.
בַּֽמְסִלּוֹת֙  in  the  highways 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מְסִלָּה  
Sense: highway, raised way, public road.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  of  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אַחַ֜ת  one 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
עֹלָ֣ה  goes  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אֵ֗ל  Bethel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֵּית־אֵל  
Sense: ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name).
וְאַחַ֤ת  and  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, feminine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
גִּבְעָ֙תָה֙  to  Gibeah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: a city in the mountain district of Judah.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  and  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים  about  thirty 
Parse: Preposition-k, Number, common plural
Root: שְׁלֹשִׁים  
Sense: thirty, thirtieth.
אִ֖ישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל  of  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 20:31?

Loading Information...