Judges 20:40 - Forerunner Commentary

Judges 20:40

38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of ^asmoke rise up from the city,

39 whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun¹ to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites ^alooked behind them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven.

41 And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come upon them.

42 Therefore they¹ turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst.

43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the east.

44 And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.

45 Then¹ they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of ^aRimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed two thousand of them.

46 So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were¹ men of valor.

47 ^aBut six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword—from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.

Verse Comparison: Judges 20:40

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Judges 20:41 >>

American Standard Version
But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and, behold, the whole of the city went up `in smoke' to heaven.

Amplified® Bible
But when the [signal] cloud began to rise out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to the heavens.

Contemporary English Version
(SEE 20:31)

Darby English Version
But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them; and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.

Good News Bible
Then the signal appeared; a cloud of smoke began to go up from the town. The Benjaminites looked behind them and were amazed to see the whole city going up in flames.

King James Version
But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

New American Standard Bible
But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up {in smoke} to heaven.

New International Version
But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke of the whole city going up into the sky.

New King James Version
But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city appeared to go up in smoke to heaven.

Revised Standard Version
But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them; and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.

Young's Literal Translation
and the volume hath begun to go up from the city -- a pillar of smoke -- and Benjamin turneth behind, and lo, gone up hath the perfection of the city toward the heavens.

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