Bible Strands
Judges 20:41
Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator recounts the tactical reversal at Gibeah, where Israelite forces change direction to pursue while Benjaminite warriors face the sudden collapse of their defensive position.
The words — The Hebrew verb הָפַךְ (ha.Fakh) literally means "he turned" or "he reversed," marking the decisive pivot where Israelite troops shift from retreat to pursuit. The verb וַיִּבָּהֵל (va.i.yi.ba.Hel) conveys "he was terrified," describing the Benjamites' immediate psychological collapse upon seeing the smoke of their city's destruction.
The thread — This pattern of sudden reversal and terror at the sight of approaching judgment appears in Luke 21:26 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3, where unexpected catastrophe strikes those who fail to perceive the impending disaster.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that defeat often begins with delayed recognition of irreversible circumstances, demanding immediate assessment of one's actual position rather than reliance on prior assumptions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
Cross-references
- Luke 17:27 People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
- Luke 21:26 Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- 2 Peter 2:12 These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
- Exodus 15:9 The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
- Isaiah 13:8 Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.
- Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”
- Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
- Revelation 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”