Bible Strands
Judges 20:43
They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Israelite army closes in on the fleeing Benjamite warriors during the final phase of their civil war. This moment captures the turning point where the Benjamites realize escape is impossible as Israelite troops advance across the terrain.
The words — כִּתְּרוּ (ki.te.Ru) literally means they surrounded, and מְנוּחָה (me.nu.Chah) translates as rest. These terms describe the Israelites closing in and relentlessly pressing the Benjamites without pause.
The thread — The pattern of surrounded forces facing inescapable pursuit runs in Joshua 8:20. The immediate narrative thread continues in Judges 20:42 and Judges 20:44, which record the Benjamites fleeing toward the wilderness and the subsequent fall of 18,000 of their warriors.
Why it lands — The text records the complete encirclement and relentless pursuit of the Benjamites without offering them a chance to regroup. It demands the reader acknowledge the finality of the military outcome and the certainty of the coming judgment.
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
Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
Cross-references
- Joshua 8:20 When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now turned against their pursuers.