Judges 20:44

Study note

Setting — The narrator reports the casualty count during the Israelite pursuit of the Benjamite forces near Gibeah. This occurs immediately after the Israelite army surrounds and overtakes the fleeing Benjamites.

The words — וַֽיִּפְלוּ (va-yippəlû) translates literally as "and they fell," denoting violent death in battle. כָּל אִישׁ (kol ’îš) renders as "all man," emphasizing that every casualty was a combatant of note.

The thread — The pursuit and slaughter pattern continues in Judges 20:43 as Israel overtakes the Benjamites, and in Judges 20:45 as the remaining forces flee toward the wilderness and are cut down on the roads and at Gidom.

Why it lands — The text records a precise, totalizing defeat that leaves no room for negotiation or escape. It demands recognition of the complete military collapse of the tribe.

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.