Judges 20:48

And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Israelite army executes the final phase of the civil war against the surviving Benjamite strongholds immediately after the main battle concludes.

The words — שָׁבוּ (Sha.vu) translates to "they turned back," and לְפִי (le./fi) literally means "to the mouth of," functioning as an idiom for directing action against a specific target.

The thread — The mandate to put inhabitants to the sword and devote livestock to destruction is prescribed in Deuteronomy 13:15, and the pattern of dismissed troops raiding cities recurs in 2 Chronicles 25:13.

Why it lands — It demands the reader acknowledge the complete and unreserved nature of the judgment carried out, leaving no survivors or resources behind.

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 the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 13:15 you must surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword. Devote to destruction all its people and livestock.
2 Chronicles 25:13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
2 Chronicles 28:6 For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Proverbs 18:19 An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle.