complete verse (Judges 20:36)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 20:36:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, the people of the clan of Benjamin saw/realized that their soldiers had been defeated.
    And how the battle was is like this: The people of Israel pretended to flee so as to give opportunity for their people who had hid themselves to go and take the city of Gibeah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then the Benjaminites knew [it]: "We are defeated."
    All the Israelites, trusting the men who were in hiding out around [lit.: before] Gibeah, acted like they were [being] defeated.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And the Benjaminhon realized that they were now defeated.
    The big group of the soldiers of Israel fled so-that the soldiers they were-having-besiege the city of Gibea could-attack.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The main group of Israeli men arranged with the men who would be hiding that they should send up a smoke signal to enable the main group of soldiers to know when they should attack. Then the main group of Israeli men retreated for a short distance, because they knew that the other Israeli men who had been hiding on the other side of Gibeah would attack the people of the tribe of Benjamin by surprise. So after the main group of Israeli men retreated a little distance, the men who had been hiding rushed out and ran into Gibeah and used their swords to kill everyone in the city. Then they started to burn the buildings.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 20:36

So the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated: The Benjaminites finally understood that they had been defeated. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered So may be translated “Then” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) or “Consequently” in this context. Since the subsection draws to a close here, other possible connectors are “With that,” “So it was that,” and even “Finally.” The verb saw may be rendered “realized” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Were defeated renders a passive form of the Hebrew verb translated “defeated” in verse 20.35. If some languages prefer an active verb, translators might say “Finally, the Benjaminites realized that the Israelites had defeated them” or “So it was that the Benjaminites understood that they had lost the battle.”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 20:36

20:36a Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.

Then the Benjamin people realized that they had been beaten.
-or-
Then the soldiers of Benjamin knew that they had lost.

20:36b Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin

The Israel people had run from the Benjamin people.
-or-
⌊During the fight⌋ the Israel soldiers had run away from the Benjamin soldiers.

20:36c because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

⌊They ran⌋ because they were trusting in the ambush which they had set near Gibeah town.
-or-
This was part of the surprise attack that they had planned against Gibeah town.

20:36b-c (reordered)

Because the Israel soldiers had already set a trap near Gibeah town, at first they lured the Benjamin soldiers away ⌊from the town⌋ by retreating in front of them.

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