As noted above, the narrator is going back over all the details of the battle. This verse repeats information presented earlier. It begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction, which New International Version renders as “and then,” but which can also be omitted as Revised Standard Version does here.

The men of Israel should turn in battle: The men of Israel refers to the main group of Israelite soldiers who drew out the Benjaminites. Should turn in battle means they “should turn and attack the Benjaminites” after pretending to flee from them. The Hebrew verb for turn is the same used in verse 7.13 when the tent of the Midianites overturned. Here the meaning is obviously “turn round.” This clause and the previous verse may be rendered as follows:

• 38 Now the Israelite armies had an agreed signal—the ambushers would send up a smoke signal from the city. 39 Then the main army would turn and attack the Benjaminites.

Now Benjamin had begun to smite and kill about thirty men of Israel: The narrator is trying to describe multiple scenes. His focus now turns to the Benjaminites who were unaware of the ambush and had begun to slaughter the Israelites. Now renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, introducing further background information. Revised Standard Version uses the past perfect tense (had begun) again. For begun to smite and kill about thirty men of Israel, see verse 20.31. About thirty men does not seem like many men compared to the thousands who have already been killed. The number thirty is a common number in this book, used often in the Samson story. This clause may be rendered “The Benjaminites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing about thirty of them.”

They said: This clause begins with the Hebrew particle ki, which might be rendered “Indeed,” “so” (New Revised Standard Version), or “and” (New International Version). Revised Standard Version and most other versions omit it. As noted at verse 20.32, the verb said could introduce a quote here, but it is more likely introducing what the Benjaminites were thinking or saying to themselves. Thus New Revised Standard Version says “so they thought,” and Good News Translation has “They told themselves.”

Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle: This statement of the Benjaminites is similar to the one in verse 20.32, but with some important differences. The statement here is much more emphatic than the one there. First, the Hebrew interjection ʾak (Surely) is added. Second, they are smitten down renders an emphatic construction in Hebrew, literally “struck he is struck.” These expressions add liveliness and suspense to the story, as they describe how sure the Benjaminites were of themselves. Of course, the surer they were, the greater their defeat, and the greater the Israelites’ victory. The pronoun they refers to the main group of Israelite soldiers who had the job of drawing out the Benjaminites. For the Hebrew verb rendered smitten down, see verse 20.32, where it is translated “routed.” As in the first battle may also be rendered “as in the past.” The Benjaminites killed the most Israelites in the first battle, so a literal rendering here may be the best choice.

Two translation models for the last half of this verse are:

• The Benjaminites had begun attacking them and had already killed about thirty Israelite soldiers. They were thinking they would surely defeat them, as they had done previously.

• The Benjaminites began to inflict casualties on the Israelite troops, killing about thirty men. They said to themselves, “Victory is sure! We’ll slaughter them, just as we did in the first 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 .