Judges 20 38

Judges 20:38 kjv

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

Judges 20:38 nkjv

Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,

Judges 20:38 niv

The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

Judges 20:38 esv

Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city

Judges 20:38 nlt

They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.

Judges 20 verses

Judges 20 38 Meaning

This verse details the crucial pre-arranged signal for the final, decisive attack by the Israelites against the tribe of Benjamin at Gibeah. After two failed frontal assaults, a new, divinely guided strategy involved a portion of the army lying in ambush. The rising of a great column of smoke from the city, once captured by the ambush party, would signal the main Israelite forces to launch their full assault on the retreating Benjamites, effectively catching them in a pincer movement.

Judges 20 38 Context

Judges 20:38 is a key part of the military strategy employed by the tribes of Israel against Benjamin. The preceding chapters (Judges 19-20:37) narrate the appalling act of wickedness by men of Gibeah (Benjamin) against a Levite's concubine, leading to her death. This outrage united the other eleven tribes of Israel, who gathered at Mizpah, outraged by such moral degradation within the covenant community. After two days of costly defeats despite superior numbers, and after seeking God's will (even weeping before Him), the Lord finally assured them of victory on the third day. The plan was not another frontal assault but an intricate stratagem involving an ambush and a retreat, designed to draw the Benjamites out of Gibeah and into an inescapable trap. This verse describes the agreed-upon signal – the large smoke column – that would communicate the ambush party's successful capture of the city, thereby triggering the main Israelite army's final offensive.

Judges 20 38 Word analysis

• Now: A temporal and narrative transition, indicating a new phase or detailed element in the ongoing military account. It signals the beginning of the crucial instructions for the third day's battle.
• there was an agreed sign: Hebrew: אות מועדה (ot mo'adah).
  • אות (ot - sign, token, signal): A specific, pre-arranged symbol or indication. This emphasizes that it was not a random occurrence but a pre-established, recognized cue known to both the ambush party and the main army. It speaks to intentional, coordinated action.
  • מועדה (mo'adah - appointed, agreed): From the root יעד (ya'ad), meaning "to appoint, fix a meeting place/time." It underscores the precise, deliberative nature of the signal's purpose and its prior acceptance by all parties involved in the battle plan. It was a covenantal signal, understood and binding among the participants.
• for the men of Israel: Refers to the main body of the Israelite army, distinguished from the smaller ambush party. This indicates the primary recipients who would act upon seeing the signal.
• with the ambush: Hebrew: עם הארב (im ha'orev). The group of Israelite soldiers hidden and lying in wait, poised to take Gibeah. This highlights the coordination between two distinct operational units: the visible main force and the hidden assault group. The "ambush" element was critical to the divinely given strategy after the failures of direct attack.
• that they would make a great column of smoke rise: Hebrew: עמוד עשן גדול יעלה (ammud ashan gadol ya'aleh).
  • עמוד (ammud - pillar, column, stand): Denotes a tall, upright, distinct mass. This implies not just a wisp of smoke but a prominent, unmistakable, vertical formation of smoke, visible from a great distance.
  • עשן (ashan - smoke): The medium of the signal. It’s effective for long-distance visual communication, particularly in ancient warfare contexts where modern communication tools did not exist.
  • גדול (gadol - great, large): Reinforces the size and visibility. This was meant to be unequivocally seen by the main army, removing any doubt about the ambush's success. The magnitude of the signal corresponds to the magnitude of the military operation.
  • יעלה (ya'aleh - will rise, will go up): Indicates the action of the smoke ascending, making it visible.
  • The phrase "great column of smoke" has a possible theological echo of the "pillar of cloud" (עמוד ענן - ammud anan) and "pillar of fire" (עמוד אש - ammud esh) that led Israel through the wilderness (Exod 13:21-22). While here it is a human-made signal, its description with "pillar" may subtly connect the divine leading of Israel in battle with their historic guidance, implying God's approval of this specific, appointed strategy.
• from the city: Gibeah. This specifies the exact source of the signal, confirming the ambush party's success in capturing the city itself. Its origin verified the target's seizure.

Judges 20 38 Bonus section

The careful planning depicted in this verse, including the specific pre-arranged signal and the coordination between distinct military units, highlights a sophisticated level of tactical thinking that was divinely inspired after initial human-centric failures. This complex strategy contrasts sharply with the earlier, more simplistic direct assaults that ended in defeat, emphasizing that obedience and relying on God's specific instructions, even when unconventional, lead to victory. The magnitude of the smoke signal also suggests the seriousness and visibility required for a national-scale operation against such entrenched wickedness, acting as a profound sign of impending judgment for the Benjamites.

Judges 20 38 Commentary

Judges 20:38 is a concise but highly significant verse, detailing the ingenious, God-given military strategy for the Israelite victory over Benjamin. After two disastrous and costly defeats, God granted the Israelites a precise plan, leveraging tactical deception and coordinated execution. The "great column of smoke" served as a clear, unmistakable visual covenant between the hidden ambush unit and the main Israelite army. This deliberate and substantial signal not only confirmed the ambush's success in capturing Gibeah but also triggered the pre-planned counter-attack, demonstrating a high degree of military sophistication guided by divine counsel. It underscored that God's providence, not just overwhelming numbers, was crucial for Israel's success in cleansing evil from within their midst.